Brown, with his sons, returned to their homes December 14th, and under that date, in a letter to Orson Day, he expressed, further, his satisfaction with what had been accomplished at Lawrence by the Free-State managers. He said: "The Territory is now entirely in the power of the Free-State men," and stated hopefully his opinion that "the Missourians will give up all further hope of making Kansas a slave state."[108] January 1, 1856, he wrote from West Point, Missouri: "In this part of the state there seems to be but little feeling on the slave question."[109] January 5th, a Free-State county convention was held at Osawatomie to nominate candidates for members of the Free-State Legislature. The Browns took a prominent part in the proceedings. John Brown was chairman of the meeting. Frederick Brown received the nomination for member of the House of Representatives, but at the request of his father, he declined the nomination, and it was given to John Brown, Jr. With his participation in this convention, John Brown closed his public services. Later--probably during March--he abandoned his honorable commission as captain of the "Liberty Guards," disbanded the company, and with his sons, Owen, Salmon, Frederick, Oliver, and his son-in-law, Henry Thompson, planned and decided to abandon the Free-State cause, enter upon a career of crime, and leave the neighborhood. The course was agreed upon with John Brown, Jr., as accessory thereto; but not with the knowledge of Jason Brown. These men comprised John Brown's "little company of six" who, with others, committed the robbery on the Pottawatomie on the night of May 24th--a robbery that included in the plans for its execution, the murder of seven persons, five of whom fell beneath the blows of the assassins. CHAPTER V ROBBERY AND MURDER ON THE POTTAWATOMIE _A blush as of roses_ _Where rose never grew!_ _Great drops on the bunch-grass_ _But not of the dew!_ _A taint in the sweet air_ _For wild bees to shun!_ _A stain that will never_ _Bleach out in the sun!_ _Back, steed of the prairies!_ _Sweet song bird, fly back!_ _Wheel hither, bald vulture!_ _Gray wolf, call thy pack!_ _The foul human vultures_ _Have feasted and fled;_ _The wolves of the Border_ _Have crept from the dead._ --FROM LE MARAIS DU CYGNE. WHITTIER. From a rude home in the bleak mountains of northern New York, John Brown went to Kansas; not for the purpose of fighting, but inspired by the hope of bettering his shattered fortunes; a hope that withered in the budding, and gave place to feelings of deep disappointment and discouragement. He wrote February 1st: