Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1859-12-08
From til. Cine sn.si Gazette
His Last Hours
Scenes and Incidents Of the DC.
@
. MS IasT wfLl AND TESTAMENT.

i left Baltimore this morning bound for TIL.
place, where / met your reporter. who visited
fehafiestoEn tngztherfhe facfa relative 70 The
execution of OssaEatomie Brown, full partic.
ulars of which I send YOU. st Baltimore
crowds endcarored to purchase tickets for Harp
er's Ferry, among whom were a number %
Northern editors. but the Company positively
refused to sell any tickets except TO through
| passengers or to those whose business and
/! character were known to the officers of the road
As a consequence, many were disappointed in
the effort TO crafty their curiosity, and the
number Of passengers upon the road was unusu.
ally small z AT the Washington Junction, seven
miles west of Baltimore. two, gentlemen goi
into the train, and were Immediately approached
by an officer of the Company. who told them he
must know who they were and what were theiI
destination. To, this query one of them de-
INJURED, when the following coiloquy ensued
Oficer-It is absolutely necessary that you
should answer me. 1 81 = 2s@
fPassenger-Why, am lin Austria? sra stfs.
Ofieer-There is no time for argument-the
State that grants US a charter has a right to pro-
claim martial law, and We must comply with
her Requirement s. ssj @ 1 - tfH'
I'd Passenger am a subject other Britain
mic Majesty have a through ticket.
LIST PassengerI have a ticket to Wheeling,
Showing his ticket and am going to Mime
sofa. Ny name and business l choose to keep
to myself. lf.uI. ~ a9fts
Otieer-An right. gentlemen you can pass
along.
The passengers seemed a good deal surprised
and irritated, but were Modified when an ex-
PLANTATION was given by an official connected
with the Road. Some military gentlemen be-
longing TO the staff of Gen. Vim. b. Taliaferno.
in command at Charleston, also got in at the
Relay HouS. They lived in a remote part Of
Virginia, and had been unable to join their Com
mander earlier. At the various stations along
the route between Baltimore and the Ferry,
groups of people were gathered, evidently
awaiting the arrival of the down train carving
news of Browns execution. Our train reached
the Ferry at q quarter before u o'clock and we
found the platform carefully guarded by soldiers,
who closely scanned every passenger and kept
the space in front clear Every where about the
town soldiers we're stationed. and the Govern
ment buildings had been turned into barracks,
in which were quartered the U. S. troops from
Old Point Comfort.
But few strangers were in the village, the
visitors consisting chiefly of people of 1.-THE ada
cent country. who had come to hear of Browns
execution. A military company, which has
Just been organized here, was being marched
through the streets with a drum and fife, and
both sights and sounds conspired to remind one
of the pomp and circumstances of glorious war.
1 learned that Mrs. Brown. with a lady and
two gentlemen friends, from Philadelphia, were
staying at the Wager, having arrived on Wednes-
day night. l Immediately sought one of the
gentlemen, named McKim, who was loud in
his complaints of the manner in which they had
been treated by the military authorities, and
gave me the following narrative. He says that
last week Brown wrote to his wife, saving if
she thought she could bear the meeting With
calmness, he would be glad to take leave of her;
whereupon she determined 70 see him once
more before he died. Mrs. McKim, knowing
the value ola woman's sympathy and compan-
ionship, under such trying circumstances, vol
unteered 10 accompany her, as also did Mr.. Nc
Kim and another gentleman. The latter sup
Piled themselves with the best testimonials as
to responsibility and character, and also with
letters of introduction TO Col. Lewis A. Wash
ington and others, and reached Harper's Ferry
on Wednesday night. :,
On the next morning, they communicated
withthe officer in command of the Virginia
military here, that Mrs. Brown had arrived, and
that they wished to accompany her to Charles
town. The officer courteously responded, that
he presumed there would be no difficulty in
granting their request and immediately tele-
loRuC " OCi alC dk SG6il tblOn liz u
in turn, telegrapheg TO Gov. Wise for ~instruc-
tons. A great number of messages were then
exchanged, and finally it was ordered that Mrs.
Brown should be sent alone to see her husband,
and under an escort of military, and the others
of the party should be detained and Watched
Mrs. Brown was greatly distressed at being
compelled to go without her friends. but finally
consented, and was taken to Charlesrown and
allowed an interview of two hours with her
husband, but was not permitted to remain
during the night. An anecdote is related Of
Brown in this connections, which is emincntly
characteristic. When Gen.: Taliaferro had ar
ranged for the visit of Mrs. Brown, be called
on the prisoner and informed him that his wife
would come to see him, and he wished to know
how long an interview he desired.
Brown said-'Three or four hours" TO which
the General responded that was too long, an
hour he thought was enough. Brown replied:
Every well. sir, obey your orders and do your
duty. ! have no favors to ask of the State of
Virginia.!
This indomitable spirit was manifested 10 the
very last. In his final interview with Cook, he
accused him sternly of falsebood in represent
ing that he, Cook, had been misled by him.
He shock hands with all the prisoners, and
handed each of them twenty-five cents, remark
ing that the money was of no further use to
him.
When parting from his wife, he asked the
jailor as though it were the most casual and in
different question, cat what hour am / to be
executed?" And on being told IL o'clock, he
turned 10 his wife and said, Every we'll; if 1
think of anything else TO say, l will write it
down and leave it for YOU @
On the scaffold be refused to make the usual
signal 10 the Sheriff to let the drop fall. and
r1-1I.f11xv .11,I,r. al H.. &c - lz--.x
man. No one attended him but the Sheriff and
his assistants. He has left two wills-one dis
posing Of some small landed property. and the
other relating to the, disposition of his pixies
and Skarp's rifles.
VI the final interview between himself and
wife; 1t is too soon TO speak. / learn that she
Is sleepless and nervous, but sternly represses
external manifestations of her feelings.
s wIsE's LETTER TO MRS. BROWN.
b. Gar RIcHMoSD. Va, Nov. &c, 1853.
To Mrs. Mary BRowN. now in Philadelphia:
Madam: Yours o fths 21st inst addressed to
me from Philadelphia, came to INV hand this
morning. Believe me, madam, that / sadly
thank you for your trust in my feelings as a
man. Your situation touches these feel,ngs
deeply. Sympathizing, as / do, with yopr al
fiction, you shall have the ~exertion of nv =.
thorisy and personal influence to assist Won in
gathering up the bones of your sons and husband
in Virginia for decent and tender interment
among their kindred. / am happy, madam,
that you have the wisdom and virtue to appre.
ciate my position ofduty. Would to God that
public considerations could avert his doom, for
the 0mnisclent knows that l take not the slight
est pleasure in the execution of any whom the
laws condemn. May He have mercy on the
erring and afflicted. !
Enclosed is an order to Maj. Gen. VIM. B.
Talliaferro, in command at Gbarlestown, Va, to
ideliYer to YOU the mortal remains of your hns-