Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1859-10-28


alluded to bis previous visit, and the cour-
tesy with which he had been treated, and
the necessity which had made
it his duty to visit Col. w. He however,
took advantage of the knowledge ne had
obtained by bis former visit to carry off
all the valuable collection of arms, which
Col. W. did not re-obtain till after the
final defeat of the insurreetion.
From Col. VS. he proceeded with him
as prisoner in the carriage, and twelve
of his negroes in the wagon, to the house
of Mr.. AlIstadt, another large farmer on
the same road. Mr. Allstadt and his son
a lad of Is, were taken prisoners, and all
their negroes within,Tea forced to join
the movements ! He then returned to the
Armory at the Ferry. All these move
ments seem to have been made without
exciting the slightest alarm in the town,
nor did the retention of Capt. Phelps
train at the upper end of the town attract
attention.
1t was not until the town thoroughly
walked up and found the bridge guarded
by armed men, and guard stationed at
all the avenues, that the people found they
were prisoners. A panic appears to have
ensued, and the number of insurrection-
lists at once increased from fifty, which
probably was their greatest force, includ-
ing the slaves who were forced TO join, to
from five to six hundred. In the mean
- g l.
anything of what had occurred, entered
the armory and were successfully taken
prisoners, until at one time they had not
less than sixty prisoners confined IN the
armory. Among those thus entrapped
were Armistead Ball, chief craftsman of
the armory; Benjamin Mills, master OF
the armory, and j. E. P. Dangerfeld,
paymaster's clerk. These three gentle
men were imprisoned in the engine house.
which afterwards became the chief fort
ress of the insurgents, and were not re-
| leased until after the final assault. The
werkmen were imprisoned in a large
building further down the yard, and were
rescued by brilliant Zouave dash made
by the railroad men, who came dowr
from Martinsburg.
This was the condition of things at day
light, about which time Capt. Cook, witt
two whit men, accompanied by thirty
slaves, and taking with them Col. Wash
ington's large wagon, went over the bridge
and struck up the mountain road towards
Pennsylvania. The following is frag
ment of a letter found in Browns pocket
Capt. Brown, Dear Sir: / have beer
disappointed in not seeing you here err
this to take charge of your freight. They
have been here now more than two week
and as | have had to superntend the pro
viding for them, it has imposed upon M
no small task. and if not soon taken on
some of them will 90 back to Missouri
l wish to know definitely what you pro
pose doing. They cannot be kept her
much longer, without risk to themselv es
and, if any of them conclude to 60 bacl
to the State, it will be bad termination
to your enterprise"
The foregoing occupies page of fin,
note paper, straw tinted, is written in pen
a Gil, and not dated and was evidentl
written by person of education. Th
! freight he had was, no doubt, that usual
\ carried out on the underground railroad
It was believed that a large WACO
:, was used to convey away the Payma:
: ter's safe, containing $4,000 govern
}. ment funds, and also that it was file
with Minnie rifles taken out to suppl
i other bands in the mountains, who wer
+; to come down upon Harper's Ferry
5, overwhelming force. These suppositior
: proved untrue, as neither arms nc
Y money were disturbed. As day advar
IS ced and news spread abroad, and peopl
@ came into the Ferry, the first demon
n strations of resistance were made by th
e insurrectionists. A general warfar
h commenced, chiefly led on by ma
te named Chambers, whose house con
at mands the Armory yard. The colore
e man named Hayward, Railroad porte
ID was shot early in the morning for refu
S. ing to join in the movement. The ne,
r man shot was Joseph Barpley, citize
70 of Perry, who was killed while STAN
l. ing in his own door. The insurrectio
y lists, by this time, finding disposition
le resist them, had Withdrawn nearly a
er within the Armory grounds. leavir
II, only a guard on the bridge. At abo
q noon,the Charlestown troops, under cor
n, mand OF. Col. Robert w. Bayley, GRO:
as ed the river some distance up, al
It. marched down the Maryland side to Il
I'd mouth of the bridge. Firing wolfe
e. they made a gallant dash across t
is bridge, clearing it of the insurrectionis
e. who retreated rapidly down towards t
he Armory. In this movement of the
ey surrectionists, man named Villa
b. Thompson was taken prisoner. The She
rs erdtown troops next arriving, marc
ing down the Shenandoah side, and jo
&C. ing the CharIestown forces at the brid,
7is A desultory exchange of shots follow'
We one of which struck Mr.. Fountain Bee
he ham, Mayor of the town, and agent
o. the railroad company, entering bis bre
o. and passing entirely through bis boz
er. The ball was large elongated slug, a
he made dreadful wound. Mr.. Beckhi
ge died almost Immediately. He was wi
". out fire arms, and was exposed only
i'm moment while approaching a wa
i'm station.
ad His assailant. one Of Browns 80
os- was shot almost Immediately, but mani