The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1859-10-27
Insurrcction mt uarpcr's Ferry.

One oil the StraugoSt and most extraordinary
events that ever occurred in the history Of the
Government took place at Harpers Ferry on
Monday and Tuesday last the l7th aud 18Th
inst. Ii seems that some twenty or thirty men,
led by 0ssawatamie Brown, OF Kansas notoriety,
had concocted plan to obtain possession OF the
Government Works, and by some insane pr, ject
they expected TO free the slaves, make Free
States OF Virginia aud Maryland, aud then form
provisional U. s. Government. The parties
succeeded in getting possession OF the Armory
they cut the telegraph wires, stopped the cars
on the railroad aud actually took a number OF
the citizens prisoners. The Volunteers from
Maryland and Virginia were called out, the U,
s. Marines were ordered TO the seat Of War, and
the whole country was in a fame OF the most in.
tense excitement. Quite number were killed
on both sides, among them Capt. Brown aud his
son. Some idea OF the excitement occssioned
by thc crazy headed movement may be formed
from the tenor of the telegraph dispatches, which
we give.
An eve witness described the scene as follows
" The first attack was made by n detachment OF
the Charleston Guards which crsosedthe Poto-
mac river above Harper's Ferry and reached the
building where the insurgents were posted by
canal on the Maryland side. Smart firing oc.
cured, and the rioters were driven from the
bridge One man was killed here and ano her
arres ted, the latter ran out and tried to escape
by swimming the river. dozen shots were fired
after him. and he partially fell, but rose again
sod threw his gun away, he threw his pistols
away, both Of which snapped, he then drew his
bowie knife and cut all the heavy accou ermenIs
from his body aud plunged into the river. One
of the soldiers was about tel feet behind him.
The mau turned round, threw up his hands and
cried, Don't shoot. The soldier fired aud the
man fell into the water with his face blown
away. His coat skirts Were cut from his person,
and in the pocket was found Captains COM
mission TO Capt. F, Il. Leemau, from the Pro.
visional Government of the u. s. The com
mission was dated October 18th, 1859, and
signed by A. w, Brown, Commissioner in Chief
of the Army of the Provisional Government OF
the United States. A party of Ave insurgents
armed with MIME rifles aud posted in The rifle
armory was expelled by the Cha leston Guards.
They all ran for the river, aud one who was an.
able to swim was drowned. The other four
swan out 10 the rocks in the middle of the She
nandoah, and fred upon the citizens and troops
assembled upon both banks. This drew upon
them the muskeis OF between two aud three hun
dred men, and not less than 400 shots were fred
at them from Harrer's Ferry, about 200 yards
distant. One was shot dead. The second, a
negro, attempted to Jump over the dam, but fell
shot, and was not seen afterwards. The third,
Dduiy WOuHutu anu ItilIuluinB, Wdo tdhtli uil'
armed. The white insurgeni, wounded and
captured, died in few moments in the arms OF
our informant. He was SHOT through the breast,
arm and stomach. lie declared there were on.
ly 10 whites engaged in this insurrection.
"For nearly an hour running fire was kept
up by the troops against the rioters. Several
were shot down, while many managed to limp
away wounded. During the firing, the women
and children ran shrleking in every direction,
but when they learDed the soldiers were their
protectors, they took courage, and did good ser.
vice in the way of preparing refreshments and
attending the wounded. Our informant, who
was on hill while the firing was going on says
that all the terrible scenes OF battle passed in
reality beneath his eyes. Soldiers could be seen
pursuing singly and in couples, and the crack OF
the musket and rife Was generally followed by
one o, more of the insurgents biting the dust
The deadlay in the streets where they fell. The
wounded were cared for.
Capt. Browns wounds consist Of sword
cut in the forehead and bayouet wound in the
kidneys Another of the rioters killed was
named Stewart Taylor. J G. Anderson, a ring
leader, vino stopped conductor Phelps yesterday
was killed during the first attack by the Vir'
ginians. Anderson was a fine looking man
with flowing white beard. Some Of the Mary
land volunteers are in pursuit OF Capt. Cook
afternoon for Harper's Ferry, to pursue the ri
oters."
1t is reported that many of them have escaped
and are secreted in the mountains. A negro
named Green, who was conspicuous in the Fu-
gitive Slave riot at Harrisburg, some years ago
was among the insurgents.
BALTIMORE, Oct lS-The following fragment
of letter was found in Capt. Browns pocket
1t occupies d page of fine note paper, straw
tinted, and is written in pencil, evidently by 4
person of education. 1t is without date. The
freight alluded to was doubtless of the sort usu-
ally carried on the Underground Railroad.
"CAPr. BnowM-Dear Sir:--I have been dis
appointed ia not seeing you ere this, to take
charge of your freight. They have been here
now for two weeks, and ds | have Rad to super
intend the providing for them. it has imposed
on me no small task, besides, and il not soon
taken on, some of them will 60 back to MsSou
ri. | wish TO know definitely what you pro-
pose doing. rhey cannot be kept here much
longer without risk to themselves, and if any o.
them conclude to go back 10 the State, it will
be sore temptation 10 your enterprise Nc
signature.
The editor of the Baltimore American says
The principal originator of the short but
bloody existence OF The nsunectIon was un-
doubtedly Capt. John Brown, whose connection
with the scenes OF violence in the border war
fare OF Kansas, then made his name familiarly
notorious in the whole country. Brown made
his first appearance in the vicinity Of Harper's
Ferry more than year ago, aecomp panied by his
two sons, the whole party assuming the name ol
Smith. He inq hired about land in the vicinity,
and made investigations about the probs bility
of finding ores, and for some time boarded at
Sandy Point, mile east of the Ferry. After
an absence of some months, he reappesred in the
vicinity, and the elder Brown rented or leased a
farm on the Maryland side, about four miles
from the Ferry.
They bought large number of picks aud
spades, and this confirmed the belief that they
intended to mine for ores. They were seen fire.
quently in and about Harper's Ferry, but no sus-
picion seemed to have existed that Bill Smith
was Capt. Brown or that he intended embarking
in any movement so desperate and extrsordina.
ry yet the Development of the plot leaves no
doubt that his visits 10 the Ferry and lease OF