Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1859-10-27
THE VIRGINIA INSURRECTION.

mar the pleasure of any. JUNlUS.
THE VIRGINIA INSURRECTION.
The Baltimore papers contain full particulars
of this extraordinary servile insurrection, which
has produced such unprecedented excitement in
| To the exclusion of much other less important
matter, we annex the subjoined intensely interest
ing details:
Who Originated H-The principal originator
short but bloody existence, was undoubtedly Cap
tain John Brown, whose connection with the
scenes of violence and border warfare in Kansas
then made his name Familiarity notorious to the
whole country. Captain Brown made his first ap-
pearance in the vicinity Of Harper's Ferry more
than year ago, accompanied by his two sons, the
whole party assuming the name of Smith. They
enquired about land in the vicinity, made investi-
cations as to the probability of finding ores, and
for some time boarded at Sandy Hook, one mile
East of Harper's Ferry. After the absence Of
some time they re-appeared in the vicinity, and
the elder Brown rented or leased farm on the
Maryland side, about four miles from Harper's
Ferry. They bought large number of picks and
intended to mine for ores. They were seen fire.
quently in and about Harper's Ferry, but no sus-
picion seemed to have existed that "Bill Smith"
was Captain Brown or that he intended embark
ing in movement SO desperate or extraordinary
Yet the development Of the plot leaves no doubt
that his visits to the Ferry and his lease of the
farm were all parts of his preparations for an in
surreation, which he supposed was to be success
full in exterminating slavery in Maryland and
Western Virginia.
Capt Browns chief aid was John E. Cook, o
comparatively young man, who has resided in and
near Harper's Ferry for some years. He was first
employed in tending lock on the canal. He af-
terwar6s taught school on the Maryland side, and
after brief residence in Kansas, where it is sup
posed he Gecame acquainted with Brown, return.
ed to the Ferry, and married there. He was re-
garded as msn of some intelligence, known to
be anti-savery, butnot violent in the expression
of his opinions as to excite any suspicious. These
two men, with Browns two sons, were the only
white men connected with the insurrection that
had been seen about the Ferry. All were brought
by Captain Brown from distance, and nearly all
had been with him in Kansas.
Commencement of the Out6reak-The first ac-
tive movement in the insurrection was made about
half: past 10 O'clock on Sunday night. William
Williams, watchman on Harpers Ferry Bridge,
whilst walking across towards the Maryland side
was seized by a number of men, who said he was
their prisoner and must come with them. He
recognized Brown and Cook among the men, and
knowing them, treated the matter as a joke; but
enforcing silence, they conducted him to the ar
mory, which he found already in their possession.
He was retained till after daylight and then dis
charged. The watchman who was to relieve Will
liams at midnight, found the bridge lights all out
and Immediately was seized. Supposng it was
an attempt at robbery, he broke away, and his
! pursuers stumbling over the track, he escaped.
The next appearance of the insurrectonists was
at the house of Col. Lewis Washington, large
farmer and slave owner, living about four miles
from the Ferry. A party headed by Cook proceed
ed there, reused Col. w., and told him he was
prisoner. They also seizedall the slaves near the
houses, took carriage and horse and large
wagon with two horses. When Col. Washington
saw Cook, he Immediately recognized him as o
man who had called upon him some months pre-
vous, to whom he had exhibited some valuable
arms n.his possession, including an antique sword
presented by Frederick the Great to Gen. Wash
ingtor, and pair of pistols presented by La
Fayetse to Washington, both her.looms in the
family. Before leaving Cock invited Col. Wash
ington to trial of skill q: shooting. and e1hibi-
ted considerable certainty as marksnan. When
be made his visit on Sunday night, he alluded to
his previous visit and the courtesy with which he
bad been treated, regretting the necessity which
made it his duty to arrest Col. W. He, however,
took advantage of the knowledge he obtained by
the former visit to carry off all the Colonels val.
liable collection of arms, which he did not re. OBJ
tain until after the final defeat of the insurrection.
From Col. Washington's they proceeded with
him prisoner in his carriage, and twelve of his
negroes in the wagon, to the house of Mr.. ALI
stadt, another large farmer on the same road
Mr.. Allstadt, and his son, lad Of sixteen, were
taken prisoners, all their negroes within reach
forced to join the movement, and they 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 deten-
tenton of Captain 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. panic appears to have Immediately
ensued, and the number of the insurrectionists at
once magnifed from fifty, which was probably
their greatest force, including the slaves forced to
join, to from five to six hundred In the mean
time, number of the workmen, knowing nothing
Of what had occurred, entered the armory, and
were instantly taken prisoners, until at one time
they had not less than sixty men confined. Among
those thus entrapped were Amistead Ball, chief
draughtsman of the Armory, Benjamin Mills,
master of the Armory, and j. E. P. Dangerfeld,
paymasters clerk. These three gentlemen were
imprisoned in the engine house, which afterwards
became the chief fortress of the insurgents and
were not released until after the final assault
The workmen were imprisoned in building far
ther down the yard, and were rescued by the bril-
liant Zouvave dash made by the railroad COM
pany's men who came down from Martinsburg.
This was the condition of things at day light,
about which time Capt Cook with two white
men, and accompanied by thirty slaves, and ia
king with them Col. Washngton'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 away
the paymasters safe, containing $l7, 900 in gov
ernment funds, and also that it was filled with
MIME rifles taken out to supply other bands in
the mountains who were to come down upon Har-
per's Ferry in overwhelming force. These sup
positions both proved untrue, as neither money
L or arms were disturbed.
Beginning ofhs Fght-A Prisoner @ot-As
the day advanced, and the news spread around,
and people came into The Ferry, the first demon
srations of resistance were made to the insurrec-
tionists. A guerilla warfare commenced chiefly
led on by man named Chambers, whose house
commended the armory yard. The coored man
named Hayward, railroad porter, was shot early
in the morning, for refusing to join the movement.
Next man shot was Joseph Burley, q citizen of