The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1859-11-02
From tie States
Letter from Harper's Ferry.
An. INTERVIEW WITH OLD BROWN.
HARpEn,s FERRY. Oct. %. 1859.

11ARPEE'S ERltl, OCt. ~, 4OoJ.
had an interview on yesterday with John
Brown the chief Of the insurgents who took
possession of Harper's Ferry. He was lying
in the paymasterS office, inside OF the nation
al armory, in company with one of his
brother conspirators named Stephens, both of
them wounded the former, not seriously,
by sabre cut from Lieut.. Green, Of the ma
| rineS, and the latter dangerously, by several
rifle shots. With the details of the transac-
ton your readers are familiar The number
were only 10; but the preparations for stub
born maintenance Of their position were COM
plete, based upon the delusive fancy that thou
sands OF slaves and non-slaveholding whites
would rush to their standard. For the pur
pose of arming these expected recruits, they
had 400 Of the Massachusetts Arms Compa-
ny's revolvers, 200 SharpSS rifles and 1000
spears, made Of heavy piece of iron, with
an iron guard mounted on a neatly turned
staff, which were found at the farm he had
rented few miles from the Ferry, together
with blankets, clothing, and everything ne
cessary for campaign.
Browns chests were stocked with every
thing. He had writing paper and pencils, to
use in issuing bulletins to his army; dressing
for wounds; surgical instruments-in fact,
everything that human ingenuity could de-
wise as essential for military expedition. He
evidently did not intend merely gathering
few hundred slaves and marching them off to
a free State. He emphatically disclaimS this
purpose, but says it was MS intention to have
placed arms in their hands as quick as they
came, to enable them to fight for the liberty
of all their class. Nor did he believe the
contest would soon be over. To use his own
language on the night he stopped the train,
This is not the work Of day, or week, nor
a month but Of much longer time His
purpose was to have rallied a force at the Fer
~, of which the small number he began with
was but nucleus, and then to maintain des-
perate resistance until inSVrrection had penc
trated every corner in the South, and success
had crowned the movement SO madly begun
by him. He was entirely ignorant Of the char
acter Of our negro population, and wildly sup
posed that the philosophy Of the ''i,TepressiWe
conf'ct' had its thousands of believers in the
South, who needed but bold leader like him
to develope their feelings and rally them
around his banner. He said to me thtt he
never knew a slave in his life who did not
Jump with joy at the suggestion Of freedom to
him, and that he supposed many Of them
would have instantly availed themselves Of
the opportunity to keep in motion this move
ment, which would have eventually, in his
opinion, set them all free. There never was
such picture of deluSion as he exhibited. He
was actuated, he said, by the idea expressed
by Gerrit Smith, that the time for moral sua-
sion had passed by, and that the means used
by him was the only one practical to effect the
object they had in view.
During my presence in the room with
Brown, he was subjected to a courteous eX
animation with his own consent for their own
information, by Senator Mason, Of Virginia,
and the Hon. C. l.. Vallandingham. He an
swelred all their question to such an extent
as would criminate himself; but when ques
ton was put with the view of getting at the
connection Of other parties IN tie free States
with him, he would decline answering, show
ing that he has within his breast the knowl
edge Of colleagues in the conspiracy, which,
if exposed, would dethrone them from high
political power in the free States.
This Brown is the most remarkable man Of
the kind is country has ever produced
The story of Guy Fawkes dwindles into in
significance along side of his His appetite
for revolution was engendered in Kansas
Stimulated by connection with the ennis
saries of the Emigrant Aid Society sent there
to defeat peaceful solution of the question as
to what the institutions of Kansas should be.
Brown appears to know no such thing as fear,
and awaits his fate like man who cares moth
ing for life He is complete bundle of
nerves. The Bible, he says, justiies him in
what he did, and he has no excuse to make
for it, but glorifes the act.
The movement was initiated in May, 1858,
at convention held in Chatham, Canada,
where a constitution Of a government was
formed, thousands of the copies Of which were
found in his trunk.
This convention elected him Commander-in-
chief Ever since then he has been engaged
making the necessary arrangements for it
Three months ago he rented the farm, where
he received all the implements Of war, in
GLIDING picks for the purpose of making en-
trenchments and other things too numerous
to mention, which the people supposed were
implements for farming, which, under the
name Of Smith, he pretended he was about to
engage in.
There is no conflict between the federal gov
and the State as to jurisdiction over
the offences. The prisoners are confined in
the county Jail of Jefferson upon commit
ments for offences against both powers
The superior court Of this district begins on
Monday, and unless they claim a postpone
ment until next term, as they have a right to
d. they will be tried first for offence against
the State and hung.
If not tried before March, the United States |
court will then try them at Clarksburg. Con- |
victon and death in either case certainly awaits
them.
| will present some reflections on this con-
spiracy in another letter.