DIVISION FOUR — BOOM. 323 



Owen was with his father at Harper's Ferry, a participant in that mem- 

 orable raid which struck the death knell of slavery, not only in the United 

 States but throughout the civilized world. He was one of seven who 

 escaped from there through mountain fastnesses and swamps and forests and 

 farms and streams, in rain and snow and storms, living on raw corn, acorns, 

 sassafras leaves, and such things as they could possibly devour without mak- 

 ing a fire to cook. For they were pursued by soldiers and citizens with 

 dogs and guns, and a price was set on their heads. The Atlantic Monthly 

 some 15 or 20 years ago published a narrative of their escape, which excels 

 in thrilling pathos, and in plain matter-of-fact incidents of hardship, endur- 

 ance, and apparently supernatural deliverances from discovery and capture, 

 the most vivid conceptions of fiction. Two of them made reckless ventures 

 to get food and were captured and hung. The remaining five escaped, 

 Owen finally reaching his brother John's home on an island in lyake Erie. 



About five years ago Jason and Owen Brown took a homestead on a 

 bench of mountain land five or six miles north of Pasadena, at the settle- 

 ment now called Las Casitas. This they subsequently sold and took land 

 higher up the mountain side, built a cabin, cleared and worked a few acres, 

 and lived there — two feeble old men, alone. (Jason was with his father in 

 the Kansas struggle, but was not at Harper's Ferry.) They were much 

 visited by tourists and citizens, some from mere curiosity and others from a 

 warm sympathy with the historic career of the family. They had made a 

 good wagon trail up to their mountain hermitage, and were continuing it as 

 a donkey path to the top of the mountain known as Brown's peak, but it is 

 not completed yet. Owen had a desire to be buried on the top of Brown's 

 peak ; and if Jason ever succeeds in finishing the trail he will try to have 

 his brother's grave up there as he desired. But meanwhile he is buried 

 on a lesser peak on their mountain homestead.* 



Owen Brown was never married. 



Last Days. — December 30th the aged brothers came down to the 

 city to attend Col. Woodford's gospel temperance meeting in the 

 tabernacle. We met them there both Sunday and Monday nights. 

 But Owen was taken sick and had a chill after going to his sister 

 Ruth's home from the meeting, and in a week he died of typhoid 

 pneumonia. He had been failing for some months ; this had been 

 noticed by his relatives and friends. Monday he had worked pretty 

 hard, then lay down in the bright sunshine on the banks of the 

 Arroyo and slept. In the evening he went to the great temperance meet- 

 ing, and being very deeply and ardently interested in the cause, he put his 

 last cent of money into the collection ; had nothing to pay street car fare 

 with, and so walked over two miles to his sister's house, after the meeting. 

 These over-exertions were probably the immediate cause of his last sickness, 

 although he was out some on several days after the first attack, but was 

 not able to attend the meetings any more. 



At the women's meeting on Tuesday he and Jason were elected honor- 

 ary members of the W. C. T. U. He was much pleased with this, and said 

 there was no cause he would more gladly contribute his |i.oo membership 



* Jason was never able to do anything more with the mountain trail. He finally lost this home 

 place by debt, and Owen Brown's grave remains at Las Casitas, as one of Pasadena's notable historic 

 points. Their first place was not a " homestead," but land bought from Painter & Ball, where the Las 

 Casitas Sanitarium now stands. 



