Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1859-12-16

e m the United States, whose names do not
now remember. Most of the delegates TO the
Convention were FROM Can rda- Alter the
Constitution was adopted, tn members took
their cath to support it. 1t waT then signed
bv ali present. Daring the interval between
the cali for the Convention and It's assembling,
regular meetings were held ar Barbours Hotel
where we were stopping, by those who were
known TO be trne to the cause, at
which meetings plans were laid and discussed.
There were no white men at the Convention,
save the members Of our company. Men and
mor.ey bad both been promised from Chatham
and other parts of Canada When the Com
veatiou broke up, news was received that Col.
H. Forbes, who had joirnd in the movement,
had given information to the Government.
This, Of course, delayed the time of attack
A day or two 'afterward most of our party
took the boat to Cleveland-Jno. IL. hagl,
Richard Robertson, and Capt. Brown remain
ing. Capt. B, however, started in a day or
two for the East. Kagi, I think, went to some
other tow in Canada, to set up The type and
to get The Constitution printed, which he com
pleted before he returned to Cleveland. We
remained in Cleveland for some weeks, at
WHICH, D4dICts III II L4L1O 0NlIS. hhN OAbPN
disbauded. Capt. Brown had had the plan Of
the resurrection in contemplation for several
years-in fact, told me that it had been the chief
aim of his life to carry out and accomplish the
abolition Of Slavery.
In his trip East he did not realize the amount
of money that he expected. The money had
been promised bona file, but owing to the
tightness of the money market they failed to
comply with his demands. The funds were ne
cessary to the accomplishment of his plans.
/ aftefward learned that there was a lack oil
confidence ia the success of his scheme. 1t
was, therefore. necessary that a movement
should be made in another direction, to lem
onstratc the practicability of his plan. This he
made about a year ago by his invasion of Mis-
souri,, and the taking Of about i dozen slaves,
together with horses, cattle, sc. into Kansas,
in defiance of the United States Marshal and
his posse. From Kansas he took them to
Canada, via iowa City and Cleveland. AT
the latter place he remained some days, and, l
think, disposed Of his horses there. It seems
that the United States Marshal was afraid OF
him, and this was all that was wanting to give
confidence to the wavering in the practicable
ty of his plan and its ultimate Success. He
came to Harper's Ferry about the last of June,
though | did not see him till late in July, or
the early part of August, when We met on
: She1,aad ah street. Harpcris Ferry, opposite
Tcarney's store. do not know who we're his
aiders or ab,tters, but have beard him men
ton 10 connection with it the names of Gerrit
Smith of New York. Howe Of Boston, and
Sanborn and Thaddeus Hyatt Of New York
City. What connection, and how far connect
ell with his plan I do not know, but ] know he
wrote a letter a few weeks previous to his at
tack to some gentlemen in Boston, which read
as near as | can recollect, as follows:
DUB
"GHSTLHMeN !. / have got nearly all my ma
ehsnrs on, and shall be ready to start them in. a
few days, unless prevented by a special Provi-
: dence. Everything is working we'll I shall
vans all the funds you promised me in a few
days. Yours, truly,
sH "CALM & STILL"
Ia the meantime the men who had engaged
TO go with him had NEST of them arrived at
Chambersburgh. Pa, and been sent to the
place which he had rented in Washington
:. county, Nd, about five miles from Harpers
Ferry. The greatest part of the men kept
out of sight during the day, for fear of attrac-
ting attention. The arms, munitions, &c,
wore carried from Chambersburgn to hs rem
devious. The spear-heads and guards came in
strong boxes, and the shafts passed for fork
handles. They were put together by our men,
at the house where most of them were found.
Letters of Importance came to the Chambers
6urgh Post Office, and were sent by some OF
oar own party to headquarters. The letters
of minor importance came to the Ferry to >.
Euoifh r. Song A II olluciopc IN m h1Str1pSc
were made in such Il blind way that they would
not have been understood by any outside@par-
ties, even should they have been miscarried.-
The attack was made sooner than it was in
tended. owing to S me friends III Boston wri-
ting a letter, finding fault with the manage
ment of Capt. B., and what to them seemed
bis unnecessary delay and expense. l do not
know who those persons were, or how far they
were cognizaut of his (Capt. BIS plans. But
1 do knorc that Dr.. Houe gaze Capt. Brotrn a
6reachloading car6ine and a pair of aaus@le-
loading pistols, Ill IF Government naa1atyature.
They were left either at the house of Capt.
Brown, or at the school-house, where most of
the arms were conveyed. AT what time and
for what purpose they were given to Capt.
Brown, l do not know. 1t was supposed that
Col. Hugh Forbes was dead. l was told by
Capt. Brown that when on East he had been
told by Thaddeus Hyatt of New York that
some OF the negroes at that place had informed
him Hyatt that Forbes had gone up-a
phase which Capt. B, ard the rest of our
company understood to mean that he had been
killed. I do not think that Forbes had any
cognizance of our plans from the time of our
leaving Pedee, a year ago last April. Previ-
Gus to his quarrel with Cap. Brown, we con-
sidered that he would hold a place next to
Brown in command. / do not know the pres
ent whereabouts of Luke F. Parsons or Charles
Moffet. The last l heard of Parsons was
through Capt. Brown, who informed me that
Parsons had started for Pixies Peak. and that
he Brown thought he would be pretty to-
erably peaked before he got there. A
short tims before the attack on Harper's
Ferry. Capt Brown requested me to find out
in some way, without creating suspicion. the
number Of male slaves on or near the roads
leading from the Ferry, for a distance Of s Or
10 miles, and to make such memoranda that
would be uninteIligible to others, bat in such
a manner that | could make it plain to him
and the rest of the company. He gave me
two dollars 70 pay my expenses with | .ook
the road from Harper's Ferry to Chariestown
uuder the plea of gaining statistics for a work
to be published by john Henri, and to decide
q wager between him and Smith. / did not
go on any other road. A few days after this
Capt Brown sent his wagon over by his son
Oliver and Jeremiah Anderson, to bring my
wife and myself to his house. They gsve me
. note from him WHICH. as near as ] can recol-
Iect, read as follows!
''MR. CeoKE-Dear Sir: You will please get
everything ready to come with your wife to my
house this morning. My wagon will wait for
you. 1 shall take your wife to Charnbcrsburgh
and shall start early tomorrow morning. Be
as expeditions as possible, Be velv careful