New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-10-24

ys.ysisulnrs Of the Tarpcr's Ferry insar-
rcction.
ME- editor 1T the Baltimore American visited the
sccne ii the disturbances at Harpcr's Ferry, and
riyes the following account Of the origin Of the
air and its progress up to the time of the arrival
III the troops:
The principal instigator Of this short but bloody
insurrection was undoubtedly Capt John Brown,
whose connection with scenes OF violence IN the
border warfare of Kansas then made his name fa-
miliarly notorious with the whole country.
Brown made his first appearance in the vicinity
of Harperss Ferry more than year ago, accompa-
MED by his two sons, the whole party assuming the
name of Smith. He inquired about land in the
vicinity, and made Investigations about tho proba-
bilty Of finding Ores and for tine boarded at
Sandy Point, mile east of the Ferry. After an
absence of some months he reappeared IN the vclhl-
ty, and the elder Brown leased or rented farm on
the Maryland side about four miles from the Ferry.
They bought large number of picks and spades,
and this confirmed the belief that they intended %
mine for ores They were seen frequently Il. anu
about Harper's Ferry, hut no Suspicion seems 10
have existed that Bill Smith was Capt. Brown OF
that he intended embarkng in any movement So
desperate or extraordinary yet the Vi
the plot leaves no doubt that ms viss 70 s'e
and his lease Of the farm were all parts OF ms pre-,
narration for the insurrection, which he supposed
Wwould be successful in exterminating slavery in
MARYLAND and Western Virginia.
Broyn's chief aid was John b. Cook, q compare
t;velv Young man who has resided in and near the
Ferry for some years; he was first employed IN
tending lock on the canal. afterwards taught
school on the Maryland side of the RIVER ana after
a brief residence in Kansas, where it IS supposed
he became acquainted with Brown. he returned to
the Ferry and married there. He was regarded as
i man Of some intelligence and known to be anti
slavery but not violent in the expression OF his
WI. rY,SnISNn HhnSn tlrn
men, with Browns two sons, were the only white
men connected with the insurrecton9that had been
seen previously about the Ferry. All were brought
by Brown froma distance, and nearly all had been
with him in Kansas.
The first active movement in the Instruction was
made about l0s O'Clock Sunday night. VIM Will
hanson, the Waterman on the Harper's Ferry
bridge, whilst walking across towards the Maryland
side, was seized by number of men, who said
that he was their prisoner and must come with
them. He recognized Brown and Cook among the
men, and knowing them, he treated the matter as
joke; but, enforcing silence, they conducted him
to the armory, which he found already in their
possession. He was retained till after daylight
and then discharged. The Waterman who was to
relieve Williamson at midnight found the bridge
lights all out, and was immediately seized. Sup
posing it an attempt at robbery, he broke away,
and his pursuers stumbling over, he escaped.
The next appearance of the insurgents was at the
house of Lewis Washington, large farmer and
slave owner, living about four miles from the Ferry
a
| Col w, and told him he was their prisoner-they
also seized all the slaves near the house, and took
| carriage and horses and large wagon with two
horses. When Col. Washington saw Cook he I'M
| mediatey recognized him as man who had called
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 George Washington, and pair of pis-
| tolls presented by Gen. Lafayette to Washington,
| both being heirlooms in the family.
| Before leaving, Cook invited Col. W. to trial Of
skill at shooting, and exhibited considerable GER
tainty as a marksman. When he made his visit on
Sunday night he alluded to his previous visit and
| the courtesy with which he had been treated, and
regretted the necessity which made it his duty to
| arrest Col. w. He, however, took advantage OF
the knowledge he obtained by his former visit to
carry off all the valuable collection of arms, which
Col W. did not obtain till after the final defeat
of the insurrection.
From Col. Washngton's the party proceeded
with him, as prisoner, in his own carriage and
twelve Of his negroes in the wagon, to the house
of Mr. Allstadt, another large farmer on the same
road Mr. Allstadt and his SON. lad sixteen years
of age, were taken prisoners. and all the negroes
within reach being forced to join the movement,
they returned to the Arm0ry at the Ferry.
All these movements seem to have been made
without exciting the slightest alarm in the town,
nor did the detention of Capt. Phelps train at the
upper end of the town, attract attention. 1t was
not nutil the town was fairly walked up, and they
found the bridge guarded by armed men, and a
guard stationed at all the avenues that the people
found that they were prisoners. A panic appears
to have Immediately ensued, and the number of
the insurrectionists at once Increased from fifty,
which was probably their greatest force, including
the slaves, who were forced to join, from five to
six hundred.
In the meantime number of workmen know
ing nothing Of what had occurred, entered the
Armory and were successfully taken prisoners,
until they had at lone time not less than sixty men
confined in the Armory Among those thus en-
trapped were Armistead Ball, Chief Draughtsman
u H., Az.
Armory, and j. L. P. Dangerield, Paymaster's
Clerk. These three gentlemen were imprisoned in
the engine house, which afterwards became the
chief fortress of the insurgents, and were not re-
leased until after the final assault The workmeI
were imprisoned in a large building further dowr
the yard. and were rescued by brilliant Zouave
dash, made by the Railroad Company's men, who
came down from Martinsburg. This was the con
dition Of affairs at daylight, about which time Capt
Cook, with two white men. accompanied by thirty
slaves, and taking with them Col. Washingtons
large wagon, went over the bridge and struck vi
the mountain on the road towards Pennsylvania.
An eyewitness of the conflict between thu
troops and the insurgents thus describes the scene
The first attack was made by a detachment o
the Charlestown Guards, who crossed the Potomac
river above Harper's Ferry and reached the build
ing where the insurgents were posted by the cana
on the Maryland side. Smart firing occurred, ant
the rioters were driven from the bridge. One maj
was killed here and another arrested the latte
Tau Out Alu W cSCupc Wy tHc IlNtT
Adozen shots were fired after him and he partially
fell, but rose again, threw his gun away, drew hi
pistols, both Of which snapped, drew his bowl,
knife, threw all his heavy accoutrements off ant
plunged into the river. One of the soldiers wa
about ten feet behind. The man turned around
| threw up his hands and cried, don't shoot. Thu
soldier fired and the man fell into the water will
his face blown away. His coat-skrts were GU
from his person, and in his pocket was found cap
tainis commission to Capt. +. H. Leeman, from tn,
Provisional Government of the United States Thu
commission was dated October l5, 1859, AM
signed by A. w. Brown, COMMUNICATIVE of thu
army Of the Provisional Government of the United
States Of America.
4 party of the insurgents, five in number armet
with Minnie rifles, and posted in rifle armory, wer
for the river, and one, who was unable to swim
was drowned; the other four swan out to TIL
rocks in the middle of the Shenandoah and fret
upon the citizens and troops assembled upon botl
banks this drew upon them the muskets of be
tween two and three hundred men, and not les
than four hundred shots were fired at them from
Harper's Ferry, about 200 yards distant. One was
shot dead, the second, negro, attempted to JUMP
over the dam but fell Short and not seen after
wards. The third was badly wounded, and the re
naming was taken unframed. The white insur
gent wounded and captured died in few moment
in the arms of our informant. He was shot through
the breast arm and stomach. He declared there
were but only nineteen whites engaged in this in
surrection.
For nearly an hour a running and random firing
was kept up by the troops against the rioters
Several were shot down, while many managed tt
limp away wounded during the firing. The womeI
and children ran shrieking in every direction; but
t,ev that the soldiers their pro