The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-11-03
WASHINGTON, D. C.

HOno iAOH1 1aIpcIs Eefrys IL VIII De read
with interest:
When we arrived at Harper's Ferry, found
that there had been double more than ample
force. The gallant volunteers of Jefferson were
the first on the ground, and soon after them the
noble men of Berkeley were there. Farmers
with single and double barrel shot guns, and
with plantation rifles, were there The people
with arms and without arms, rushed to the
scene. For what2 What had happened? hat
summoned them TO shoulder musket and snatch
their peace? What threatened their safety and
TO sully their honor? Alas to the disgrace OF
the nation-pot Of Virginia, repel all imputa
ton upon her-but to the disgrace of-some
body-fo1irteen schite T1L6iaHs and fire negroes
had been permitted TO take tie United States
Arsenal Scith all its arms and treasure, and to
hold IL for fieenty four hours, at that TerRopy-
lac Of America, RGrper'S Ferry, on the confines
of tlco sldre States acith the duotced object OF
enldneipating their slaUes, at every hazard, and
the very preparation of the seizure and i'm
pri.onment of the inhabitants, and of robbery
and murder and treason.
You viii Indignantly ask: How could such
outrage and disgrace be brought upon coun-
Try like this, strong as it is in everything? |
viii briefly INTERN you. Congress had, By law,
tendence of It's own arms, as if it was unworthy
Of the trust Of its own affairs, and its officers
very naturally turned away in disgust from Civ
ing attention TO this Arsenal a civil superin-
tendent was placed in charge; and / know the
gentleman, a Virginian, is as worthy Of it as
any civilian can be. He was absent on official
duty at Springfield, Mass, and | have great
confidence that bad be been at the Arsenal it
could not have been captured and held as it
was. And do not mean TO go into the dispute
or question, whether civil or military superin-
tendence is most proper over a mandatory and
arsenal of arms. But this do say, emphatically
and Indignantly, that whether the superintend-
ence was civil or military, there ought 10 haze
been an organized and sufficient military guard
there; aud there sras nothing Of the kind. There
qods no match eCeIl tcoJ1h naming and no guard
at all Thus, an Arsenal, which ought TO be
depot of arms and munitions of defence, for the
citizens at all times to flee 20 for means Of pro-
lection, became depot for desperadOes to as
sail us, and positive danger to our people. 1t
would be better for Virginia and Maryland to
have the Arsenal removed from their borders,
than TO allow it thus TO become danger BY be-
ing left unguarded. The civil superintendent
was not responsible for a military guard. The
question, who is responsible? leave TO the
proper Executive authorities of the United
States. By the grossest negligence some
where-which it is not my duty to look after or
10 correct except to proclaim it and complain
Of il, for the sake of the protection due to our
own people-nineteen lawless men have seized
this Arsenal, with its arms and spoils, and have
Imprisoned and robbed and murdered our in.
habitants How? you eagerly inquire. Ever
since the border war in Kansas ceased, and the
Abolition ruftians there were disbanded their
leader haa hoap oroaniziuy THE T,Ao,-
held Convention, 1t seems, at Chatham. Canada
West within year past, and formed what they
call provisional government, with its Presi-
dent, Vice President, Secretary of State, Secre-
tary Of War, Treasurer, DC. with its Supreme
Court, It's Congress, and Its ..Commander-in-
chief
The notorious chief of bandits in Kansas
John Brown, the terror of Ossawatomie and
Fort Scott, was appointed Commander-in-chief;
and be aud his sons and other agents perambu-
lated the whole country, and correspondent in
al Its parts. They traversed Ohio, Missouri,
Iowa, Canada, Pennsylvania, New York, New
England, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Ten
nessee. In these, particularly, and in other
States, they had emissaries collecting funds, en-
listing men, taking the census actually of slaves,
preparing arms and munitions of war, looking
out for depots, and spying out the weak points
for attack.
About June Of this year, Brown, under the
name Of John Smith, rented what is called the
Kennedy farm, within six miles of Harper's
Ferry. There, aud Whereabouts, at various
times, be collected two hundred Sharpe's rifles,
two hundred revolver-pistols, some numbsr OF
other odd arms, among the rest large rife on
pivot, carrying a two-ounce ball in form of a
slug, ranging long distance, and one thousand
spears, about eight feet long, with blade ten
inches long, about two inches wide, Jagged
sharp on both edges, sharp pointed, cut and
thrust with hilt, aud turned shaft of hicko.
~, with ierule at the end where the blade is
let into the wood, and a screw through the
ferule and wood and shaft Of the blade. These
spears we're obviously made for the hands Of
negroes, TO do the butehery Of servile Insured.
ton. Besides these arms, he had large
quantity of clothing, wearing apparel and bed
clothing, store Of surgical instruments, lint
medicines, and the minutest preparation and
provision Of al kinds. At no time had he
more than twenty-five men; and on the night
of Sabbath last THE 10th inst he invaded the
county OF Jefferson and Harper's Ferry with
but nineteen men-fourteen white men anC
five negroes-one of the latter from Canada
one born in North Carolina, and last from
Ohio. These men came, few as they were
from far distant points-from Essex county
New York; from Norwich, Connecticut; from
Harrisonburg, Pennsylvania from Iowa from
Ashtabulay Ohio; aud from Canada and othel
places. They transported their arms through
PIttsburg 10 Chambersburg "a man named
Henre being their chief agent--and at the lat
ter place concentrated, and thence moved Il
the Kennedy farm in Maryland. There the
had been for some six OF eight weeks
During the time these preparations were OF
foot, they kept man named John E. Cooke a
Harpers Ferry, or near BY, professedly teach
ing school in Maryland, across the Potomac
opposite the Arsenal. He had married a
Harpers Ferry, and his wife's mother an
brother lived there, and he spent much of hi
time there. He was in constant communics
ton with the slaves of the surrounding countr,
took census of them, and was thoroughly il
formed Of everything about the Arsenal. TIL
plan Of operations, with all this opportunit
and information, was easily formed and ex
cuted.
On the night of the 10th, armed with rife
and reYolvers, the nineteen men, about or
O'Clock, entered the town, put out the lights, CT
the telegraph wires, and stationed thirteen me
10 arrest the inhabitants as they should apes
In the morning, one by one and two by tw
unsuspieiOus OF danger, and unarmed, and
imprison them IN the strong-walled yards wit
iron gates. Six of the men, Capt. Stephens
their head, went four miles into the county
Jefferson, and took Col Washington and NJ
Alstadt from their beds, placed them and the
male slaves in four-horse wagon, and dro-
the masters prisoners to Harper's Ferry.
Cooke, one of the men of this expeditio
drove the wagon and slaves across the Potion,
into Maryland, to bring in the spears and 9th
arms they had left at their depot, to preve
them from falling into the hands of the trool
They did not need the arms, for they had ca
tured the arsenal, but their object was to DIT