November 26, 2007

National Newspapers, Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Several important letters and papers are to be unveiled at an open house in Philadelphia.  Among the documents is a personal letter from Benjamin Franklin, written from Philadelphia in July 1776. Other letters are from George Washington and John Adams.  But Nathan Raab of the Raab Collection says the most important document is from John Brown, who crossed the Mason Dixon line before the Civil War and forcibly freed slaves.  It’s his last will and testament, signed the morning that he was hanged.  Raab says Brown’s “name and his cause became a rallying point for people who were opposed to slavery.” Raab says it’s “truly a remarkable document.”  The document unveiling will take place Thursday at The Raab Collection offices in Philadelphia.