DIVISION FOUR — BOOM. 325 



James Townsend of Spring Dale, Cedar county, Iowa, who was John 

 Brown's intimate and confidential friend ; and at his house Brown took his 

 last meal before starting from West Liberty to Chicago with his men and 

 twelve escaped slaves. This was a marvelous event, in which John Brown, 

 with $2,000 reward offered for him, dead or alive, took a lot of slaves in a 

 car on the C. R. I. and P. railroad through the cities of Davenport, I^a 

 Salle, Joliet, Chicago, and on to freedom on the soil of Canada. And from 

 thence moved on to his final operations at Harper's Ferry, Va. In Dr. H. 

 A. Reid's " History of Johnson County, Iowa," a volume of 966 pages, at 

 page 466 mention is made of James Townsend's "Travelers Rest," the 

 tavern at West Branch (near Spring Dale) where John Brown, and his mule 

 captured from the border ruffians at the battle of Black Jack on the Kansas 

 and Missouri line, were always on the "free list." On page 467, of the 

 same work, we read : " Brown himself had his quarters at the home of 

 Mr. John H. Painter." 



John H. Painter, who was justice of the peace at Spring Dale, and 

 Brown's intimate and confidential friend. He boxed up the guns, sabres, 

 pikes, etc., that Brown had gathered for his anticipated army of liberation, 

 and shipped them to him at Harper's Ferry, labeled "carpenter's tools." 

 For this he was unchurched by the Friends Yearly Meeting to which he be- 

 longed ; but he believed he was doing God's service for the rights of man, 

 and history since has fully vindicated the act. He is father to our prominent 

 citizens M. D. Painter, A. J. Painter, Mrs. ly. H. Michener, and Mrs. Dr. J. 

 C. Michener. 



Wm. H. Cofl&n, was associated with John Brown and his sons in the 

 Kansas struggle for a free state against the slave-hunting border ruffians, in 

 i856-7-8-9._ 



Benjamin A. Rice, was taken prisoner by the border ruffians in Kansas, 

 and was released by John Brown after hair-breadth escapes from the mur- 

 derous vengeance of the ruffians. Mr. Rice served through the war of the 

 rebellion, is an old citizen of Pasadena, and is now chaplain of the G. A. R. 

 Post here. 



Wilson T. Kirk, a nephew of James Townsend above mentioned, re- 

 sided at Spring Dale, Iowa, and was intimate with John Brown and his men 

 in the days when it was perilous to be known as their friend. 



W. B. VanKirk is commander of the G. A. R. post in this city, and 

 took part as the special representative of that patriotic order of men who 

 marched to the music of "John Brown's soul is marching on." 



These were the historic men who bore Owen Brown to his grave.* The 

 hearse was followed by a long procession of vehicles, and four photographic 

 instruments were trained upon the scene to take views of different incidents 

 in the course of the day. 



ASTRONOMICAL BAN0UE;T DAY. 



January 28, 1889, was made memorable by the astronomical banquet, 

 because of what followed from it as the focal center of incentive and co- 

 operation, with results that made Pasadena and Mount Wilson famous in 

 the scientific world. The Pasade?ia Standard of February 2 contained a 

 summary of facts and points in the case, from which I quote : 



*It was Dr. H. A. Reid's plan, and by his special effort, that these particular men were gotten to- 

 gether tor this duty, and their historic relations to the deceased or his father made known to the public 



