Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-10-27

cant, or that Commander Brown was mad,
because his force was 80 small His force
small as it was, was large enough to divide,
to penetrate sleeping country around, and
to take a United States Arsenal with all its
arms. Taking these, his expectation was to
be joined Immediately by hundreds and thou
sands OF whites and blacks; and his purpose
was TO turn the arms of the United States
which he had captured, on the Shareholders
of Maryland and Virginia. In this consis-
ted his disappointment and failure. No ne
Srocs rose up to seize the arms he had cap
tured. The negroes he had captured, as
soon as they crossed the river with Cook and
got out Of his wagon, ran back in trepida-
ton to their masters All Of Mr. Allstadt's
returned, and all of Col. Washingtons hut
one-his carriage driver, the negro who
drove the wagon into town when his master
was made prisoner; he was drowned i'll the
Potomac; his body was found on Wednesday
morning. And this is the only consolation
which have TO offer You in this disgrace;
that the faithful slaves refused to take up
arms agans their masters, and those which
were taken by force from their happy homes
deserted their liberators Us soon as they
could dare 10 make the attempt. Not i slave
around was found falthless, and not one has
lost his life, except the one Of excellent char
acter who was shot by Browns party Oh the
bridge, and except this servant Of Col. Wash
ington, whose body was found in the river,
and whom Cook may have shot in attempt
ing to escape from him. Brown was not
mad, but he was misinformed Us to the tenn
per and disposition of our slaves. lie ought
-. IL o.,
Northern border are held as it were by SUI.
terance-their own sutferance; that they can
run to liberators in Pennsylvania, easier than
liberators can come to their emancipation.
lie was ignorant, it seems, of the patriarchal
relations in which our slaves everywhere are
held BY their masters, and what bonds Of
affection and common interest exist between
them and their masters. And thus it was
that "Old Brown" the fanatic Of Ossa-
wattome and Lawrence and Fort Scott men,
DRY, who denounced the Missourians as Dor
! der Ruffans," became himself the Border
Rufian Of Virginia, and is now a prisoner of
| Treason to her authority. The slaves he
would incite to insurrection and massacre,
/ would not take up arms against their mas
! terS. His spears were untouched by them
| And they are themselves mistaken who take
| him to be mailman. He is q bundle of the
best nerves ever saw. cut and thrust, bleed
! ing and in bonds. He is man Of clear head,
of courage, fortitude and simple ingenious
ness. lie is cool, collected and indomitable,
and it is but just to him to say, that he was
humane to his prisoners, as attested to me
by Col. Washington and Mr.. Mills; and he
! inspired me with great trust in his integrity,
| &c, II, - N F,n md
garrulous, but firm, and truthful, and intel
| ligent. His men, too, who survive, except
| the free negroes with him, are like him.
| He processes to be Il Christian, in commu-
Mon with the Congregationalist Church of
the North, and openly breaches his purpose
! OF universal emancipation; and the negroes
themselves were to be the agents, by means
of arms, led on by white commanders
| When Col Washington was taken, his watch,
and plate, and jewels, and money, were de-
manded to create what they call a safety
! fund, )" to compensate the liberators for the
trouble and expense Of taking away his
slaves. This, by a law, was to be done
with all shareholders. Washington. OF
course, refused to deliver up any thing and
it is remarkable, that the only thing of ma
terial value which they took, besides his
slaves, was the sword Of Frederick, the
Great. which was sent to General Washing
ton This was taken by Stephens, to Brown,
and the latter commanded his men with that
sword in this fight against the peace and
safety Of Washington's native State! He
promised Col. Washington to return it to
him when he was done with it. And Col. |
Washington says that he Brown, was the
coolest and firmest man he ever saw in defy
ing danger and death With one son dead
by his sde and another shot through, he
felt tue pulse Of his dying son with one hand
and held his rifle with the other, and com
manded his men with the utmost composure
encouraging them to be firm, and TO sell
their lives rs dearly rs they could. Of the
three white prisoners, Brown, Stevens and |
Coppee, it was hard to say which was most |
firm; and of the two negroes it was hard to
say which seemed the most cowardly and |
false The North Carolina negro offered to
betray all persons involved III the affair if
spared, and the Canada negro, who was,
believe, one of the members OF their provi-
sonal Congress, was crouching craven, who
lied, rs Brown said for his life. But will
enter into no further detail. | received into
my keeping u large mass of papers and cor
respondcnce which discloses pretty clearly
their whole plan Of operations, and exposes
many names implicated in their crimes
We got all. perhaps, except carpet bag of
papers, which was taken and carried of,
very improperly, by some one Of the Balti-
more troops. The originals of these | will
try to have restored for the trial of the pri-
soners.
Among other papers found letter of
credit, from one Of the Banks in the State of
New York, informing Brown that Gerritt
Smith had placed to his Brown'sl credit
800 That is now in possession Of the AS
sistant Attorney at Charlestown! 1t would
not become me to counsel or countenance any
one in doing to Gerritt Smith what Stevens
and his party aid to Col. Washington-take |
him out of his bed at night and smuggle /
him off fr m home-but if any one should
bring him to me, by fair or foul means, |
will read INN moral lecture and send him
back to his home, if innocent, or secure him
fair and impartial trial, if guilty of aiding
or abctting these murders, robberics and
treason remained in lIarper's Ferry and
went to Charlestown to protect the prisoners
we now have in custody, against lynch
law, determined as | am that the laws
shall reign whilst am chief Magistrate OF
this Commonwealth. Our people were in
censcd beyond expression, but they felt as
u II Il 4 III