Don’t think Douglass invented it.
King David had one of his generals hung out to dry, so he could marry the guys wife. I am sure David had an alibi too.
I figure Douglass was not as impressed as Brown was with Brown’s miltiary prowess. Amateurs often get out of balance that way. Brown was a smart guy, and perhaps the US expert at that time on raising sheep. As such he traveled a lot to west and south. His intent was to free some slaves, arm them with weapons from harper’s ferry, and defend the land the slaves occupied against local slave patrols. Brown was partially right: a smaller force in a good defensive position had little to fear from a much larger number of infantry. He was also greatly wrong: The slaves were so debased that the great risk of taking up arms was not to be relied on, and his first killing at Harper’s Gerry was a freedman. He also didn’t count on the early participation of a force of Marines put at the disposal of RE Lee and JEB Stuart.
Oddly, he was found guilty of treason against Virgina, a state to which he never had any legal affiliation, for his acts on federal property.
His father was Owen Brown who founded 2 (!) colleges (Western Reserve and Oberlin). I understand he was related to the Rhode Island Browns that had gotten rich as privateers, and richer yet as slave traders. Brown University was founded by that family. A rift within the family caused some to support slavery that made them rich, and others that opposed it because it was evil. John and Owen Brown were the latter. John had a farm in North Elba, Essex county NY (far far upstate), and free Negroes were employed there. I went to high school in Essex county, but my elementary school was Sumner School in Syracuse: named after the Senator, so John Brown and Senator Sumner are almost family history.
My grandmother used to sit on the lap of Harriet Tubman, a local celebrity in Auburn NY who would tell of her trips south to free slaves or to guide US forces during the war. It really is just a few years ago.
Oddly, he was found guilty of treason against Virgina, a state to which he never had any legal affiliation, for his acts on federal property.
You're right, and Brown's attorneys tried to make a fuss about it, but to no avail. However, President Buchanan, who was probably our first homosexual president and the common law "husband" of Alabama Senator (later Vice-President) William Rufus King, wanted no part of the Brown case and let Virginia assume jurisdiction. And, not all of the killings were at the federal armory and there was plenty of justification for Virginia to prosecute for murder.
In any event, the verdict was never in doubt. What most worried Virginia officials was the possibility of a rescue attempt from the north and the possibility of a lynching by the townsfolk.
But, all's well that ends well.