Soon I Will Be Done
'Osawatomie' John Brown's long-lost journals.
A reimagined origin story of John Brown, the scourge of dixie, and his band of anti-slavery guerillas, told in a rip-roaring, rootin' tootin', alternate fiction saga. These twists of events have thrilling heists, strongarm robbery, and a bit of sexual intrigue thrown into a narrative from the ill-fated abolitionist hero's perspective. "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Killer" meets "Dexter" meets "Deadwood".
As a 1977 graduate of Osawatomie High School in Kansas, I grew up learning about the “crazy” abolitionist, John Brown, and tales of his battles with pro-slavery forces. His was considered traitorous behavior by most of the histories I read. Every school day I walked past his commemorative statue and the Adair Cabin and museum in John Brown Park. Growing up in “John Brown Country,” I learned about the intelligence, wit, and humanity of the man beyond the conventions of recounts written by less-than-reliable or hostile sources.
The chronicle is derived from a long-lost collection of John Brown's journals, eleven of which were found in the Samuel Adair Historical Archives at the Osawatomie City Library in 1974. Additional materials, including letters, notes, and photographs were graciously made available to me by the local newspaper, The Osawatomie Beacon.