Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1859-10-26
Reported for the Baltimore American.
INSTTRRECTTON

ana regard.
Reported for the Baltimore American.
RESURRECTION
At Harper's Fsrry-1uthtntic Details-Its Origi-
nntors-Iheir Antecedents, dec.
We can perhaps give our readers, in the most in
tegible and interesting form, the particulars of this
extraordinary servie insnrrection by throwing into
connected narrative, all that we have gathered on
the military expedition to Earper's Ferry, in relation
to its inception, purpose, attempted contamination
and defeat We commence with
oRIGNAToHS.
The principal originator of the nsurrection, and
the chief leader in its short but bloody existence,
was undoubtedly Captain John Brown. whose con-
nection with the scenes of violence and border war
fare in Kansas then made his name famliarly notor
Gus to the whole country. Captain Brown made his
first appearance in the vicinity of Harper's Ferry
more than year ago accompanied by his two sons
the whole party assuming the name of Smith They
inquired about land in the vicinity, made investiga
tons to the probability of finding ores and for
some time boarded at Sandy Hook, one mile cast of
Harper's Ferry.
After an absence of some months they re-appear-
cd in the vicinity. and the elder Brown rented or
leased farm on the MARYLAND side about four miles
from Harper's Ferry They bought large number
of picks and spades, and thus confirmed the belief
that they intended to mine for ores They We're
seen frequently in and about IIarpcrs Ferry, but
suspicion seems to have existed that "Bill Smith"
Captain Brown, Or that he intended embarkns
in movement SO desperate and extraordinary. le;
the development Of the plot leaves doubt that his
visits to the Ferry and his lease of the farm ali
parts of his preparation for instruction whic
he supposed was to be successful in cxterminatins
slavery in Maryland and Western Virginia.
Capt Browns chief aid was John Il. Cooke,
comparatively young man, who has resided in and
H., To-, Hrc9
employed iii tending lock on the canal. He after
wards taught school on the Maryland sdc and after
a brief residence in Kansas, where it is supposed he
became acquainted with Brown, returned to the
Ferry and married there. He was regarded as
man of some intelligence, known to be anti-slavery
but not violent in the expression of his opinions
as to excite any suspicious. These two men, with
Browns two sons, were the only white men con-
nerted with the instruction that had been seen
about the Ferry. All were brought by Capt. Brown
from distance and nearly all had been with him in
Kansas.
COMMENCEMENT OF TIE RESURRECTION.
The first active movement in the inSurrecton
made about halEpast ten o'clock on Sunday nj ht.
VIM. Williams, Waterman on Harpef,s Ferry bridge,
whilst walking across towards the Maryland side
was seized by Il number of men who said he
their prisoner and must come with them. He
cognsed Brown and Cooke among the men, and
knowing them treated the matter joke but en-
forcing silence they conducted him to the armory
which he found already in their possession. He
detained till after daylight and then discharged
The Waterman who was to relieve Williams at mid
night found the bridge lights all out and mmedi-
ately was seized Surprising it an attempt at rob-
berry, he broke away and his pursuers stumbling
over the track he escaped.
The next appearance of the incurrectonists was
at the house of Col. Lewis Washington a large
farmer and slavcowner, living about four miles from
the Ferry. a party headed by Cooke proceeded
there, reused Col. W. and told him he was prison
err They also seized all the slaves near the houses,
took carriage and horse and a large wagon with
two horses When Col. Washington Cooke he
immediately recognized him Il who had call
ed upon him some months previous to whom he had
exhibited some valuable arms in his possession, in
Guiding an antique sword presented by Frederick
the Great to General Washington, and a pair of
pistols presented by Lafayette to Washington both
hcr-loom,s in the family. Before leaving Cooke
invited Col. Washington to trial of skill at shoot
ing and exhibited considerable certainty as marks
man. When he made his visit on Sunday night he
alluded to his previous visit and the courtesy with
which he had been treated regrctting the necessity
! which made it his duty to arrest Col w. lie, how
/ ever took advantage of the knowledge he obtained
by the former visit to carry off all the ColoncrS
valuable collection of arms, which he did not re-ob
tain until after the final defeat of the instruction
From COL w aSilIiHtOn lflcy pTOCeeueu illln
prisoner in his carriage, and twelve of his negroes
in the wagon, to the house of Mr.. Allstadt an ohcr
large farmer on the same road Mr.. AllStadt, and
his son. lad of sixteen, were taken prisoners, all
their negroes within reach forced to join the move
mcnt and they returned to the Armory at the Fer
nv All these movements seem to have been made
without exciting the sligh tcst alarm in the town,
nor did the detention of Capt Phelps train at the
upper end of the town attract attention. 1t was
IL, olol o,Ifo md
the bridge guarded by armed men, and guard sta
toned at all the avenues that the people found they
were prisoners 4 panic appears to have immed-
ateIy ensued and the number of the insurrectionsts
at once magnificd from fifty, which was probably
their greatest force including the slaves forced to
Join, to from five to six hundred In the meantime,
a number of the workmen knowing nothing of
what had occurred, entered the Armory, and were
! instantly taken prisoners, until at one time they
| had not less than sixty men confined
Among those thus entrapped were Armistead Ball,
| Chief Draughtsman of the Armory, Benjamin Mills,
Master of the Armory, and j. E. P. Dangerfeld,
Pavmaster's Clerk These three gentleman were
imprisoned in the engine house, which afterwards
became the chief fortress of the insurgents and were
not released until after the final assault The work
men were imprisoned in building farther down the
yard and were rescued by the brilliant Zouave dash
made by the railroad companys men, who came
down from Martinsburg.
This was the condition of things at daylight about
which time Capt Cooke with two white men, &C
companed by thirty slaves, and taking with them
Col Washington's large wagon went over the bridge
and struck up the mountain road toward Pennsyl-
vania. It was then believed that the large wagon
was used to convey away the Paymaster's safe, con-
tanning 1900 in government funds and also that
it was filled with MIME rifles taken out to supply
| other bands in the mountains, who were to come
down upon Harper's Ferry in overwhelming force.
These suppositons both proved untrue, as neither
money nor arms were disturbed %tSss
| THE BEGINNIG OF TIE FIGHT-sHoOTING "A PRISONER
As the day advanced and the news spread around,
and people came into the Ferry, the first demonstra-
tons of resistance made to the insurrectonists
guerilla warfare commenced, chiefly led on by a
man named Chambers whose house commanded the
Armory yard. The negro man named Haywood,
railroad porter, was shot early in the morning for
refusing to Join the movement Next man shot was
| Josenh RurIev a citizen of Harpers'S Ferry He