The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-10-19
BALTIMORE.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1859.


Monday afternoon, returned yesterday with the
troops, and has furnished our readers with the
graphic account of what he saw and heard, which
we publish in this days paper. In view OF the
very full and satisfactory information ne has OBJ
tanned as to the origin and character of the eneate,
it seems preposterous any longer to call it a
''Servile Insurrection.n It's missioner. A rising
of the slaves themselves it clearly was not but SIM
ply an insane attempt on the part of few Northern
fanatics to run off portion of the slave population
of Virginia and Maryland The instgator and
ringleader of the whole affair appears to have
been the celebrated Captain Brown of Kansas
memory-OssAwAToMIE BRowN, as The Tribune
loves TO call nina man long engaged in that
sort of business. An arch-agitator in Kansas and
conspicuous actor in the troubles which deformed
the early history of that Territory, when affairs
became measuraby quiet there, Brown turned his
attention to enticing away the slaves of his Mis-
souri, neighbors, and conducting them, Ella the
underground railroad, to Canada. The success
which attended bis first efforts in this new sphere
of action sometimes extending to the liberation
of ten or dozen slaves in single raid across
the Missouri BORDERS appears to have inspired him
with the fatal ambition of attempting similar
exploit in another field and on grander scale
With this view, apparently, Brown settled himself
some seven months ago in the neighborhood of
Harpers Ferry There in silence and secresy, he
devoted himself TO maturing the plans which have
since borne the bloody fruit of murder and treason
He began TO collect arms and by degrees other
men, like-rninded with himself commenced to as
10 ;,,t ba IIicc
their father in the school of Kansas warfare, Joined
him after an interval of few months. Under
pretence of engaging in mining operations, an
unusual supply Of shovels and picks was prepared
which were subsequently found in the hands of the
rebels and in the event of their being able to make
a successful stand, would doubtless have attained
their destined use in constructing earth-works and
intrenchments. The rifles which were found
in the same hands had already done
service in Kansas, - the same, perhaps,
that BEEcHER blessed-and, according TO the
confession of one of the party, made to our
reporter, were furnished to Brown for the express
purpose of being used in his recent enterprise by
the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Society. They
were SHARP's breech-loading rifles; no UNITED
STATES arms being found in the hands of any of
the insurgents. The few that were taken from the
Arsenal were subsequently captured and brought
back in the wagons in which they were removed.
AS if still further 10 demonstrate the external
origin of the conspiracy, and to relieve it from
every suspicion of having originated with the ne
groes the very weapons with which the latter were
intended to be armed had they responded, as was
expected, to the call of their berators, were steel
spears of New England manufacture-and of which
the number captured is estimated by our reporter
at nearly seven hundred. But the browning proof
of all in favor of this explanation of the affair." is
the gratifying fact that only six slaves were seen
with arms in their hands, while the entire free
negro population of the vicinity furnished
but q single recruit. The whole force of the
insurgents, exclusive of these amounted to only
twenty-five men-Iowa, Ohio and Connecticut
furnishing the entire number-BRowN himself being
State. So far, therefore, as the main object of the
instruction was commemorative running off of
slaves-the scheme was failure; as respects the
insurgents themselves, it was something worse
The account, which we publish elsewhere of the f.
nal suppression and crushing out ofevery vestge of
rebellion, details the killing of thirteen-the wound
ing of three, two of them mortally-the capture |
of three--and the escape of three, and upon the
heels of these latter mounted men are in hot pur-
suit. Retribution has in this instance, therefore,
followed close upon transgression, and the |
sword left but little for the halter to do We
trust the lesson and the warning will not
be thrown away upon those whose sympathes |
lead them to favor schemes like those of
Brown. From the brief and bloody story of his
treason and its punishment, they may learn the
folly of attempting to ence any considerable body
of slaves from their homes and their masters and
the madness of expecting TO escape the chastise-
ment which such attempt is sure to provoke.
Nor is the affair without moral for us in Mary
land, as well as for Northern fanatics We do not
refer to it as teaching the necessity for additional
caution or more rigid system of police for the
government of our slave population Against
such attempts as that of Brown we do not be-
Heve that any amount of vigilance on the part of
the authorities could adequately provide. Its fail
ure is the best safeguard against its repetition JOHN
BRowN is one of theheroes and if he receives his de-
serts, will soon be one of the martyrs of the Re-
publican party, between whom and the Americans
of Maryland, Mr.. HENRY WINTER DAVIS can see
mo difference of opinion on public measures.
(which ought for moment to keep them asunder
lat the next Presidential election" This is the
language of Mr.. DAVIS organ, in its Yesterdays
issue if we mistake not, it is the language of Mr..
DAVIS himself. That such are his sentiments we
nave the conclusive evidence of his speech at the
Maryland Institute in which he openly proclaimed
himself in favor of an alliance with the Repub-
means, and averred that the true interests of Mary
land were with the North-rather than with the
South Mr.. DAVIS is a candidate for reelection in
the Fourth Congressional District Can the CITY
OF Baltimore accord him its suffrages and hone to
retain its position among Southern cities or preserve
the confidence and sympathy of the State? Would
not the reelection of Mr.. DAVIS be a direct
encouragement to the repetition of such attemps "a
that which has been crushed in blood at Harper,s
Ferry-by inspiring Northern agitators with the
belief that their own opinions in reference to
slavery were those of majority of the people of
this city? Brown would never have dared to
make the bold stand he did, had he not anticipated
more general exhibition of support and sympathy
from the surrounding populaton-such as, he
hoped, in the last resort, would leave an open door
for his escape through Maryland into Pennsvl-
wanna. de DID not more egregiousy mistake the
desire OF the blacks for freedom than he
dld the extent of the anti-slavery FEELING
among the whites Will not the reelection Of Mr.,
DAVIS, with his publicly avowed sentiments unon
the subject of coalition of Americans and Free
Sellers, place the city of Baltimore in false pos-
non In this respect = towards the State-the
Southland the country? For u.s. the true and only
use OF such an event as that which has Just trans
pred, is to teach us to know our friends from orr
foes. The exclusively Northern origin of the re-
cent eneme planned and executed as we
have shown it to have been by Northern men |
with Northern arms and by the aid of
Northern money sufficiently demonstrates, in
spite OF Mr. DAVIS and in opposition to his views
on which side our true interests lie. and with
whom honor and duty equally call us to take part.
Perhaps, with his peculiar notions in reference TO
the employment of the military power for the sum-
preston of riot and rebellion Mr.. DAVIS when
next he addresses his fellowctzens in public, will
add the killing of thirteen Abolitionsts by the Ma
rines at Harper Ferry, to the massacre rtu-fue
American citizens at Washington, by the same
troops-n the list of ourages with which the pres-
snt Administration is to be credited Re
hat as it may, however, we are quite sure
hat the general sentiment of right-thinking men