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Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Sameul Howe, Theodore Parker, Franklin Benjamin Sanborn, Gerrit Smith and George Luther Stearns. These were the men of the “Secret Six” who secretly funded John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, V.A. All six men were previously involved in the abolitionist crusade before they ever met John Brown and were all convinced that slavery would not die a peaceful death.
It is not clear whether or not the six men knew about John Brown’s ultimate goal of raiding a United States armory and stealing the weapons to give to the slaves, but what is clear is that they did not necessarily believe that the use of violence was a way to bring about the destruction of slavery. Maybe they were just big softies and couldn’t stand to do the dirty work themselves so they paid John Brown to do it.
After John Brown’s failure at Harper’s Ferry, the “Secret Six” disbanded. On Nov. 7th, 1859, Gerrit Smith had himself confined to an insane asylum and denied that he was ever supporting John Brown. Samuel Howe, George Luther Stearns and Franklin Benjamin Sanborn all fled to Canada to escape prosecution. Theodore Parker was in Europe and was dying of tuberculosis anyway, so he just stayed put. There was one man in the secret six who publicly admitted that he had helped John Brown. That man was Thomas Wentworth Higginson. 
Of course, Higginson was in Massachusetts during this time, a staunchly pro-abolitionist area, so he was relatively safe from marauding Missourians.
Eric DeVault
Sources:
Kansasmemory.org
Earle, Jonathan. John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry: A Brief History with Documents. 2008
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