John Brown Hanged; Becomes Abolitionist Martyr

John Brown was tried for treason, murder, and conspiring with slaves, and hanged at Charles Town, Virginia. His composed demeanor during trial and execution, "I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood", made him a martyr in the North. Bells tolled in Northern cities. In the South, the raid intensified fears of slave revolt and hardened secession sentiment.