Alias of radical abolitionist John Brown (1800 - 1859)
John Brown, born in Connecticut, made a name for himself in Kansas during the controversy of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. He relocated to Kansas to join in the struggle between pro-slavery and "Free Soil" settlers, taking his business most strongly to the Free Soil side of the argument.
After a militant pro-slavery group launched a bloody attack on Lawrence, Kansas, Brown formed his own guerilla team who murdered five pro-slavery citizens in an area near Osawatomie Creek, justifying his actions as obedience to the Will of God.
These and other actions made John Brown a hero in the eyes of anti-slavery extremists in the north. He also became a hunted man with a price on his head. Both pro-slavery forces in and around Kansas and Federal troops sought him out.
Many of Brown's followers had never met him. As a result, few knew him on sight, and this allowed Brown to travel under the name of Shubel Morgan during his remaining days in Kansas before his raid on Harper's Ferry. As Shubel Morgan he could pose as just another follower of John Brown and the Word of God. According to one story, which is likely part of the fabric of myth, Shubel Morgan was captured by Federal troops and questioned about the whereabouts of John Brown and then released.
Shubel Morgan died along with John Brown after Harper's Ferry when he was captured, tried and hanged December 2, 1859.