New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-02-16
DEATH OF HARPRR,s FERRY.

We get from Washington this mournful piece Of
intelligence: "The proceedings Of the Harpers
Ferry Investigating Committee have elected
nothing new and excite no public interest what
(" ever" Thus, along with the return Of the South
Carolina ambassador, and the inability to coax or
to frighten Virginia into sending delegates to the
proposed Disunion Convention, and with the failure
of the Southern Democratic fillibusters to proong
Reorganization at Washington, we now have the
announcement that nothing is to be hoped from the
Harpers Ferry investigation. This last reliance Of
the D;sunion insurgents has thus faded away and
evsporated. Harpers Ferry is as dead as its great
martyr 1t turns out at last that John Brown had
TO confederstes outside Of q small circle, and
lcan party. 1t is made more and more manifest
That be was man of deeds and not words. He
trusted his projects to no one and he suferedn no one
TO dictate bis action. He was thus the agent of no
man, of no society," of no association of individuals
He planned his own scheme, and he locked the
secrets of it within his own breast. Not those
who were associated with him seem to have had any
knowledge of the details Of his proposed operations.
He never diyulged them, it now appears, in any
manner TO anybody. Just what they were must
thus forever remain matter of conjecture. When
one of his confederates was asked to explain just
what he proposed to do, and why he was blindy
following the fortunes of man whose schemes
were on tie face of them 80 apparently Quixotic
and impossible Of execution, the mans naive reply
to his nquisitor was "Ah, Sir but it is evident
"you don't know Capt. Brown" The whole in
QUESTION does not seem to get step beyond this.
Capt. Brown alone appears to have been the be. all
and the end-al Of the extraordinary demonstration
against Virginia at Harper's Ferry. No man seems
to have been liked with him except in loose and
uncertain manner, and nobody at all ashs counselor
and adviser.
Mr.. Mason of Virginia is the Chairman Of this
Committee of Investigation, and by this time, we
fancy, he has got full and final answer to bis ques-
ton that he so persistently propounded to the
wounded old warrior he lay on the stones Of the
jail, when he was first taken. Mr.. Mason at that
time expected the victim to die where he lay and
his constant question: in one form or another was:
"Who sent you herei" But one idea was upper
most in Mr. Masons mind, and that was, that
somebody else beside the man before him was re-
sponsible for that mans acts; and he was eager to
fix the responsibility upon the principal in the case,
while life yet fingered in the body Of
the tool. Notwithstanding Browns resoute
bearing, remarkable manner, and evident su-
periority, it never seemed to occur to Mr.. Mason
that man engaged on an enterprise like that of
BrowDcouldbehis own prompter and counselor. He
could conceive of no such character Born and
bred in Slave State, be seems to have believed
that no man in the humber walks of life could go,
unless he was sent. He thus busted himself in that
preliminary and unfair nquisiton (if it had been
made upon any body but John Brown) and has
busted himself ever since in trying TO discover his
principals. He, doubtless, expected TO find them
in no lees conspicuous quarters than among the
leaders of the Anti Slavery movement in the North.
In this expectation, Mr. Mason by this time we
presume, has found himself disappointed. He
must have learned to his entire satisfaction that
the Free States grow on their soil certain kind of
men, of whom be sees no specimens at home. In
this information, thus derived, We trust he has
learned O useful lesson. In the FIRST place, we
trust it has disabused his mind Of ts suspicious in
regard to the designs of Republican leaders, If such