The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-10-28
THE TRIAL OF
THE HARPER'S FERRY INSURGENTS.

proceedings
Orders were received this morning from Ric
mond and Washington to bring the u S. Marin
here if required The military from Frederic
arrived at the Ferry last night
AFTERNOON SEsSION-wEDNFsDpY
At two O'Clock the Tailor was ordered to hrin
Brown into court. lie found him in bed and Il
declared himself unable to rise. He was accorC
ingly brought into court a cot which was 81
, down within the bar. The prisoner laid most ,
the time with his eyes closed and the counterpart
drawn up close under his chin. He is apparent
not much injured but is determined to resist th
pushing of his trial by all the means in his power
The jury were then called and sworn. The Juror
were questioned as to having formed or expresse
any opinion that would prevent them from decidin
the case impartally, the merits of the testimony
The Court excluded those who were present a
Harper's Ferry during the insurrecton and say
the prisoners perpetrating the acts for which the
are to be tried The jurors called were all fror
distant parts of the country, mostly farmers som
of them owning few slaves and others none
EMPANELLING THE JURY.
The examination of the jurors was continues
until twenty four decided by the Court an
counsel to be competent jurors. Out ofthese twen
ty-tour the counsel for the prisoner has right t.
strike off eight, and then twelve are drawn by bal
lot out of the remaining sixteen. The following
were the questions put to the jurors:
We're you at Harper's Ferry Monday or Tues
dav?
How long did you remain there
Did you witness any of the proceedings for whicI
this party is to be tried?
Did you form or express any opinion from wha
you saw there with regard to the guilt or limo
| cence of these people
Would that opinion disqualify YOU from irwin,
| these men fair trial?
Did you hear any of the evidence in the case, be
fore the examining court?
What was that opinion based on? Was If a de
| cidcd one, or was it one which would WELD to evi
dence, if the evidence different from what yor
| supposed?
Are you sure that you can try this case imparti
ally, from the evidence alone without reference +,
ANYTHING you have heard or of this transaction
Have you any conscientious scrupes against con
! victing party of an offence to which the law as
signs the punishment of death, merely because thai
is the penalty assigned?
The following gentlemen were finally fixed upor
| as the twelve jurors to try the case:
| Richard Timberlake, Joseph Myers, Thomas W at
son, Jr., Isaac Dust John c. Mcclure, William
| Right,tinc Jacob G.. Miller Thomas Osborne
George W. Boyer, John C. Wiltshire, George W.
| Tapp, VIM. A. Martin.
! The jury were not sworn the case, but the
! Judge charged them not to converse upon the case
or to permit others to converse with them.
! They at o'clock dismissed, the prisoner
carried over to the Jail on his cot, and the Court
adjourned until tomorrow (Thursday) morning:
4 CONFESSION.
John Copeland the mulatto prisoner from Ober
! lin, Ohio, has made a full confession to United
! States Marshal Martin, of Virginia, and Marsha
johnson, of the Northern District of Ohio. He has
given the names of the parties at Oberlin who in
duced him to 90 to llarper's Ferry, and who fur.
nshed the money for his expenses, &c. He also
states that movement of a similar character was
| contemplated in Kentucky about the same time
| Many persons in Northern Ohio, whose names have
not heretofore been mentioned, directly impl
Gated. The confession is withheld from the public
until after the trials over by order of Governor
| Wise.
| was shown to day, by Mr.. johnson, Marshal
! Northern District of Ohio, a large number Of i'm.
! lot, a.
number Of prominent men of Oberin, Cleveland
and other portions Of Ohio. Among these letters
is also the following:
TRIBUNE OFFICE, April 30, 1859.
Mn. j. II. kAgI-Sr: Yours is received and q
enclose check for forty dollars for seven let
| ters from Kansas and two from Ohio. Yours &c
HORACE GREELEY Il Co.
| kagi was one of the killed, was formerly CORES
pondcnt of the Tbrpc, and this letter is dOubtrs:
one enclosing his pay.
There is also a letter from Capt Brown to one Of
his sons, dated April lG 1852 describing his visit
to Gerrit Smith at Peterhoro', which he regarded
| as highly encouraging, and stating that Smith
gave him one hundred and eighty dollars; that he,
also, at his house, received note which he consid-
! cred good for two hundred more, and that Smith
! had written to his friends at the East that two
! thousand dollars must be raised for Brown, OF
which he would agree to furnish one-fifth himself
There is also the notice of draft from the Cash
| ier of the New York State Bank for one hundred
| dollars, sent him by direction of Gerrit Smith.
| This is dated Albany, August 30, 1859.
