Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1859-12-24
THE VIRGINLl TRAGEDY ENDED.

On Friday of last week the four remaining
convicts of the late Harper's Ferry raid suffered
the extreme penalty of the law-the two ne
grocs in the morning, and Cook and Coppic in
the afternoon. They all died game. The cir
cumsances of their execution, including the
military parade for the security of the frightened
Virginians, were so like those attending the
death of John Brown that we forbear repeating
them.
The night before their execution Cook and
Coppc made an almost successful ATTEMPT to
break jail They succeeded in piercing the jail
wall, and had mounted the wall of the Jail yard
when discovered by the sentinels. The follow
ing gives full particulars:
All was quiet until 8 o'clock Thursday eve
ming, when the town was thrown into commotion
by Tire report of rifle under the iail wall fol-
lowed by several other shots from the vicinity
Of the guard house, in close proximity to the
jail. The military were called to arms and the
excitement was intense, beyond anything that
has yet occurred. In few minutes the streets
were in possession of armed men. Rumors of
every description were afloat and it was danger
Gus for citizen to 90 out to ascertain the cause
Of the excitement.
The sentinel stationed near the Jail reported
that at quarter past 8 o'clock he observed Il
man on the jail wall. lie challenged him, and
received no answer, fred at him. Another head
was also seen above the wall, but he retreated
soon as the first one had been fred at. The
man on the top Of the wall (who proved to be
Cook seemed at first determined to jump down,
but the sentinel declared his intention Of i'm
paling him on his bayonet, and he then retreat
ed into the Jail yard with Coppic, and both gave
themselves up, without further resistance. Cook
afterwards remarked that if he could have got
over, and throttled the guard, he would have
made his escape.
The Shenandoah Mountains are within ten
minutes run of the jail wall, and had he reach
ed them, with his thorough knowledge of the
mountains his arrest would have been difficult
especially as but few of the military could have
followed him during the night.
They had succeeded after two weeks labor,
whenever alone, ana at night, when the bed
clothing muliied the sound of the saw, which
they had made out of an old Barlow knife, in
cutting through their iron shackles, so that they
could pry them open at any moment they should
have their other work completed. They had
also made a sort OF chisel out of an old bed
screw with which they succeeded, as opportuni-
ty would offer, in removing the plaster from
the wall, and then brick after brick until a space
sufficient for them to pass through was opened,
all to the removal of the outer brick. The hole
was made in the part Of the wall against which
they slept, and the bed being pushed against
the wall, completely hid their work from view.
The bricks they took out were concealed in the
drum of a stove, and the dirt and plaster re-
moved in tho oo...~A saf ih..i- work was placed
between the bed clothing. They acknowledged
that they had been at work whole week in
making the aperture in the wall.