Aaron Dwight Stevens
Creator: Reader, Samuel James, 1836-1914
Date: 1856
A cyanotype of Aaron Dwight Stevens, 1831-1860, from a drawing made by Samuel J. Reader of Shawnee County, Kansas Territory. Stevens, reported to be one of abolitionist John Brown's bravest men, used the alias Captain Charles Whipple while following Brown. Stevens was convicted of treason and conspiring with slaves for his part in Brown's October 16, 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and was hung at Charles Town, Virginia on March 16, 1860.

Aaron Dwight Stevens
Creator: Hinton, Richard J. (Richard Josiah), 1830-1901
Date: 1856
A pen sketch of Aaron Dwight Stevens, 1831-1860, published in Richard Hinton's book, "John Brown and His Men." Stevens, reported to be one of abolitionist John Brown's bravest men, used the alias Captain Charles Whipple while following Brown. Stevens was convicted of treason and conspiring with slaves for his part in Brown's October 16, 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and was hung at Charles Town, Virginia on March 16, 1860.

Aaron Dwight Stevens
Creator: Moore, J. S.
Date: 1856
A cabinet card of Aaron Dwight Stevens, 1831-1860. Stevens, reported to be one of abolitionist John Brown's bravest men, used the alias Captain Charles Whipple while following Brown. Stevens was convicted of treason and conspiring with slaves for his part in Brown's October 16, 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and was hung at Charles Town, Virginia on March 16, 1860.

An act defining and providing for the punishment of certain crimes therein named
Creator: Kansas Legislature.
Date: 1861
Chapter 27, Section 1 of the General Laws of the State of Kansas (1861) provides for punishment by death for any person convicted of treason against the state. The legislature enacted the law at its first session ending March 26, 1861. The following year, the Legislature enacted a death penalty for persons convicted of first degree murder. These laws demonstrate the state's initial stance on capital punishment.

A.S. Harris to Thaddeus Hyatt
Creator: Harris, A S.
Date: September 22, 1856
A.S. Harris wrote from New York to Thaddeus Hyatt regarding an article in the Journal of Commerce that dealt with the upcoming Presidential election and the strife in Kansas. The clipping was attached to the letter, and it included a rather lengthy attack on emigrant aid societies.

Capital punishment in Kansas
Creator: Kansas. Office of the Attorney General. Civil Division
Date: March 1, 1974
Staff of the Civil Division of the Kansas Attorney General's Office prepared a legal history of capital punishment in Kansas. This document includes four separate drafts, or versions, of this history. Various lists of persons executed in Kansas are also included. The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Furman v. Georgia (1972) declared many state capital punishment laws unconstitutional, prompting many states, including Kansas, to reconsider their approach to the death penalty.

Courthouse in Charles Town, West Virginia, where John Brown's trial was held.
Date: Between 1900 and 1920
Post card showing the court house in Charles Town, W. VA. Where John Brown's trial was held.

Grand Jury findings relating to the "Herald of Freedom"
Date: 1856
Findings of a Grand Jury for Douglas County, Kansas [Territory] in relation to the newspapers "Herald of Freedom" and "Kansas Free State" which were accused of "publications of a most inflammatory and seditious character."

Harpers Ferry Insurrection, Ossawattamie Brown
Creator: Strother, David Hunter
Date: 1859
A drawing of Harpers Ferry Insurrection, Ossawattamie Brown on his way from court to his prison after hearing the death sentence, copied from Harper's Weekly, November 12, 1859. Illustration by David Hunter Strother drawn under the pen name Porte Crayon.

John Brown
Creator: Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper
Date: 1859
Sketch of John Brown ascending the scaffold preparatory to being hanged, copied from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper.

John Brown
Creator: Taylor, J. E.
Date: 1859
Sketch of John Brown's sentencing by Judge Richard Parker.

Kansas Territory, U.S. District Court, 2nd District versus Andrew Reeder, Charles Robinson, James H. Lane and others, for treason
Date: 1856
Material relating to the Kansas Territory, U.S. District Court, 2nd District versus Andrew H. Reeder, Charles Robinson, James H. Lane, George W. Brown, Samuel N. Wood, George W. Deitzler, George W. Smith, and Gaius Jenkins on the count of treason.

Kansas Territory, U.S. District Court versus John Brown and others for treason
Date: 1856
Materials relating to the case of the Kansas Territory, U.S. District Court versus John Brown, Jr. and others, including Jason Brown, Poindexter Maness, Samuel W. Kilborn, Henry H. Williams, Simeon Morse, and William Partridge, on the charge of treason.

Kansas Territory, U.S. District Court vs. Charles Robinson
Creator: United States. District Court (Kansas)
Date: 1856
Material relating to the Kansas Territory, U.S. District Court 2nd District versus Charles Robinson for treason. This charge was due to Charles Robinson being elected "governor of Kansas" under the Topeka Constitution of 1855, the first attempt to have Kansas admitted to the Union as a free state. In May, 1856, while en route east, he was arrested for treason and conspiracy against the United States. After several months in prison at Lecompton, the Proslavery capital, he was finally acquitted.

Milton C. Dickey to Thaddeus Hyatt
Creator: Dickey, Milton C.
Date: October 23, 1856
This letter to Thaddeus Hyatt of the National Kansas Committee, written by Milton Dickey from Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, informed Hyatt of Dickey's journey west. The author described the hardships endured by Kansas settlers, as well as the enthralling tale of a free state man who escaped from the prison at Lecompton.

Prisoner John Brown and his counsel
Creator: Strother, David Hunter
Date: 1859
Prisoner John Brown and his Boston counsel, Mr. Hoyt. Drawn by David Hunter Strother.

Taking John Brown to the scaffold, Charles Town, West Virginia
Creator: Millers Pharmacy
Date: Between 1900 and 1920
Postcard view titled "Taking John Brown to the scaffold, Charles Town, W. VA."

The arraignment of John Brown
Creator: Strother, David Hunter
Date: 1859
A sketch of the arraignment of John Brown and followers, copied from Harper's Weekly.

The trial of John Brown
Creator: Strother, David Hunter
Date: 1859
The trial of John Brown, at Charlestown, Virginia, for treason and murder, copied from Harper's Weekly.

Trial of Captain John Brown
Date: 1859
The trial of Captian John Brown in Charlestown, Virginia.

Vern Miller to Honorable Dominick J. Salfi
Creator: Kansas. Office of the Attorney General. Civil Division
Date: November 20, 1972
Kansas Attorney General, Vern Miller, of Topeka responds to Florida circuit court judge Dominick J. Salfi's request for information on capital punishment in Kansas. Jack N. Williams, Assistant Attorney General for Kansas, prepared the response. Salfi's letter and questionnaire are included. Miller's responses to specific questions are written in the margins of the questionnaire. The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Furman v. Georgia (1972) declared many state capital punishment laws unconstitutional, prompting many states, including Kansas, to reconsider their approach to the death penalty.

Writ of arrest for Andrew Reeder and Charles Robinson
Date: May 20, 1856
This is the writ of arrest for Andrew Reeder, Charles Robinson, James Lane, George Brown, Samuel Wood, George Deitzler, George Smith, and Gaius Jenkins, who were indicted by a Grand Jury for high treason. There are U.S. Marshal deputies' acknowledgments indicating they had arrested the various individuals. It also includes the Grand Jury's opinion regarding the alleged slander in the newspapers Herald of Freedom and Kansas Free State and the construction of the Free State Hotel in Lawrence apparently in preparation for war.