Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-10-22
Railg Sirsiuian.
Insurrection at Harper's Ferry
FULL PARTICULARS.


the mails brings in full PARTICULARS Of the bloody
tragedy.
THE COMMENCEMENT OF TUE RESURRECTION.
The first active movement ofthe insurrectionists
was made about half past ten O'Clock Sunday
night. Wm Williams, watchman on the Harpei's
Ferry bridge, whilst walking across towards tho
Maryland side was sezc1 by number of men,
who said he was thcirprsoner and must come with
them. lie recognized Brown and Cook among the
men, and knowing them treated the matter NJ n
Joke. but enforcing silence they conducted him to
the armory which he found already in their pos
! session. lie was retained till after daylight and
| then discharged, The watchman who was to
! relieve Williams at midnight, found the bridge
/ lights all out, and Immediately y seized. Sup.
| posing it an attempt at robbery. no broke away
and his pursucrs stumbling over tho track he
capped.
| The next appearance of the insurrectionists was
ut the house of Col Lewis Washington, large
farmer and slayeholder, living about four miles
from the Ferry. Aparty headed by Cook procec-
ded there. reused Col W. and told him he was
| prisoner. They also seized all the slaves near the
| house. took carriage and horse and large wag
on with two horses When Col Washington saw
| Cook he Immediately recognized him ms man
who had called upon him some months previous.
to whom he had exhibited some valuable arms in
his possession including nm antique sword presen-
ted by Frederick the Great to General Washing
| ton. and pair pistols presented by Lafayette
! to Washington. both heir-looms in the family. Be-
fore leaving, Cook invited Col. Washington to II
| trial Of skill nt shooting. and exhibited consdera-
| Sle certainty rs n markesman. When he made
his visit on Sunday night he alluded to his prcyi
ous visit and the courtesy with which he had been
! treated, regrctting the necessity which mado 1t
his duty to arrest Col. w. lie. however, took
advantage Of the knowledge he obtained by the
! former visit. to carry off all tho ColonePs yalua-
| tlo collection Of arms, which he did not re-ob
lnItn II i,.ol al ,t tl,n
ton,
From Col Washington's they proceedrd with
| him prisoner in his carriage, and twelve of his
negroes in the wagon, to the house Of Mr.. Allstadt
another large farmer on the same road. Mr.. ALI
sadt, and his SON, Il lad Of sixteen, were tax en-
prisoners, all their negroes within reach forced t"
| Join the movement, and they returned to the Ar
morv at the Ferry All these movements seem 10
! have been made without exciting the slightest IL
! larm in the town. nor did the detention of Capt.
Phelps train at the upper end Of tho town attract
attention. 1t not until thet wn was thoroughly
walked up and found the bridge guarded by armed
men, and n guard stationed atall the avenues that
the people found that they were prisoners pan
| ic appears to have Immediately ensucd, and the
| number Of tho insurrectonlsts Mt once magnihcd
firm fifty, which was probably their greatest force
including the slaves forced to jon to from five or
six hundred In the meantime number of wur-
| kmen knowing nothing of what had occurred, en-
tered the Armory, and were instantly taken p is
oners, until Mt time they had no less than six
| ty confued. Among those thus entrap1cd
were Armistead Ball, Chief Draughtsman of the
Armory Benjamin Mills, Master of the Armory
and j. +. p. Dangerlield Paymaster's Clerk
These three gentlemen imprisoned in the en-
| gine house, which afterwards became the chief
! fortress of the insurgents and not released
| until :fter the final assault The workmen were
| imprisoned in building farther down the yard,
and were rescued by the brilliant Zouaye dash
made by the railroad eompany's men who came
! down from Martnsbnrg
This tho condition Of things ut daylight
about which time Captain Cook with two white
men, accompanied by thirty slaves, and taking
| with them Col. Washington's large wagon. went
! over the bridge and struck up the mountain road
toward Pennsylvania. 1t was then believed that
! the large wagon was used to convey awny the
Paymasters safe, containing $l7, 900 in government
funds, and also that it filled with Minnie
: rifles taken out to supply other bands in the
| mountains who were to come down upon lIarper's
! Ferry id overwhelming force These supnositions
| both proved untrue, rs neither money arms
| were disturbed.
| THE BEGINNING OF THE FIGHT-sHooTING OF A PRIs
oNER
! As the day advanced, and tho news spread
J around, and the people came into the Ferry the
! first demonstrations Of resistance were made to
the insurrectionsts. guerrilla warfare cam
! menced chiefly led on by man named Chambers
| whose house commanded the Armory yard. The
! coorel man named Hayward, railroad porter,
I was shot early in the morning tor refusing to join
! the movement. Next man shot was Joseph Burn
| ley, citizen of Harper's Ferry. lie was shot
| whilst standing in his Own door. About this time
! also, Geo W. Turner Esq. shot dead. lie
: was coming into town on orseback, carrying
/ gun, when he was shot from the Armory rccey-
| ing wound Of which he died during the day.
! lie was graduate of West Point, and greatly
| respected in the neighborhood for his high char
! acter and noble qualities.
! The insurrectioniss at this time finding dis
{ position to resist them, had withdrawn nearly all
/ within the Armory grounds, leaving only q guard
| on the bridge. About noon, the Charlestown
| troops. under command Of Col. Robert w. Baylor,
arrived, crossing the Potomac river some distance
! up and marching down the MARYLAND side to the
| mouth of the bridge Firing volley they mada
! gallant dash across the bridge, clearing it Of
| the insurrectionists who retreated RAPIDLY down
toward the Armory. In this movement one of the
! insurIectionsts named Vim. Thompson, was ta-
ken prisoner. The Shepherdstown troops next
arrived. marching down the Shenandoah side and
| joining the Charlestown forces at the bridge. A
desultory exchange of shots followed one of which
struck Mr.. Fontaine Beckham. Mayor of the town
| and agent of the Railroad Company, in the breast
passing entirely through his body, the bali was n
| large elongated slug, makinga dreadful wound.
| Flo died almost Immediately. Mr.. Beckham was
| without arms and was exposed only for moment
whilst approaching the water-station. Ills nssail.
! ant, one of Browns sons, was shot almost imme.
diatey, but managed to get back to the engine
house, where his dead body was found the next
day.
| The murder of Mr.. Beckham excited the people
and the cry was Immediately made to bring out
the prisoner Thompson. He was brought out on
the bridge and shot down from the bridge he
fell into the water, and some appearance of life
remaining he was again riddlcd with balls.
|
At this time a general charge Wa. made Inwn
| the street from the bridge tnwnl,ls ihn Armnry