Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1859-11-30


mcnt should be made in another direction TO
the practcablity of his plan This he made about Yea,
ago by his invasion Of Missouri and the taking Of about
dozen slaves, together with horses cattle r int
Kansas in defiance Of the United States Marshal and M
posse From Kansas he took them TO Canada wi, IoWa
City aud Cleveland. At the latter place he rr,ancd
some DAYS anu think disposed of his horses there II
seems that the United States Marshal was afraid TO arrest
him, and this all that wanting TO Give confidence
TO the waverng in the practiraby OF his pan and ,s
ultimate success. lie to Harper's Ferry about the
last O June, though did not him till late In July
or the early part Of August, when We met on
all street. Harpers Ferry, opposite Tearneys store do
not know who his aders or abettors but I have
heard him mention in connection with 1, The r,,,cs ~
Gerrit smith of New York Dr. Howe of Boston and san
born and T1addeus Hyatt; of New York city What con
necton, aud how far connected with his p,p th.e v,
do not know but know he wrote letter few week.
previous TO his attack gentlemen in Bo.on which
read,as near as can recollect, follows:
"DATE,-
"Gentemen IL have got nearly all INV Son
anu sa be ready to start them in few days unless pre-
vented by special Providence. Every thing is working
well shall want all The fund.- YOU promised me ia 4
few days. Yours truly -
"CALN & SuLL"
In the meantime the men who had engaged TO GO with
him bad most OF them arrived at Chambersburg Penn
and been sent to the place which he had rented IN Wa
ington county, Nd about five miles from Harper- Fer.
ry The greater part of the men kent out of siobt y-
ing the day Tor fear Of attracting attention The arms
munitions &c, were cared from ChambersIurg To his
r.hueA,ous The spear heads and guards came in
strong boxes and the shafts passed FOR fork handles
lhey were put together by own men at the house
where most of them found Letters of
came TO the Chambersburg post Office an were sen bv
some OF our own party to headquarters The letters Of
minor Importance came TO the Ferry TO j. Smith and
sons All illusions to business were made in such
blind way that they would have been understood
by any outside parties should they have uisrar
ei. Inc attack was made sooner than it Intended
owing TO some friends in Boston writing letter fndp
fault with the management Of Capt b. and what TO them
seemed his necessary delay and expense do mot Lror
VINO those persons were how far they were coynzant
oi his (Capt T. 81 plans. But 10 know thar Dr Uouo
gave Capt. Brown Il breach-oading carbinr and ,s;r
o muzzc-loadng pistols, all of Government manufacture
were eit either at the house of Capt BroWn or at
'he schoolhouse where most Of the were convey
ed AT what time and for what purpose they were
70 capt Brown do not know. IL was supposed thar
Col Hugh Forbes was dead / was told bv Can't Brown
that when on East he had been told by Thaddeus HYATT
oil New iork that of the negroes al that lace
informed him tiiyatt) that Forbes had gone upr-a
phrase which Capt b. and the rest of our compapy nm
derstood TO mean that he had been killed / do not
tnk tha FORBES had any eognzince of plans from
the time Of our leaving Pedee year ago last April-
Previous TO his quarrel with Capt Brown we considered
that nc would hold place to Brown in command
do not know the present whereabouts OF Luke f. Par
sons or Charles MOfiett The last heard of P,rso, Wa
through Capt Brown who informed me thar P,rson b
started for Pixies Peak, and that he Brown thought he
would be pretty toeraby peaked before he got there
snort time before the attack ON liarpers Ferry Can't
brown requested me TO find ont in some wav without
creating suspicion, the number Of male slaves on o nc
the roads leading from Harpcrs Ferry for distance cr
eight or ten miles and TO make such memoranda tbat il
Mou'I DC HnnIe'sloc 20 others, but in such manner
that could make 1t plain 10 him and the rest OF the
company. lie gave two dollars 20 pay NV expcpses
with took the road from lIarpers Ferry 10 Charles
town under the plea OF gaining statistics for work to
oe puhished by John Henri, and To decide wager be-
tween him ami Mr.. Smith. / did not 90 on any other
road. few days after this Capt Brown sent bi; WAGON
over by his son Oliver and Jeremiah Anderson to bri,
my wife and myself TO his house. They gave me Do,e
Nar os loan 4 o
lows: - w.
