Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-08-16
Mr.. Seward Before the Harper Invea-
ttsRting Committee.

! We have received from Hon B = w. =
copy of the official report of TIE test
mony taken before the Senate l,.vHs,i,.a-
! ting Committee on the Harpcr's Ferry In
vaslon, OF which Committee Scnator Mason
was Chairman. 1t is volume of 255
pages, and contains much interesting
matter. We observe that the last ,esti-
Inony given is that of W. Fl. Seward. who
had been charged with direct complicitv
with John Browns invasion, partly on the
basis OF Forbes letter, AS we believe the
press has not noticed the fact that Mr..
Seward was called before the Committee
We think it worth while to give tile sub
stance of his testimony Referring to
Forbes letter, he said that the writer had
called upon him in the spring of 1858, with
long story of great personal distress, iu-
volving himself aud family. It was very
lncoherrnt, and he ''thought his visitor
was Il man of unsound or very much dis
turhed mint." But he allowed him To 90
ON with his experiences in Kansas to see
II he had any claim to charity But when
ne reached his account of his difficulties
with John Brown, and his letter to per-
sons ln New England (the e"humanitarians"
who had not assisted him as he claimed,
MIR. Seward proceeds rs follows-wGich is
the material part of his evidence, so far as
public interest is concerned:
"At that stage of the conversation in
terposed, and arrested his statement, tell
ing m2(what was true) that from the
until then, Il seemed to me that ,eveFyH665ay
who had anything to do with the Terri
tory, came to me for instruction aud advice
how TO proceed, aud that from the begin
ming had determined that would have
no consultations and confer with nobody,
give no advice on the subject of what was
done or to be done in Kansas, because it
was inconsistent with the relations that
maintained here, where was to act MS
Senator upon what WAS done in Kansas
and advise what ought to be done by Con-
gross, that had listened to him so far in
violation of that rule, simply because he
seemed to be in deep distress, and was
touched with the story he told me about
his family, and was waiting to see whether
he would state any grounds on which
could give him some money, that he had
failed to 10 so, and that there tho convcr-
sation must end, that he must leave me
and sec me no more. He went away.
"Question.-I understand, then, from
your statement that he made no reference
to any purpose of Brown to make an at
tack upon any of the Slave States, except
as you have given it i'll Kansas2
"Answer-Nonc whatever. On the con-
trNry, until read in Europe of John
Browns demonstrations at Harper's Ferry,
had no more idea of an invasion by John
Brown at that place than had of one by
you or myself. Tie thing was one of
those occurrences which, rs suppose,
happen often to all persons in our situa-
tiou-cetainly they do in mine All kinds
of erratic and strange persons call on me
with all manner of strange communica-
tions and applications. This was one of
them, and it passed out of my memory
without leaving attached to it the least
idea of any Importance. Forbes told me
nothing of.any cotton speculation by any
fiumanitarians or anybody else. state
his published letter."