John Brown was that kind of messianic believer, but even he could not pull that off. Instead, Brown just happened to be in the Kansas Territory at a propitious time, one when the fight between pro-slavery men and abolitionists was picking up speed. By the spring of 1856, there were two governments in the Kansas Territory: a pro-slavery government based at Lecompton and a Free-Soil government based at Lawrence. Recognizing the potential for deadly conflict, Brown organized a militia company at his home, twenty miles out of Lawrence. He became “Captain” John Brown to them, one of his ever-increasing list of names.