eight o'clock
He had organized the Band of Gileadites to kill every officer of the law who attempted to enforce the provisions of the Constitution of the United States relating to Slavery . His eyes were now fixed on the Territory of Kansas . There could be no doubt about the abnormality of the mind of the man who had constituted himself the Chosen Instrument of Almighty God to destroy chattel Slavery in the South . He was pacing the floor of the parlor of the New Astor House awaiting the arrival of his friend , Congressman Gerrit Smith , for a conference before the meeting scheduled for eight o'clock . It was a characteristic of Brown that he could n't sit still . He paced the floor . The way he walked marked him with distinction , if not eccentricity .