! Marshal johnson desired to furnish me with this
mass Of correspondence but Mr.. Hunter, by drec-
| tion Of Gov. Wise, objects to its publication at
present. 1t contains list of officers of the Provi-
sional Government and list of contributors to the
project. Marshal johnson left for Cleveland this
| evening, taking copies with him. and YOU NAV look
| for it in that direction.
The examination which has been made here to-
day by the United States Marshas settles this fact:
that this movement has long been maturing-that
many prominent men in Northern States have given
money and influence in its behalf
THE SECOND DAY.
CHARLESTowN, Oct. 27-no0n.-Capt. Brown was
brought into Court this morning walking, but on
reaching the bar he laid down at full length on his
cot. He looked considerably better, the swelling
having left his ewes
Senator Mason was present.
Messrs Harding and Hunter appeared for the
Commonwealth, and Messrs. Bolts and Green for
the prisoner. Mr.. Bolts read the following des-
patch received by him this morning:
AKRON, Ohio Oct. 26th, 1859.
To G. j. FdmlEHcr and Larson Bolts, Esqrs.:
John Brown, the leader of the insurrection at
larpers Ferry, Va, and several of his family have
resided in this county many years. Insanity is
hereditary in that family. His mother and sister
died with it, and daughter Of that sister has been
two years in the Lunatic Asylum. A son and daugh-
ter Of his mothers brother have also been confined
IN the Lunatic Asylum, and another of that
brother is now insane and under close restraint.
These facts be conclusveiv proved by witnesses
residing here, who will doubtless attend the trial,
if desired.
(Signed) A H. LEWIS
WIN. c. Allen, the telegraphic operator at the
Akron office adds to the above despatch that A. H.
Lewis is a resident of that place. and his statements
, are entitled to implicit credit.
Mr.. Bolts said that receiving the above des-
patch he went to the Jail with his associate, Nr.
Green, and read it to Capt. Brown, and is desired
by the latter to say that in his fathers family there
has never been any insanity at all. On his moth
crs side there has been repeated instances of it, and
he adds that his first wife showed symptoms of it
which was also evident in his first and second sons
by that wife, Some portions of the statements in the
despatch he knows to be correct, but of the other
portions he is ignorant. He does not know whether
his mothers sister died in the Lunatc Asylum. but
he does believe that daughter of that sister has
been for two years in an insane asylum, and he
thinks also and daughter of his mothers
brother have also been confined in such an asylum,
but he Is not appriSed of the fact that another
of that brother is now insane and in close conine-
ment
Capt. Brown also desires his counsel to say he
does not put in any plea of insanity, and if he has
ever been at all insane, he is totally unconscious of
it, yet he adds that those who are most insane
generally suppose that they have more reason and
sanity than those around them. But for himself
he dlsdains to put in that plea, and seeks no i'm
munlty OF that kind. This movement is made to-
tally without his appreciation or concurrence and
was unknown to him until the receipt of the des-
patch above given.
CAPT. BRowN sPUENs TIE PLEA OF INSANITY.
Mr.. Bolts having concluded his statement, Capt.
Brown then raised himself up in bed and said: 81
will add if the Court will allow me, that l look
upon 1t as miserable artitce and pretext of those
who ought to take different course in regard to
me, If they took any at ALL and view it with CON
tempt more than otherwise, as | remarked to MIR.
| Green Insane persons so far as my experience
goes, have but very little ability to Judge of their
own insanity: and if | am insane, of course should
think knew more than all the rest of the world
but do not think so. ! am perfectly unconscious
OF insanity, and view with utter contempt, aud
reject, so far as am capable, any attempt to inter
fere in my behalf on that score"
Mr.. Bolts stated that he was further instructed
by Capt Brown to say that, rejecting this plea OF
insanity entirely, and seeking no d lay for that
| reason, he does repeat to the court, his request
made vest rday, that time be given for foreign
counsel to arrive, that he now has reason to ex-
pect.
Yesterday despatch received here from
Cleveland, Ohio, signed d. Tilden, and dated the
26th instant, asking Capt Brown whether it would
be of use for counsel to leave last night To this
dispatch answer returned that the jury was
sworn this morning, and Capt Brown desired the
counsel to come at once. The teegraphic operator
here stated that this dispatch would be sent off at
once IN advance of the dispatches sent by the re-
pOrters, and he had learned this morning that it
was sent before the storm last night interrupted
communication with other points. The counsel
might reach here by IL o'clock tonight. The
course taken by Capt. Brown this morning made
it evident that he sought no pOstponement for the
mere purpose of delay. As he rejects the plea of
| insanity still, in his opinion a6 can have fairer
trial II the defence conducted by his own
counsel than if he were defended by the counsel
present here.
Mr.. Hunter observed that the prisoners counsel
having renewed the motion of Yesterday for a de-
lay for the specific period indicated based upon in