Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1859-10-28

hHN dbOknCt was dEECSACus n udh
out and tried to escape by swimming the
river. A dozen shots were fred after
him. He partially fell, but rose again,
threw his gun away, and drew his pistols,
but both snapped. He drew his bowie
knife and cut his heavy acoutrements off,
and plunged into the river. One of the
soldiers was about ten feet behind. The
man turned round, threw up his hands,
and said, Don't shoot The soldier |
fred and 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 a captains commission,
TO Capt. E. Fl. Leeman, from the provis-
ional Government. The commission was
dated Oct. 10, 1859, and signed by A. |
W. Brown, Commander-in-C Chief of the
Army of the Provisional Government ofI
the United States.
A party of five insurgents, armed with
Minnie rifles, and posted in the rife ar
mory, were expelled by the Charlestown
Guards. They all ran for the river, and
one, who was unable TO swim, was drown
ed. The other four swan out to the
rocks in the middle of the Shenandoah,
and fired upon the citizens and troops
upon both banks. This drew upon them
the muskets of between 200 and 800
men, and not less than 400 shots were
fired at them from Harper's Ferry, about
two hundred yards distant. One was
finally shot dead; the second, negro,
attempted to jump over the dam, but fell
short and was not seen afterwards; the
third was badly wounded, and the re-
naming one was taken unharmed. The
white insurgent, wounded and captured,
died in a few moments after, in the arms
of our informant He was shot through
the heart and stomach. He declared
that there was only nineteen whites en-
gagged in the insurrection.
A CONNECTED STATEMENT OF THE
WHOLE AFFAIR.
The report of the american commen-
ces with notice of the originators:
! The principal originator of this short
but bloody insurrection was undoubtedly
Capt. John Brown, whose connection
with scenes of violence in the border war
fare in Kansas made his name familiarlY
notorious throughout the whole country.
Brown made his first appearance in HaI-
per's Ferry more than year ago, ac-
companied by his two sons, all three of
them assuming the name of Smith. He
inquired about land in the vicinity, and
made investigations as to the probability
of finding ores, and for some time board
ed at Sandy Point,a mile east of the Fer
ry. After an absence of some months
the elder Brown reappeared in the vicini-
? ty, and rented or leased a farm on the
MARYLAND side about four miles from the
Ferry. They bought large number OF
picks and spades, and thus confirmed the
belief that they intended to mine for ores
e They were frequently seen in and
= about Harper's Ferry, but no suspicion
seems to have existed that " Bill Smith
was " Capt. Brown" or that he intended
d embarking in any movement so desper
r ate or extraordinary. Yet the develop
? ment of the plot leaves no doubt that hi.
Q visits to the Ferry, and his lease of tht
farm, were all parts of his preparation fol
. an insurrection, which he supposed woulC
be successful in exterminating slavery il
e Maryland and Western Virginia.
3 Browns chief aid was John E. Cook
! comparatively young man, who has re
sided in and near the Ferry some years
q He was first employed in tending loci
on the canal, and afterwards taugh
Il school on the Maryland side of the river
T and after brief residence in Kansas
where, it is supposed, he became acquaint
ed with Brown, he returned to the Ferr
and married there. He was regarded a
,e a man of some intelligence, and known
- be anti-slavery, but was not so violent i
the expression of his opinions as to excit
any suspicious. These two men wit
le Browns two SONS, were the only whit
men connected with the insurrection thf
" had been seen about the Ferry. All wei
brought by Brown from distance, an
nearly all had been with him in Kansa
e. The first active movement in the insu
IT. rection was made at about half past tw
IT. o'clock on Sunday night. VIM. viii
es hanson, the watchman at Harper's FerI
bridge, whilst walking across toward II
'Nl Maryland side, was seized by numb'
I'm of men, who said he was their prisone
of and must come with them. He reco
re nized Brown and Cook among the me
- and, knowing them, treated the matter
" joke, but enforcing silence they conduc
Ith ed him to the Armory, which he four
already in their possession. He was d
ry, tanned till after daylight, and then d
- charged. The watchmen who was to T
lieve Williamson at midnight, found Il
DIN bridge lights all out, and was immediat,
ay seized. Supposing it an attempt at ro
raj berry, he broke away, and his pursue
m, stumbling over him, be escaped.
The next appearance of the insure
ied tionists was at the house of Col. Lew
es. Washington, large farmer and sla
led owner living about four miles from t
in Ferry. A party, headed by Cook, pr
ceeded there, and rousing Col. Washin
ton, told him he was their prisons
AN They also seized all the slaves near t
house, took carriage horse and a lar
,;,- wagoaswith two horses. When Col.
saw Cook, he Immediately recognised b
II as the man who had called upon b
iol- some months previous, to whom be b
exhibited some valuable arms in his d
nC-A