"Mr CooEE Dear Sir you will please get every thing
ready to come with your wife TO my house this morning
Ny wagon will wait for YOU shali take your viC ~
Chambersburg and shall start early tomorrow morning
e as expeditions possible. BE very careful not 10 y
or do any thing which will awaken ary suspicion You
can say your wife Is going to make visit friends
oil hers IN the country. Be very caEefu that YOU do
not let any OF our plans leak out. Yours, &c.
J. SnlTu."
Ny wife and myself accordingly lef, Harper;, Ferry
that night accomPaniedby Oliver Brown and Jeremiah
Anderson, for Capt BroWn's house IN WaaLiugion conn
V, Maryland. The next day, after dinner, CAPTAIN II
and ms son Watson together with my wife and child
started Tor Chambershurg When Capt Il. returned he
tou me that he had got her good boarding place in
Chambersburg at Mrs atcrers and that she liked her
boarding place very we'll
There were some six or seven in our party who did
not know anything Of constitution and as | have
since understood also ignorant of the Man of one
rationS until the Sunday morning previous TO the attc
Among this numner were Edwin Coppie Barclay Coupi,
Francis j. Merriam, Shields Green John Copeland aud
Leary. The constitution read to them by A ID Sto.
phens and the oath afterwards administered by C,ptai
brown. sunday evening previous TO our departure.
Capt brown made his final arrangements for the caur
OF arpcrS FcrTy, ana gaze " his their orders In
closing he sad And now gentlemen let me press this
one thing on your minds YOU all know how dear life i,
to YOU and how dear your lives arc to vour friends and
IN remembering that consider that the lives of others are
as dear To them yours Won; do not therefore
take the life ofany one il YOU possibly avoid it but
u Is necessary 10 take lite iu order tu save YOUR own
then make sure work OF it,
Aier taking the town placed under Can't Ste.
phens who received orders to proceed to the house of
Col Lewis Washington and take him prisoner ana 20
bring his slaves, horses aud arms: and as We came
back, 70 take Mr. Alstldt and his slaves and 10 brnr
them n TO Capt Brown at the Armory. When We re-.
turned stAid short time in the engine house to get
warm, as was chilled through. After got warm Cant
brown ordered me to 20 with C. T. Tdd who WAS to tak
William II. Lcoman, and think four slaves with him In
Cot Washingions large wagon the river and TO
take Terrence Burns and his brother aud their slaves
prisoners My orders were to hold Burns and brother
as prisoners at their own house, while Tidd and the
slaves who accompanied him were To 20 10 Cant Brovn
house. aud to load in the arms aud bring them down
TO the school house, stopping for the Burnss aud their
guard. William II. Lceman remained with me TO ruor,l
the prisoners On return Of the wagon in coInpli,nce
with orders, all started for the school house When
We got there 10 remain by Capt Browns orders
WITH one OF the slaves to guard the arms while c. T.
Iidd, with the other negroes was to 20 back for the
rest OF the arms aud Bnns was 20 be sent with VII.
Ham IL. Leeman to Capt Brown at the Armory
Il was AZ this time that William Thomson came NJ,
from the Ferry and reported that every thing was ali
right, and then hurried on to ovcrtakc William n lee.
man short time after the departure OF Tidd heard
good deal OF firing aud became anxious TO know The
cause, but my orders strict remain al the school
mouse and guard the arms and obcyed the orders 10
the letter. About o'clock in the evening C. + Tidd
came with the second load. thcH took one of tho no
sroes With me aud started for the Ferry met negro
woman short distance below the schoolhousc who in
formed me they fighting hard az the Perry brr.
ried on tl came to the lock kept bv George Uarjy
about mile above the bridge where saw his uife and
Mrs Elizabeth Read, who told me that our men vcr,
hcnmcd In and that several Of them bad been shot
oppressed my intention 10 try get 70 them when Mr.
Hardy asked me tO Try 90 her husband rcloascd from
the encino-house. ] told her would Mrs. Read beg.
ged OF me not TO 20 down TO the Perry She said I
would be shot told her must make an attrrnpt 10 save
my comradcs and passed on down the road A sbort
distance below The lock met two bows whom knew and
they told me that an hemmcd i'm bv trn,ts
from Charcsiown, Martiusburg. Hager-town and Sben
hcristown. The negro Who with me had boon ygry
much inghiencd AZ the first report we received and s
the boys told me the troops coming w the road Ar
Ter us soon sent him hc negrol back TO inform Tidd
while | fastened down the road
Alter going down opposite the Ferry. I asceui.d the
mountain n order 10 Get better view OF the position Of
our opponents. sac that party wcr, coriplefely
surrounded. and 81. body Of men on IIirh street
hring down upon thCm-thcy were ahout half milo