New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-11-14
JOHN BROWNS INVASION.
Correspondence Of The n. Y. Tribune
CHARLEsTos, Va, Nov. 10, lS59-Evening.
SENTENCES OF coPPIC, COOK, GREEN, AND
COPELAND.


SENTENCES OF CoPPIC, COOK, GREEN, AND
COPELAND.
The Court did not meet very early this morning
Judge Parker having, doubt, been occupied in ex-
aiming executions and motions in arrest. At about
II O'clock the Hall began to ill., and by the time the
pr;soners were ready to receive sentence, it was
crowded to the full extent of its capacity The pris
oners having been severally asked if they bad any
thing to say, previous listening to their sentence of
death, Coppic rose and spoke thus:
4 The charges that have been made against me are
not true never committed any treason against the
State Of Virginia / never made war upon IT. L
never conspired with any anybody 10 induce your
slaves 10 rebel, and | never even exchanged a word
with one of your servants What | como here for
ALWAYS told YOU Ii war TO run OIL slaves into Free
State and lberate them there. This IA an Ohcnse
against your laws, | admit, but / never committed
murder. When escaped TO the engine house, ana
found the Captain and h prisoners surrounded there,
4 saw no way Of devermce but by lighting little.
If ANYBODY was killed on that occasion, it was in
fair fight l have, as i said, committed IN oiiense
against your laws but the punishment for that oense
woud be very different from what yon are going TO
inAict on me now. have no more to say."
II will readily be seen that this statement comedies
exactly with and substantates the account, which l
sent You few days ago, from Browns own lips, Of
his real intention in this expedition. The next two
prisoners the negro and mulatto, Green and Copeland,
when called upon, said nothing. When Cooks turn
came, he delivered, in hesitating nervous manner,
speech which had probably been carefully prepared
He said in substance that he had not come to commit
treason or MURDER but merely in pursuance OF orders
from his comuandor-in-chief with design TO libcratc
slaves As TO the sword and pistols of George Wash
inptou taken from Lewis Washington's house, he
sad they seized by order OF Brown not Tor pur
poses of robbery but for the sake of the moral effect
4 ..o... IL "a, oofn of
liberation At the conclusion of his not very effective
speech Judge Parker pronounced sentence Of death,
in manner showing genuine sincerity of emotion and
nityeelings which did seemto be shared by his
hearers These were the judges words:
"Yonr trials on which we have been so long en-
uloyed have ut length ended and all that remains to
ha done 10 complete these judicial proceedings is TO
nropounce and record the judgments which by law
must follow upon the crimes for which you have been
tried and of which you have beenfound guilty. these
crimes have all grown out OF mad nroad upon TINS
State made with the prcdetermned purpose 10 raise
in our midst the standard of seryle instruction. In
the execution of this purpose, IN the darkness OF
Sabbath night YOU seized upon portion OF our terri
tOry captured several OF our pest citizens, hoialIg
tem as hostages OF until your party was itself
overcome by force; armed such of our slaves as you
could seize upon with deadly weapons, which they
were to use against their owners, whom you de-
nounced to them as their oppressors; and IN your
efforts 10 pnsh your bold and unhoy scheme through
20 a successful issue, You have taken human NE
In no fewer than five instances. Inc ev-
dence most abundantly proved that all these
things had been done, and by the force of that
evidence Jury after Jury has felt itself compelled to
bring in it's verdict of guilty against each one OF YOU
Happly for the peace OF our whole and you obtained
no SUPPORT from that quarter whence you so eosnden
To- eIrpeeted H. Not a slave united himself TO your
marty but so he could get without the range
of your rifles, or as night gave HIM an opportunity,
made his escape from men who had come 10 give MN
freedom and hurried TO place himself once more be-
meath the care and protection OF his owner. when
we reflect upon all the mischief and rum the dark ana
fearful crimes which must have attended even yAnr
martial suceess-nen everywhere should be thankful
th,t YOU were so soon and no easily overpowered:
For these ofenses the law demands the penalty OF
death and imposes upon me the duty OF Pr9houhclhg
that sentence IL il the most painful duty nave ever
been called on to perform In spite OF your ohenses
against our laws cannot but feel deeply for you and
sincerely, most sincerely, do l sympaihne win
those friends and relations, whose ilyes are bound
up in yours, and whose hearts VIII DO 80 wr1ng
with. grief when they shall hear Of the sad late
which has oyeraken you the objects OF their warmest
and hottest affections. For them we all do sorrow;
while due regard for our safety may not permit Us
10 forgive the oienses of which yOs nave peen gulty
hope that they viii turn for consolation, and you Tor
parfon 10 that good Being, who IN his wrath reieln
hereth mercy Make then your peace with Hlnl-ior
Won must soon be ushered into his presence there 10
be dealt with His Justice and His mercy may ofuai'
To conclude this sad duty, l now announce that the
sentence of the law Is that YOU, and each one OF YOU
John f. Cooke, Edwin Coppic, Shields Gseen, ana
John COPELAND, be hanged by the meek unts you are
dead--and that execution Of this judgment be made
sd one nv the Sheriff OF this County, Friday, the
s;xteenfh day of December next, upon You Shields
een and John Copeland, between the hours oil eight
in the forenoon and twelve, noon, OF that day-hu
mon Won John +. Cooke and Edwin CQppie, between
tbe bonrs of twelve, noOn and 1--WE in NE aiternosn OF
same day And the Court being OF opinion that the
execution of this sentence should be IN pubhe, IL Is
fn,+ber ordered that this judgment be enforced and
,s5 NOT in the iail-yard, but at such public place
eonven;ent thereto as the said Sheriff may appoint
and NAV God have mercy upon the soul OF each one OF
you.'
The prisoners were then remanded- Tie day liked
for the execution is the 10th OF December There Is,
however very strong reason TO believe that The indct-
nen,s viii not hold together in the Court Of Appeals
The most prominent of the native lawyers here have
EXPRESSED great doubts Us whether they could stand
under some of the objections taken by Mr. seott and
others In case strict legal justice were exercised the
matter would be beyond doubt; but these fellows do
''not stand upon points" and the determination TO
the prompt punishment Of the invaders Is 50
strong that it is possible that all inaccuracies oil the
trials will be overlooked. Nothing can compare WIZ
the Hexibility Of the Virginia law.
FRESH ERUPTIoNs.
This town, having tasted the sweets of excitement
cannot POW forego them. There was a one to-
day. wheat stack near Shepardstown, belonging 70
Col Robert Lucas set fire and consumed. The
Colonel mounted in hot haste, and squirting his stecd to
unwonted celebrity arrived breahless in Charles
town. The news spread and in les than five minutes