Bedford by the vice consul in another Bark belonging to the same owner when I arrived there they took me to the house of correction until the next day I was then taken to Boston to the United States court and from there to the jail. To your Excellency President Cleveland. when I was called on by the judge I requested him to postpone my trial until the Bark Atlantic returned from sea for these three witnesses were my [scratched out] enemies for they were not on deck when this occur. They had been sick all the time while they were on board of the Atlantic they could not work and the vice consul sent them on with me Two of them were Portuguese and they could not speak the English language. The Judge said to me he cannot postpone my trial because it is too much expense to the government and the Judge would not permit my lawyer to put any [scratched out] questions to these witnesses I gave my lawyer nine barrels of oil at that time oil was worth two Dollars and seventy five cents a gallons every one in the court saw that I was shamefully dealt most unjustly they all asked to have my sentence remitted from [scratched out] capital sentence to prison for life all desired this because the witnesses were Portugueses sailors and could not speak English therefore their testimony was not sufficient. Mr. Charles R. Train my lawyer is dead I have been told by Doctor W. W. Godding and also the Judge and the attorney general who had prosecuted me they are in their graves I cannot find them I have received a letter from captain Wing of whom you may inquire resides in Monagausett [possibly Mionagausett] Mass a letter directed to that place will reach him The statement which you have seen in the star June 25th 1885 when marshal Banks brought me from Massachusetts it was a misrepresentation. [Brown refers to this story in other letters] I request of you Your Excellency President Cleveland to give me my release I want to leave the United States
Your most respectfully James Brown 3th
From the United States of Spanish Columbian Confederation New Grennada
A letter written years later suggests that Brown’s mental state had deteriorated and may include his original name. Some of the words have been lost in reproduction and others are difficult to make out; the original seems to be written on some kind of wrapping paper.
November 20th 1892 Saint Elizabeth Insane Hospital Washington D.C. I Thomas Azzotte James Brown 5 [?] Henry Thomson James Brown 238 Adam Azzotte James Brown 3 James Brown 2348 He was born in Georgestown Dimmerarada [Demerara, Guyana] But I hailed from New Grannada [Grenada] I will be fifty four years old January coming 1893 I have ___ard Emma F. Cary. Relation and they are also ___ fancy men said that Doctor W. W. Godden send them a letter to Ohio Penitentiary he tell that [?] they must not have Thomas Azzotte
Letter from James Brown to Dr. W.W. Godding (National Archives and Records Administraton)
James Brown 5 taken before a boards of Propreates [?] Judge or if they will not send him here. But get men to forge those propreates Judges __ames and make out a false statement and send him here and I will keep him here and you [?] will have all the chances to put him out of the way and they have also said that Doctor W.W. Godden gree with them Eight mounthes before they brought me here and they said that they have [?] his hand Written which he had advised them to [?] do. Just has they had done to have me brought ____ now [?] gentlemen this is the points Do not take [?] him before a board of propreates judges, For if you do, They would not send him here to me Doctor W.W. Godden this statement show that I am not Crazey
(Case files of patients series 66, Record Group #418. Records of St. Elizabeths Hospital).
APPENDIX III
How dangerous was James Brown?
There is no evidence that James Brown killed anyone except James M. Foster, but letters exchanged between law enforcement, prison, and asylum officials contain several references to him as “a very dangerous man.” (Letter from U.S Marshal’s office Massachusetts District to Dr. W.W. Godding, June 23, 1885[?]) The official correspondence does not go into details but Warden E.J. Russell states that Brown was a danger to other inmates and that he did not want to be responsible for him.
Massachusetts State Prison,
Warden’s Office,
Charlestown, Mass. Feb. 7, 1887.
Genl. N.P. Banks,
U.S. Marshal,
Dear Sir:
Yours with a letter from Dr. W.W. Godding was received today- Is it not possible that the order returning James Brown can be revoked or that he can be sent to some other prison?
