Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1859-11-19
THE TESTIMONY OF A sCoUNDREL.

Among the witnesses brought forward by th
prosecution on Browns trial, was Henry Hunter
% years of age, of the Prosecuting officer, anc
q scion Of one Of the First Families. His charac
;er can be gathered from the subjoined testimony
After Mr.. Beckham was killed, Mr.. Chamber
and myself moved forward to the hotel for the pur
pose of taking the prisoner out and hanging him
we we're joined by a number Of other persons
who cheered us on in that work; we went up into
his room where be was bound, with the uudoubted
and undsguised purpose of taking his life; at the
door we were stopped by persons guarding the
door, who demonstrated with US. and the excite
ment was so great that persons who demonstrated
with US one moment would cheer US on the next;
we burst into the room where he was, and found
several around him. but they offered only feeble
resistance, we brought our guns down to his head
repeatedly, myself and another person, for the
purpose Of shooting him in the room.
There young lady there the sister of Mr.
Fuuke, the hotel-keeper who sat in this mans lap
covered his face with her arms, and shielded him
whenever we brought guns to bear, she said
to us-"For Gods sake wait and let the law take
its eourse;" my associate shouted to kill him; "Le
US shei his blood" were his words; all around
were shouting "Mr, Beckham's life vas worth ter
thousand of these vile abolitionists;" | was coo
about it, and deliberate; my gun was pushed ny
| BY some one who seized the barrel, and l ther
moved to the back part of the room, still with
purpose unchanged. but with a view to divert at
tsnti6n from me, in order to get au opportunity. a
some moment when the crowd would be less dense
to shoot him; after moments thought, it occur
red to that not the proper place to kill him
we then proposed to take him out and hang him
some person of our band then opened way t.
him, and first pushing Miss Fouke aside, we slunf
him out of doors; gave him push, and many
others did the same; we then showed him along
the platform and down to the tressle work of the
bridge, be begging for his life all the time, very
piteously at first.
By-the.by before we took him out of tho room
asked the question what he came here for, he said
their only purpose was to free the slaves-tbat ne
came here to free the slaves or die. Then he beg.
ged. Don't take my life-a pritoner;" but put
the gun to him, and he said, You may kill me,
but il will be revenged; there are eighty thousand
persons sworn to carry out this work." That was
his last expression. We bore him out on the
bridge with the purpose then of hanging him. We
had no rope, and none could be found; it was
moment of wild excitement. Two Of US raised
our guus-which one was first do not know-anc
pulled the trigger. Before he had reached tht
ground I suppose some five or six shots had beer
fred into his body; be fell to the railroad track
his back down to the earth and bis face up; vi
then went back for the purpose of getting another
one, (Stephens) but he was sick or wounded ane
persons around him, and | persuaded them my
self to let him alone; said "Don't let operate
on him. but 20 around and get some more;" W.
did thi, act with purpose, thinking it right and
justifable under the circumstances, and fred AUD
excited by the cowardly. savage manner in which
Mr.. Beckham's life had been taken.