Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1859-11-02
The Harper'S Ferry Prisoners.

The Trial Of Brown and his confederate
is in progress at Charlestown, jefferson Co
Va, before the Circuit Court. The charge
nade to the Grand Jury, by Judge Parkcr
seems fair and just
The National Era, says of it, it speak.
OF the prisoners as unfortunate" and say:
they must be regarded as innocent unit
they are found guilty by a jury of theil
peers. He disturbances all excited
hasty, or illegal proceedings against them
and declares that they must have a fan
trial. Judge Parker does honor to the
bench of Virginia by this calm and digni
fed course. But, if correctly reported by
the Baltimore american, he makes the III.
pardonable blunder, in the face of the bred
Scott decision. of describing slaves and free
negroes as citizens!
The courage Of Brown and all the whitt
prisoners is undamnted in spite Of theil
wounds, and their manly bearing and ans
twers exhort praise even from the slave,
holders themselves.
Gov. Wise. in his speech at Richmond,
says Of him.
lie is { bundle OF the best nerves / ever
saw. cut and thrust, and bleeding. and in
bonds. He is a man of clear head, Of
couIasr. fortitude, and simple ingenious
ness. He is cool, collected, and indomita-
he. and it is but just to him. to say that
he was humane to his prisoners, as attest
ed to ne by Colonel Washington and Mr.,
Mills. and he inspired me with great trust
in his integrity as a man of truth.
He is a fanatic. vain and garrulous, but
firm. truthful, and intelligent. His men,
too. who survive. except the free negroes
with him. arc like him. Re processes to
be a Christian in communion with the Con-
gresationalist Church of the North. and
openly breaches his purpose OF universal
emancipation. and the negroes themselves
were to be the agents, by means of arms
led on by white commanders. And Colonel
WASHINGTON says that he (Brown) was the
coolest and irmest man he ever saw in de-
flying danger and death. With one son
dead BY his side, andanother shot through,
he felt the pulse Of his dying son with one
hand, and held his rife with the other,
and commanded his Tren with the utmost
composure. encouraging them to be firm,
and to sell their lives as.dear as they could.
OF the three white prisoners-Browu, Ste
pheas and Coppie-;t was hard to say
which was most firm; and of the two ne
croes, il was hard to say which seemed the
most cowardly and false. The North Car
DINA negro offered to betray ell persons in
volved in the affair if spared. and the Can.
ada negro-who was, l believe, one ofthC
members of their Provisional Congress
was a crouchine craven, who lied, az Brown
said, for his Egc.
The counsel for Brown. ere Mr.. Hoyt Of
Boston, Hon. Hiram Griswold Ct Cleveland,
and Sam'l Chiffon, Esq, Of Washington
City. Messrs. Bolts and Green of Virginia
who had been appointed by the Court tc
act as counsel for Brown, and who did act
for him in the early part of the trial. be-
fore the arrival of the other counsel, have
withdrawn on account Of the treatment re-
ocired from Brown, he having declared that
be had no confidence in them. As far as
can be Judged from the report of the trial
these gentlemen were ezertins themselves
% the utmost in the cause of their client;
it is greatly to be regretted that Brown has
done this 1t is certainly in bad taste
and is very unfortunate. to say the least
During the trial Brpwn lays upon a cot
n the Court room. and c-ross-examines the
witnesses with considerable skill.
He complains that time is not allowed for
him to get his witnesses. aRd there is rea-
son to believe that he las good grounds fol
his complaints.
On Sturdy sere-al Witnesses tor the
prisoner. were examined. al proving that
brown had treated his prisoners with hu-
mainly and frequently expressed his regret
shat bloodshed should have boen caused by
b;m in self.defenoe. The deiepce closed
their testimony about + O'Clock and the
State desired to give the cause to the jury
without argument. Capt Brown INSISTED
that bis counsel should argue the case.
Marshall Johnson struck a vein when
10 was acting as master confessOr for the
negro Copeland, who is imprisoned in the
Cbaslcstown Jail. He induced Copeland