Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1859-11-12
Letter from Senator Mason.


whatsoever, on the part of any of the inbab
itants or residents of that town or its vi
cinity. There is little doubt that such
insurrcction was fully expected by the
leader of the armed miscreants who came
from the adjoining States, clandcstincly
under cover of night, into the town-an
expectation in which they were wofully
disappointed, as fully admitted by them
selves. The fact is undoubtcd that not
man, black noT white, joined thon after
they came into Virginia, or gave them aid
or assistance in any form.
1t is true that after their capture their
loader (Brown) stated that he had reason
to expect such assistance, and lad been
disappointed. But this is fully discrodi-
ted by the following facts First, that he
had undispted possession of the town
from about midnight on Sunday until
after midday on Monday, when the people
of the adjoining country, learned the state
OF things, got together in armed bands,
and madco decent upon the town. Second,
that during this period they seized and
held in custody, besides the slaves of Mr..
Washington and Mr. Allstedt, taken in the
ncighborhood, some FIVE or six other slaves
belonging to residents at IIarper's Ferry,
and found in the streets.
1t is said that they put spears or lanccs
In the hands of two or three Of the negroes
and compelled them to stand in the char
acter of sentines at the door of the engine
house, occupied by the inccndiarics, but at
the first assault made by the citizens, the
slaves threw away their pixies and escaped
to their homes for refuge. Third, they
had in confinement, in addition, some thir-
ty or forty other persons, who were found
unarmcd in the streets in the early hours
of the morning, but no adhcrent or SYM
pathizer turned up amongst them.
In addition to all this, after careful in
quiry and investigation on the spot, could
not learn that any man of any color (save
one, hereafter to be noticcd) was even
suspected of being in any way accessory
or privy to the plot. The exception was
of map named Cook, who came to Har-
pcr's Ferry year or two since in the char
actor of schoo!-mastcr, morricd there, and
who, after the event, it appeared, was an
emissary of Browns and had been associ-
atcd with him in Kansas. Cook impaired
the plans of Brown to none in Virginia, so
far as known; or, if he did, it is certain
that none acted on them. He accompanied
the party to Mr.. Washington's, which
seized him and his negros and brought
them off in the night, but none of the lat.
ter evlnced any purpose to follow his for
tunes. On the contrary, those that he
carried off the same night into Maryland
escaped from him there and returned.
think am warranted, on the forego-
ing facts, in the belief that no engagement
on promises of aid from any, of any race,
were given to Brown inviting his descent.
On the part of the ncgros, it is certain that
the only emotion evinced by them was of
alarm and terror, and their only refuge
sought at their masters homes
OF the conspiracy, outside of this State,
enough has transpired, or been obtained
from papers taken with Browns effects to
show that he acted from impressions made
upon him by abolition trocts, newspapers,
and orators, in the circles he frequented in
the non -slayeholding States. These i'm
prcssIons were that it required only to put
arms within immediate reach to bring about
immediate insurection in the slavchold-
ing States-a doctrine openly inculcated,
as is known, by abolition leaders Thus
impressed, he embarked on this desperate
enterprise with but nineteen men but he
had arms and weapons secreted in the
mountains and thinly-populated country on
the Maryland side of the river, and within
Iour or five mics of the Virginia line at
liarper's Ferry, with abundant ammuni
ton, to have placed an effective weapon
IN the hands OF each of at least fifteen
hundred or two thousand men. The ex.
act number of these arms can never be
ascertained, as they were cerried off in
great numbers when first discovered, or
brought in by the citizens and companies
OF volunteers who came from distance,
and before possession of them was taken
by the regular military authorities.
Amongst them were one thousand pixies
or lances, composed of steel blade, sharp
ened at the point and at both edges,
some six or eight inches long, and taper
ing from an inch or inch and half to the
point, strongly andsecurely fixed on uni
form wooden handles FIVE or six feet in
lcngth-a most effective arm for hands
unskilled in military &eapons-leaying no
doubt for whom they were destined.
The whole military equipment possessed
by Brown, and seized aher his capture,
could not have cost less than $40, 900, con-
sisting, amongst other things, of some
two hundred Sharpe's rifles, Nth. a mum
Der ofsix-shooter pistols, cont$ned in the
manufacturers boxes, and not yet used,
a proportonate supply of fixed Smmuni-
tion for the rifles, with caps, &cA ia the
original boxes, hospital stores, piSk,axcs
and shovels, uustained with use, And
largo box containing ten kegs of powaer.