The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-12-06

do, but to arrest those who had escaped. to
search for their hidden arms aud plunder 10
Try 70 recapture the slaves they had taken, To
get ati their papers which could be found, and
20 nave them proceeded against according to
law: Had reached the place before they sur.
!enoereo, would have proclaimed martial
law. nave stormed them in the quickest time
possible, shown them no quarter, have tried
tue SURVIVORS, II any, by court-martial and
have shot the condemned on the spot.-
But owing TO the delay Of the cars at Wash
ington and the Relay House, and to the slow
,ravel from the latter place 20 the Ferry,
1 was too late. When arrived they were
s.nodned; they were prisoners and eoma OF
them wounded, and was bound to protect
,ne. .nrm. ! took them under the jurisdiction OF
food and reireshment and surgical aid ana
VERY comfort at my command were given
.nem, ,they were proceeded against regularly
~ ~ .he sivl! authority, under civil process
ana went In person with them. under 4
naitary guard, TO Charlestown. and saw
shsrir safely lodged in jail, in custody of the
mainsa .naea ~ eivii and military guard re-
sn.s peg s from any quarter, and the mex morn
.uss aa'er giving necessary orders 10 Col Gin.
sd d"' "a ana furnishing him with arms, return
counsel to assist the Commonw wsnlth,s At.
sssoIney were engaged by me for the State =
IrnitaG On S,. me morning of the 18th, that the
frn,n Hsr,.as.s marines marines were ordered away
. ..o.h narpers Ferry, ordered a police mill.
saly guard FOR the confines around the Arse.
;n. no.. u.u not remove the prisoners further
an'. .ne INFERIOR, because was determined 10
snow NO apprehension of a rescue and IL ,ho
laii o Jefferson had been on the line of the
State, they should have been Kent there ~
snow mat they could be kept any where chosen n
Ia our limits. Soon after returned to Rich
mond, i notified the President of the JInitaa
States that the reason SO few men had Gan
tured the Arsenal OF the United States was
that there was no military guard there, and
n hsn1 Sxrrxn .s>xox1
frontier and, incidentally, to protect the pron.
erty of the United States. A neglected Arse
nal had been made positive danger 10 us: we
had been invaded by lawless bands from other
States, ag inst which the United States were
bound to defend us; we had been Obliged TO
call ont troops to defend the Federal property
and at last had to guard it.
Thus the affair passed, for the time being, from
| the military to the civil authority. And here
| cannot express TOO strongly what is due to the
militia for the promptitude with which they
volun teered for duty aud obeypd my orders
| The Jefferson, BE kelley and Shepherdstuwn
militia were first AT the scene, aBd manifested
good courage and did some service; but they
| were restrained by a natural tenderness for
their neigh bors and friends who were held pris-
| oners and hos tages. and supposed to be in immi-
| nent danger, from any attempt to storm their
| eapters. The first regiment of volunteers,
| and company + especially of that regimen {,
| which was ready in an hour from the call, and
| a part of the 179th, and the Alexandria Rifles,
l L
| Orange asd Aibemarle, all galiantly took arms
and moved promptly. More than called
| came. and were ready and anxious to do duty
and to be first to encounter danger. A finer
| spirit and better temper of soldiers could not
| have been displayed.
The State Judiciary took the culprits in
| charge. Legal warrants were issued and
| served upon them; court of examination
| was regularly held over those who did not
| waive it; and they were formally indicted in
! a court of competent jurisdiction. They had
| the full benefit of com pulsory process for wit
nesses in their defence had counsel assigned
| them and counsel of their own selection were
| confronted by witnesses and accusers; and
| were given, according to our bill of rights, as
| in all other cases, speedy and fair trial by an
| impartial jury of the vicinage; upon their
| own confession, and upon other evidence
| leaving no doubt of guilt, were legally con-
| yicted of several capital offences; were heard
| in person and by counsel, why sentence
| should not be pronounced upon them; were
| given every opportunity of applying for writs
| of supersedeas; did apply; and the court Oi
| highest resort, the Court of Appeals, sustained
| the Judgment and sentence of the court which
| tried them. Never were prisoners treated
| with more leuity. of trial And never in any
| case in the history of trials, was Justice ad
ministered with more forbearance, more calm
| ness, more dignity and more majesty of law
never were such prisoners treated with as
| much benignant kindness as they have been
| by the people whom they outraged sufficiently
| to have melted summary punishment.
