Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1859-11-25
The Suppressed Warning


We refer again. for the sake Of keeping the
matter prominently before the public, to the
anonymous warning sent to Secretary Floyd
concerning the Harper's Ferry outbreak The
question vii recur with fatal distinetness-
Why was the letter suppressed which contain
Cd this wsruing2 Il is vain pretenes TO say
that the Secretary REGARDED it as hoax
Why, if he so considered it, did he hide j, 80
carefullyl Why his mysterious silence and
ooncealu.sn,l a letter regarded as 'boax'
would naturally be shown and laughed over
omoog friends and associates. But Instead, It
is carefully coneealed from view until Is ori-
SIS of which it gave wau;ng had passed.
But the letter Itself, IS the best auswc- to
this f@tle plea. 1t bears the impress Of ear
usstuss5 aaJ sincerity il every line. 1t names
persons, places aad dates, 50 near At hard and
so easy Of verifea,ion and disproof, is to for
old The idea Of its being an atteup. at deceP-
,ion. Let any man of common sense read and
see if il is the sor! Of letter he would pro-
aopnca 'boax.'
NEAIiNAAi4s august ZJt 1CJO-
SIR bare lately received Information Of
4 movement of so GREAT IMPORTANCE
that feel it TO be mg Guty to impara ii 80 you
without delay. have discovered tha exist
eDce Of secret association having for lis OBJ
iect THE LIBERATION OF THE SLAVES
At THE SOUTH BY a GENERAL IN
SURRECTION. The !esdeT Of the move
,oeut is OLD JOHN BROWN, late Oh Kan
sas. He has been in Canada during the win
ter, drilling the negroes there, and they ore en-
~ waiting bis word to start for the South to
assist the slaves. They have cue of tie lead
iug meu, white mau, in au afmory iu Mary
lard, where It Is situated have not been able
20 learu. IS soon as every thing is ready,
these Of their Dumber who are in the Nortaern
States and Canada are 10 come IN small com
paaes TO their rendezvous, Which Is IN the
mountains IN Virginia. They vii! pass down
through Penns ylqsuia and Maryland, and enter
Virginia at Harper's Ferry. Brown left the
North about three or four weeks ago, and will
ARM TIE NEGROES aud strike the biow
ia few weeks, and so whatever is cone must
be done at once. They have large quantity
Of arms at their rendezvous, and probably dis
tr5UtiDg them already. As an not fully in
'}air confidence, this Is all the information |
ceG give YOU 4 uAie u9' oi1l NY tltlic ~ tUAc3
bus trust that you will aot disregard the warn
ing 90 that account.
Il Secretary Floyd chcse to consider this Of
doubtful authority, because lacking sigma
tpre, il was nevertheless bis duty, as custodian
of Che Government Armor3 at Harpet's Ferry,
10 satisfy himself By further examinatiun.-
Had lie given the slightest waruing-nay, had
be even told of it as something be considered
sboax x'-the citizens Of Harpcr's Ferry would
have been on their guard, and the attack would
never have been attempted.
Nor is It any answer TO soy that the letter
was anouym and therefore unworthy of 10
:iee Warnings Of such events would most
naturally be anonymous. The Gunpowder
Plot is an instance 10 point. Hune's History
Of England thus describes the warning given
in iha; case:
''The dreadful secret, though communicate,
TO above twenty persons, had been religiously
kept during the space OF near year and
half. Ten days before the meeting of Parlia-
ment, Lord Monteagle, Catholic son to Lord
Morley. received the following letter, which
bad been delivered to his servant BY al un-
known hand: