, 1859-10-21
THKHARpER,s sFERRTTH
Detailed NAlFAt1Ves

(Fson the n4lumare Amesa=an1
broMn nade h's llrat appearance IN tue 1icln-
companied By his two sons, the whole putty AZ
cunning the name Of Smith. :
He inquired about land in the vicinity, and
nnde investigations about the probability OF
budinE ores, and Tor some time boarded At San
dy Point, . mile east Of tho Ferry. After ~
vicinity and rented or leased farm On the Ms
ryland side, four miles from the Ferry: They
bought large number Of picks and spades, and
this confirmed the belief that they intended to
mine for ores. They we're seen frequently il
and about uarpez'a Ferry. but no suspicion
Brown, or that be intended embasking in any
movement 10 desperate or extraordinary; yet
the dereIopements Of the plot leave no doubt
that his visits to the Ferry, and his ieaso Of the
farm, we're all parts OF his preparation for the
insurrection, which he supposed would be sue.
and Western Virginia. Brown's chief aid WIS
John E. Cook, comparatively young man, who
! bus resided in and near the Ferry for some
years. BE WAS first employed in tending lock
j on the canal, afterwards taught school on the
Maryland side Of the river, and ataer brie!
| came acquainted with Brown, returned to the
Ferry and married there.
| Lie vas regarded as o uaon OF somc lntelli-
| gence, known to be anti.slavery, but not 50 rio
lent ia the expression Of his opinions as to eI-
: cite any suspicious. These two men, with
Drowu's two Sons, were the only white men con-
nected with the insurrection that had been pre-
yiously nbout the Ferry. All we're brought By
urown from distance, and nearly all had been
with him in Eansas.' The first active move
Hent in the iasurrectiou was made about half
past ten Sunday night ": II. Williamson, the
watchman on the Harpcr'A Ferry bridge, whilst
walking acruss towards the Maryt land side, WAS
IEAf YHHh nv nm Inv nf fTY1Ar q tA hn
was their prisoner and must come with them.
lie recognized Brown and Cook among the
men, and knowing them, he treated the matter
rs 4 joke, but enforcing silence theY conducted
him to the Armory, which be found already in
their possession. He was retained till after
who wna to relieve Williamson at midnight
found tie bridge lights all ont, and was inn'e-
| 1diate1y seized. Supposing it IN attempt at
robbery, be broke away, and his pursuers STUN
/ bling over he escaped. Tie next appearance
Of the insurreetionists was ut the house Of Col.
Lewis Washington, lsrgs farmer a. aud slave
4 party headed by Cook. proceeded there,
ronsed Col Washington, and told him be "as
I their prisoner.
They also seized all tho slaves near the house
and took AWAY carriage and horses, and large
wagon with tWo horses. When Colonel Wash.
anston saw Cook, he Immediately recognized
hin as 4 man Who had called upon him oms
/ months previ8hs, to whom he had exhibited
| some valuable arms in his possession, Including
| an antique sword, presented By Frederick the
Great to George Washington, aud pair Of pis~
tolls presented By Lafaye cite to Washington, both
being bcir1oons in the family. Before leaving.
trial Of skill Mt shooting, aud exhibited consider.
able certainty rs marksman.s
Nhen he made his visit on Sunday night, be
al1rded 70 his previous visit aud the courtesy
with which he had been treated, and regretted
the necessity which made it his duty to arrest
vantage Of the Knowledge he obtained BY his
former visit, to carry off all the valuable collec.
| tion of arms, which Colonel Washington did
not obtain till after the 6ual defeat Of the in.
surTection.
From Colonel Washtngton's tue party pro.
ceeded with him IS prisoner in his own car
risge. and twelve Of his negroes in the wagon,
10 the house Of Mr.. Allstadt, another large
farmer on the eame rond. str. Allstadt and lis
500, a lad Of sixteen years OF age, were taken
prisoners. and all the negroes within reach be-
Ing forced to join the movement.
They returned to the nr1uory at The Ferry.
| all these movements seem to hare been made
without exciting the slightest alarm in the
town nor did The detention Of Capt. Phelps
train at tie upper end Of the town, attract at
teptian. 1t was not until the town was thor.
ou6hiy walked up, and found the bridges guard
Cd bF armed men, and guard stationed nj Al!
the avenues, that the people found they were
rrisonersr
j. panic appears to hare Immediately ensued,
aud the number Of the insurrectouists at once
increased from fifty, which was probably their
greatest force, including the s!ases who wers
forced to join, to from live to six hundred. 1u
the meantime, number Of workmen, knowing
nothing of Whit had occurred, entered The
asulory, and we're succeasive1y taken prisoners
until they had at one time not less than sixty
men confined in the armory. Among those
thus entrnppcd were Arnisted, Henj. Mills
Master Of the Armory, and J. l.. 2. Dangerfield
Paymastera Clerk. These three gentlemen
were imprisoned IN the engine house, which at
terwards became the chief fortress Of the insur
gents, and were not released until after The tina
assault.
The workmen were imprisoned in large
building farther down the yard, and were res
cued bS brilliant zouaEe dash made by tht
railroad company's men, who came down from
Atartinsbnrg.
This was lie condition Of affairs at daylight
about which time Capt, Cook with two wLiie
men mud accompanied BY thirty slaves, and tax
lug rith them Co1. Washington's large wagon
went orer tic bridge md struck up the noun
tain on the road towards Pennsylvania