To prevent any such punishment on the one
hand, and q rescue on the other; to guard JUS
| tjce in a word, / called into service military
| guards, to aid the civil authority and keep the
peace. Receiving information that OrganiZa-
| ton of guards was necessary, sent an aid to
| the scene, there to see what was wanting to
assist the Adjutant General, and to pass my or
ders. Col. J. Lueins Davis, a competent SOL
dter volunteered his services, and / accepted
them, to organize the corps, to distribute arms,
to post guards, and to provide subsistence and
quarters, and TO call for whatever was want
ing. These services he continued most faith
fully and efficiently to perform, with my full
appreciation, until very recent events made it
necessary to call for more troops; and Major
General VIM. B. Taliaferro, of the fourth divi-
sion, repaired to the place, and volunteered in
| person to take command. Many OF the troops
were from his division, and could not decline
the tender of his services. During the trial of
the prisoners and since, appeals and threats OF
every sort, the most extraordinary, from every
quarter, have been made to the. Executive. l
lay before you the mass of these, it being i'm
possible to enter into their details. Though
the laws do not permit me to pardon in cases
of treason, yet pardons and reprieves have
been demanded on the grounds of-lst, insani-
ty; I'd, magnanimity; Sd, the policy OF not max
ing martyrs.
As to the first the parties by themselves or
counsel put in no plea of insanity. No insani-
ty was feigned even; the prisoner, Brown,
spurned it. Since his sentence, and since the
decision on the appeal, one OF his counsel,
Samuel Chiffon, ESQ.,, has filed with me a
number of affidavits protesting to skon grounds
for delaying execution, in order to gfre time TO
make an issue Of fact as to the sanity Of the pri-
soner. How such an issue can now, after sem
tence, confirmed by the Court of Appeals, be
made. am ignorant; but il is sufficient to say
that had repeatedly seen and conversed with
the prisoner, and had just returned from a
visit To him, when this appeal to me was put
in to my hands. As well as can know the
state of mind of any one, know that he was
sane, and remarkably sane, il quick and clear
nod p.Qf Sae1 RI
consecutive reasoning from them; if cautious
tact in avoiding disclosures, and in covering
conclusions and interences; If memory and
conception and practical common sense, and
if composure and self f-possession are eyiden-
ces of a sound state Of mind. He was more
sane than his prompters and promoters. and
concealed well the secret which made him
seem to do an act of mad impulse, by leaving
him without his hackers 1T Harperis Ferry ;
but he did not conceal his contempt for The
cowardice which did not back him better than
with q plea of INSANITY, which he spurned to
put in on his trial at Chariestown.
As to the second ground of appeal: know
of no magnaniInity which is inhumane, and
no inhumanity could well exceed that to our
society, stares as well as their masters,
which would turn fellons like these, proud
and defiant in their guilt, loose again on bOr-
der already torn by a fanatical and sectional
strife which hreatens the u critics of the white
even more than it does the bondage Of the
bidc X race.
As to the third ground: lsIt true tnat the
due execution of our laws, fairly and justly ad-
ministered upon these con Messed robbers, mur-
derers and traitors, will make them martyrs
in the public sentiment OF other States! If
So then it is time indeed that execution shall
be done upon them. and that we should pre-
pare in earnest tor the 'irrepressiblr conflict
with that sympathy which, in demanding for
these criminals pardons and reprieves. and in
wreaking vengeance for their refusal, would
make criminals of u.s. Indeed, q blasphemous
,noraI treason an expressed fellow feeling
with felons a professed conservatism Of crime,
a defiant and boastful guilty dpmoniac spirit