His often expressed hatred of Massachusetts and all of its officers from the Governer [sic] down makes me think that this prison would be more likely to excite him than one where the surroundings are new-
I speak from the information which is at hand as he never was under my charge as Warden- but I cannot help saying that I do not think it safe to put him into the Shops with other men as there is a greater fear of Brown’s treachery among the men than the officers of the prison- Mr. Pettigrew the prisonClerk [sic]- and the bearer of this letter,- will tell you of his disposition if you should bring him on, which I shall greatly deplore.
Very respectfully,
E.J. Russell,
Warden.
(Case files of patients series 66, Record Group #418. Records of St. Elizabeths Hospital.)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First, I want to thank my editor Patrick Huyghe for his extraordinary patience. Very special thanks to my brother Steve at the Denver Public Library, Lance Corporal Elliott Madison, Chuan Qin, Kathy Keppler, Dr. George Gill, Donald B. Kiddoo, and Richard Hendricks for being so generous with their time, information, and expertise. This book would have been impossible without the help of librarians, archivists, and volunteers working in historical societies across the country, wonderful people who make your search their own. There are also the many writers, scientists, magicians, ranchers, reporters, and friends who contributed in ways too numerous to mention.
These include Michael E. Bell, Bob Rickard, and David Sutton of the Fortean Times; K.L. Keppler for the two original illustrations; Dr. T. Peter Park, Loren Coleman, Theo Paijmans, George Wagner, Michael A. Banks, snopes, Helen of Troy, Timothy Hodkinson, Stephen Jones, and all the members of [email protected], W.M. Mott and [email protected], George Hansen, Walter Hickey of the National Archive at Waltham Massachusetts, the Paramus Public Library, New York Public Library, American Society for Psychical Research, and the American Museum of Natural History. Thanks to Ellen R. Nelson of the Cape Ann Historical Association, Britta Karlberg of the Phillips Library Peabody Essex Museum, Mary H. Sibbalds of The Sandy Bay Historical Society & Museum, Inc., Marilynne K. Roach, Learned T. Bulman of the Morris County Historical Society, Ben Robinson (Illusion Genius), Larry White, Mark Walker (Prof. Horn), James Lewis of the New Jersey Historical Society, Deborah Mercer and Shaaron Warne of the New Jersey State Library, Sally Biel of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Library, Sheryl Hollis Snyder of the Adams County Historical Society, Lila Fourhmann-Shaull of the York County Heritage Trust, William R. Creech of the National Archives and Record Administration, Michael P. Dyer of the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Elizabeth Favers and Charlie Arp of the Ohio Historical Society, Sylvia Weedman of the Bostonian Society, Diane Shephard of the Lynn Museum, Marlynn M. Olson, Nancy Derevjanik of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, F.P. O’Neill at the Maryland Historical Society; Mrs. Adeline Buskirk, Ms Peggy Antonacci, Barry Carter, Mark DiIonno, and Russell Ben–Ali at the Newark Star Ledger; Ann Nelson of the Wyoming State Archives, Judy West at the Wyoming Historical Society, George Hebbert (who actually held Pedro in his hands), Amanda Bielskas, Lee Underbrink, Jennifer MacLeod and the Greybull Museum, Harvey Wilkins, the Big Horn County Historical Society, G.G. Kortes, Barry Strang of the Wooden Rifle Ranch, Nancy Anderson at the Hanna Basin Museum, Ralph Schaus, Edward Meyer of Ripley Entertainment Inc., Todd Roll, Monica Hill, Erik Solomonson, Museumoftalkingboards.com, Kevin Herridge of the Algiers Historical Society, Captain K. L. Shaver, the Edgar Cayce Foundation, Paul Gambino, Louise Punch at the Belle Chasse State School, and, finally, to the managers a
nd employees of McDonalds. Most of this book was written in a McDonalds at the corner of 86th St. & 24th Ave. in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1 The Devil’s Militia
2 Bribing the Dead
3 The God Machine
4 The President’s Vampire
5 One Little Indian
6 A Horror in the Heights
7 The Lost Boys
8 The Bridge to Body Island
Epilogue
Notes
Appendix I: Entries in the logbook of the bark, Atlantis
Appendix II: James Brown’s letter to the President
Appendix III: How dangerous was James Brown?
Acknowledgments
The President's Vampire: Strange-But-True Tales of the United States of America Page 21