Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-10-19

Insnrrcotion and Bloodshed at HRrpers
Ferry.

InsarFcotion ana Dioodshed at Hurper's
Ferry.
If the rather confused telegraph reports are
orreci, Capt. John Brown, Of brave KansAs
nOtofiety, has been engaged in a most fool.
hardy enterprise at Harpers Ferry, Virginia,
end with his son has met with death at the hands
Of his captors. From the account, what the
object Of the insurrection or riot was, as it is
called, does not very clearly appear. The cor
rect version probably will be, that 0ssavatOmie
Blown and his as1ocatos contemplated a con-
siderable stampede Of slaves from Harper's
Ferry and vicinity, and took possession Of the
u 8. Armory there for tho purpose Of arming
the party for their own protection when they
should be pursued. That murder and rapine
were not the object is evident from the fact that
no outrages were committed on the inhabitants.
though they were in the power of the rioters
until troops could be brought from Charlestown,
Frederick City, &c. That Capt. Brown could
have anticipated anything like general rising
Of the slaves Of Virginia and Maryland as tho
result Of demonstration at HaTper's Ferry,
would seem to be too preposterous a scheme
for any sane man to entertain. The little town
is nestled among the mountains at the conau.
ence of the Potomac and Shenandoah, has
but small white or slave population in the
vicinity, and is on the line of an important rail-
road, afording facilities for the rapid concen.
trSlion of troops from Baltimore, Richmond,
Washington, DC, TO overwheIm at once any
insurrection of the servile population. This
fact is demonstrated by the presence Of over a
thousand men under arms at Hlrperis Ferry
within twenty four hours after the first alarm
had been telegraphed abroad.
The dispatches last night, however, go TO
chow that something Ike Provisional Gov
crnment had been organized, of which A.
W. Brown, son of Captain John Brown prob
ably, was the army Commander in-Chief. Such
fptuity on the part of men goaded to madness,
as even the Browns had been by pro-slavery
Border Ruffiansm in Kansas, is almost too in.
credible for belief Nothing short of monoma-
mia could have so urged the leading insurgents
to a certain doom.
Capt. John Brown is well known to many in
this region, He was formerly an active
business man in Summit county, ard with his
aons early emigtsted to Kansas and founded
the town of Ossawatomc. An enterprsing,
Free State man, he soon became the special
object of hate and persecution by the Border
Nlliians. One son was wantonly murdered by
them at his own door; and another, taken pri,.
oner, with hands lound, was driven on foot by
the rullians on horst bIck, under a burning sur
for some thirty milts, without being permitted
to have drop Of water to moisten bis parched
tongue. The cruel outrages perpetrated on
young Brown caused insanity. Cspt. Browns
life was hunted by lis bloody Persecu.ors, and
it ia scarcely marvel that he turned upon his
puTsuers and the murderers of his family, and
by deeds OF daring aud reprisals made the name
of "Old Ossawatomie" terror to evil doers in
Kansas and on the Missouri border. His last
feat was to cross Wth his men into Missouri
and liberatc some seventeen slaves from
one plantation, and conduct them safely through
Kansas, Iowa, DC, to Canada. price was
set on his head, and SO far as slavery and slave
holding were concerned, he was a desperate
man. lie had become monomaniac, and be
lieyel that his duty and his mission was to fire.,
the enslaved by any me MS 10 his power. Th,
scenes at Harper's Ferry are but the bite
fruits of the seed sown 10y the South in Kansas
While there is no sufficient apology for the in
surrectonary course Of Capt. Brown in Vir
gina, something must still be pardoned to th'
spirit of freedom which in his case has beer
baptized in blood and fed as by fire in the Kan
z's struggles until reason and judgment have
lorn dethroned, and consuming hatred of op
preston Of man 10y man has hurried an old
brave but misguided citizen, into acts the who'll
country will deplore.
From last nights telegraph we infer tha
Capt. Brown still survived his severe wounds
aud that speedy trial awaits him and The othe
prisoners for treason 1t is also apparent tina
the real danger from the % has been great,
exaggerated, and that the terrible panic in Vir
giDia, Maryland and Washington is in fact bu
"grcat cry and little W COL"