St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-12-22
Harpers Ferry Tragedy

llNl pSAo
Attempted Escape Of the
CHARLEsTowN PRISONERS.
THEIR CAPTURE AND EXECUTION.
CHARLEsrowN, Dec. L..
At half past eight O'clock this eve
ming two of the condemned prisoners,
Cook and Coppice, escaped from the
Jail and were fired upon by the senti-
ncls and driven back to prison. They
are now in the custody of Sheriff
Campbell. The prisoners had mount
ed the Jail walls when they were dis
covered by the sentinel on the outside:
who Immediately gave the alarm and
fired upon them. They had sawed
their manacles asunder with the blade
of barlow knife, which they had con-
cealed and made into fine saw.
1t is ascertained from their confess
sion that they have been preparing
for their escape during the last ten
days. They made a hole in the wall
near the window, which they con-
cealed with paper, hiding the bricks
they removed under the bed. Upon
the alarm being given they made no
resistance, but SURRENDERED as soon as
they discovered by the shot of the
sentinel that they were detected.
The event has produced the utmost
excitement here, and all are on the
alert.
Maj. Gen. Taliaferro is directing
everything in prison, and will main
tain an uninterrupted supervision OF
affairs until after the execution.
We do MT apprehcnd any further
difficulty.
The sentinel stationed near the Jail
reported that at quarter past he
observed man on the Jail wall whom
he challenged and receiving no an
swer fred at him. The head of anoth.
err man was also seen above the wall
but he retreated as soon as the frs,
one had been fired at. The man on
top of the wall seemed at first to per
sist and was about making an at
tempt to jump, when the sentinel de
clared his intention of impalling him
on his bayonet. He then retreated
into the Jail yard with Coppic and
both gave themselves up without re
sistance Cook afterwards remarked
that if he could have got over and
throttlcd the guard he would have
made his escape, for the Shenandoah
mountains are within ten minutes ru,
of the Jail, and had he reached them
with his thorough knowledge of them
his arrest would have been difficult
especially as but few of the military
could have followed him during the
night.
They had succeeded whenever alone
and at night when their bed clothing
muffled the sounds of saw, which
they had made out of an old knife, ir
cutting through their shacklcs SO that
they could put them off at any mo
ment they should have the work com
pleted.
They had also made a sort of chisc
out of an old he'd screw, with whicl
they succeeded, as opportunity would
offer, in removing plaster from tn,
wall, and then brick after brick, unit
a space sufficient for them to pass
through was opened, all except the re
moval of the outer brick The par
of the wall on which they operate,
was in the rear of the beds in which
they slept, and the bed being pushe,
against the wall completely hid thei
work from view. The bricks the,
I tuUh oHL "~.- -----A,aI = -
| of stove, and the dirt and plaster
removed in the course of their work
was placed between the bed-clothes
They acknowledged that they hat
been at work whole week in making
the aperture in the wall Their Gel
being on the first floor, the apcrtur,
was not more than five feet above the
pavement of the yard, and when frcec
of their shackles their access to the
yard was smooth brick wall about
Is feet high to scale.
This difficulty was, however, soon
overcome with the aid of the timbers
on which Brown was hung, and which
was intended for the execution on til,
succeeding day. They placed these
against the wall and soon succeeded
in reaching the top. from which they
could have easily dropped to the Other
side had not the vigilance of the sen
tinel Oh duty so quietly checked their
movements. They were arrested il
the Jail yard by Gen. Talaferro and
an officer of the day, who rushed tc
the Jail the moment the alarm was
given.
Sheriff Campbell and Capt. Davis
are much chagrined at this narrow es
cape of their prisoners. especially as
they had resisted all interference OF
the military with the interior disci
pline of the Jail.
The prisoners were shrewd and Gun
ming fellows, and they were undoubt
eddy without any accomplices in their
undertaking.
The friends who were still here
were also fearful that they might be
suspected of having knowledge of the
attempt. The general impression is
that if the prisoners had waited until
midnight or later, they might have
reached the mountains but it is pre-.
sumed they were fearful of being
watched during the night, Or desired
to have as much of darkness as posi-
bic to gain good distance before day.
light would allow Of general pursuit.
CHARLEsrowN, Dec. lG.
The negroes Shields, Green and
John Copeland have just paid the for.
felt of their lives. The crowd in the
town is very great, and the execution
was witnessed by about 1000 per-
sons.
At Q o'clock in the morning the field
was occupied by the troops, and at
seven minutes of III o'clock the pro
cession made its appearance. 1t ar
rived at /! o'clock at the scaffold
The prisoners were in a wagon, &C
companied by the Sheriff aud Jailor.
They mounted the scaffold with firm
step, d and the prisoners had the CAP
place over their heads by the Sheriff