John Brown's "Parallels" Desk
Kansas was the center of attention in the 1850s as
people battled over whether the territory would enter the Union as a slave
or free state.
Willing to risk their lives and fortunes, people on all sides of the slavery issue flocked here. Among them were abolitionists, people who believed slavery was morally wrong and wanted it abolished. Connecticut-born Augustus Wattles was one such person active in the efforts to abolish slavery. As a young man, Wattles moved to Ohio where he lectured on abolition and started a school for Black children in Cincinnati. He also was active in the Underground Railroad, a secret system of people who helped slaves escape to freedom in northern states or Canada. His continuing interest in the abolitionist cause brought Wattles and his family to Kansas in 1854. They settled first at Lawrence, where Augustus was among other things an associate editor of the Herald of Freedom. Later Wattles moved to Moneka in Linn County. In time he became friends with another strong-willed abolitionist, John Brown. In December 1858, Brown led a raid into Missouri and freed eleven slaves. One slave owner was killed in the raid. This upset the authorities in Missouri, including the governor who wanted the slaves returned and Brown arrested. During this time, Wattles provided sanctuary for Brown at his Moneka home. Although they remained friends, Wattles did not agree with Brown's methods. Like many other abolitionists, Wattles favored emancipation of the slaves through peaceful means; Brown believed it could only be done by force. Meeting with Wattles and another abolitionist, James Montgomery, Brown had to defend his raid to both men who feared retaliation from Missourians. While he was at the Wattles home, Brown wrote a letter that became known as "John Brown's Parallels." Not wanting to give away his location and trying to protect his friend Wattles, the letter was shown as having been posted from Trading Post rather than Moneka. In the letter Brown compared his Missouri raid to the Marais des Cygnes Massacre where five free-state men were killed. He objected to being pursued by the same authorities who did nothing to find those responsible for the action at Marais des Cygnes. Of course, Brown chose to ignore his own part in the earlier Pottawatomie Massacre (May 1856), where he was responsible for the death of five proslavery sympathizers. (Read the complete text of "The Parallels") When John Brown departed from Moneka, he told Wattles: I considered the matter well; you will have no more attacks from Missouri; I shall now leave Kansas; probably you will never see me again; I consider it my duty to draw the scene of the excitement to some other part of the country. Brown left Kansas on January 20, 1859. On October 16, his band of men raided the United States Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. The raid failed, the band was captured, and Brown was hanged for treason on December 2. According to family tradition, Brown wrote the parallels at this desk in the Wattles home. One of the Wattles' children is said to have watched Brown through a crack in the upper floor while he was writing. The desk remained with the family until it was acquired from Kia Flesher, a great-great-granddaughter of Augustus Wattles. It is now in the collections of the Kansas Museum of History.
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