Thursday, March 14, 2024

John Brown Jr. and the “Pirates” of Put in Bay

 Guest Post by Nathaniel R. Ricks

 HPLM Summer 2023Manuscripts Intern

 

In 1867, long before its heyday of partying, the village of Put in Bay on Lake Erie’s South Bass Island was just barely developing a knack for hosting tourists. Drawn to its War of 1812 connection, beautiful vistas, mild climate, easily accessible caves, and growing number of vintners, it became common in the postbellum period for individuals, families, and even large groups to visit the island for a day of merriment.  Several services began offering regular excursions to Put in Bay when the lake wasn’t too stormy to navigate.  On September 4, 1867, for example, a large group from the Cleveland Fire Department made the trip on the steamer Ironsides.  Unfortunately, sharing their boat that Wednesday was “a gang of roughs and bullies,” wrote island resident John Brown, Jr., the kind of people in his experience “who attach themselves more or less to all excursion parties.”  In a letter to his sister-in-law Isabelle Thompson Brown, John described the “sacking” of Put in Bay 

After touring one of the island caves, the ruffians “called at the School house and used insulting and obscene language to the teacher and on leaving threw several stones against the school house.”  They then “vented their passion” on the church building, as The Sandusky Register phrased it a few days later, “by breaking windows and stoning the building.” Brown also reported that they broke several lights at the church and “stripped Mrs. Fry’s peach trees,” which would have been in full fruit in early September. 

Upon arriving back at the docks, the bandits stumbled upon Salmon Brown fairly alone, watching some melons that Lemuel “Lem” Brown, had prepared to sell to tourists.  While keeping one eye on the melons, Salmon was getting ready to lead a few other gentlemen on a quick boat tour of the area when “ten or a dozen of these roughs came along and jumped into the boat attempting to control it entirely.” When Salmon protested, “Some others of the gang then pitched Salmon off the Dock into the Lake.”  In blow-by-blow detail, John described for his sister-in-law the brawl that ensued, a brawl that would leave him with a grave injury:

Salmon got into the boat as soon as he could and threw the line to have some one make fast, when he was Knocked down into the boat and beaten.  By this time Lem. came to the boat from the shore through the water and ordered the scamps out of the boat:  upon this, they set upon him, clinched him, struck and kicked him. – he finally broke away and seizing an oar gave them a number of good strokes when one of their number came into the water behind him and Knocked him down and held him under the water while the mob around shouted “kill him! drown him!”  Up to this time I was at the Hotel reading a newspaper; noticing a rush at the door I looked out and saw the melons flying from the Dock, and judging that Salmon or Lemuel were in trouble I ran down to where the crowd was when I saw Lemuel and a man apparently much larger struggling in the water at about waist deep, Lem appearing to have the worst of it as he was frequently put under the water, the crowd yelling “drown him!”  I went in immediately to where they were and seized by the nape of his neck the fellow who was holding Lem under.  I gave him such a jerk as made him let go pretty quick when he turned on me striking at and endeavoring to clinch me, but I had such a hold that his shirt collar became too tight and I shortly had him on his back and under water and commenced towing him ashore.  When I had dragged him to within 8 or 10 feet of the shore some one from the crowd threw a heavy stone hitting me in the face.  My next remembrance is, that some persons were aiding me up the bank.  It seems that I fell back into the water, and the general word was that I was killed.  This alarmed the mob and they at once hurried aboard their Boat.  I was the worst hurt of any:  the left nostril of my nose the lower part was cut off, barely hanging to my face, a shocking gash extending back to the bones of my face.  I was assisted at once to the Hotel, & Dr Elder sewed up the wound, fastening it also with adhesive straps.  It has now entirely healed externally and I have yet a tolerable nose left.  There will always remain a scar, shall not otherwise be much disfigured – Am exceedingly thankful it is no worse.  Had the stone hit me in the eye, fairly on the bridge of the nose instead of the side, or on the head the result would have been far different.  Such a blow on the skull would in all probability have killed me.  Salmon was severely beaten with fists about the head and face.  Lemuel the same, and in addition had a severe cut with some sharp instrument on the elbow.  My coat was cut through with a knife, on the shoulder  I think it was done when the fellow let go his hold of Lemuel and struck at me.  Salmon was bitten on his cheek by the man who Knocked him down in the boat.  We are now pretty well recovered.  The bones of my face are yet a good deal painful indicating a disturbance there which is not yet settled.  A number of my teeth were loosened but they have become quite firm again.  If the bones of my face get well without any piece coming out I shall every reason to feel thankful.

A Portion of John Brown Jr.'s Letter to his sister-in-law
John Brown Jr. Papers
Charles E. Frohman Collection
Hayes Presidential Library and Museums


While the attackers escaped initially, within a few more days the main “ringleaders” had been rounded up on charges of attempted murder.  John Brown did, indeed, suffer the worst of the injuries sustained that day, and by November he had deteriorated to necessitate institutionalization for two months at the Northern Ohio Lunatic Asylum in Newburg, Ohio. His symptoms included uncharacteristically violent outbursts and mood swings, continuing headaches, panic attacks, lapses in attention, and “a sort of mental stupor,” he told his sister-in-law in later letters, “which has unfitted me for writing at all.” He experienced “flashes” of pain, “up along the left side of my brain much as a great light seemed to flash up when that stone struck me.”  It seems likely that he suffered what we would call today post-concussion syndrome following a mild traumatic brain injury from the blow to his face.  Exacerbated by exhaustion from tending to both the Fall grape crop and the injured  Lemuel Brown, who broke a leg during the harvest, John’s mental deterioration in the fall of 1867 seems unsurprising. 

After his stay in the asylum, John made a full recovery of his mental faculties, enduring at most a "dizzy feeling at times, with a tendency to faint." He also experienced a great deal of lingering anxiety, anticipating the attackers' May 1868 trial, which he did not want to attend, but was subpoenaed.  He avoided writing about the incident after returning home, preferring to move on from the problem with the "pirates."   Rather he focused on proving to his family and friends that he was firmly rooted in sanity once again.

              

                    



John Brown Jr
John Brown Jr Papers
Charles E. Frohman Collection
Hayes Presidential Library and Museums


 John Brown, Jr.’s account of the “brawl” and descriptions of his condition can be found in his letters to Isabelle Thompson Brown (“My dear Sister Belle,” ) dated September 6, 1867; December 8, 1867; December 25, 1867; and April 26, 1868, all contained in the John Brown Jr. papers, part of the Charles E. Frohman Collection at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums.  Learn more about Brown’s history and his collected letters at our website

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