The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1860-01-26

How few American parents have not proved
the truth of this All over tie land, the har-
vest of wild oats is being gathered. Tears
and broken hearts, sorrow, shame and re-
morse, ruined families and lost souls-these
are the fruits If the author were not so well
known to the public, we could say much of his
genial sympathy with youth, his hearty love of
athletic sports, and the healthy, vigorous mo-
rality inculcated in these pages. He does not
weary the reader with long or frequent SER
mons, but when he does preach, it is to the
purpose.
HARPER'S FERRY INVESTIGATION.
The Washington correspondent of the New
York Herald furnishes the following statement
of evidence given before the Senate investi-
eating committee
THE HARPER's FERRY INVESTIGATION.
WASHINGTON, San. Is, 1860.
Mr.. Army was before the Se1hte Brown raid
investigating committee for the third time to-
day. His testimony covers about sixty fools
cap pages. The following is the substance:
Mr.. Army testified that previous to the de-
struction at Lawrence, Kansas, of the Press
v.
1856, there was not single Kansas Aid Socie.
ty or Committee In existence in the free States
that the first committee was appointed in the
spring of 1856, at Bloomington, Illinois, of
which he was the secretary and agent; that
| about the same time meeting was held at
| Chicago, Illinois, and that Subscription of
twenty thousand dollars was made by the citi-
zens without regard to party, to aid the suffer
erS In Kansas, and to open the thoroughfares
| through Missouri to Kansas which were closed
by armed Missourians, both on the river and
inland. In july 1885, the National Kansas
Aid Committee was organized at Buffalo, New
York, with one member from each free State.
Abraham Lincoln was appointed the member
for Illinois, but when informed by letter of his
appointment, declined to act, as it would inter
fere with his political arrangements. Mr. Army
was appointed in his place, and chosen the
general agent of the committee. Each State
organized a committee auxiliary to the Nation
al Committee, except the State of Massachu-
sets, which had separate organizations Mr..
Army spoke of the Emigrant. Aid Company,
which existed previous to the year 1856, and
said he went to Boston and applied to that
company for assistance when the Missouri river
was closed, and the officers Of that company
told him they were financial organization or
company, and could not depart from their
charter to contribute for such objects.
Mr.. Army began to show what amount was
contributed by the free StatesAto aid Kansas
after its invasion by Missio,Tians, but was
stopped by tho chairman of tie committee |
learn that Mr.. Army wanted to{estify that there
was placed liz his hands, by'individuals and
committees, in money and clothing, over nine
| ty-seven thousand dollars, and he wanted to
present to them vouchers of its distribution to
1 L. a. IL.
| ty besides which, he paid neatly FIVE thousand
out of his own means to assis. the destitute in
southern Kansas; that Thaddsus Hyatt, Presi-
dent of the National Kansas Committee, appro-
| priated Of his own means several thousand dol
lars for the same purpose. 4. c. Delavan, OF
Albany, New York, placed in the hands of Mr..
Army clothing worth about fifteen hundred dol.
lars, with instructions to Distribute it to the
sufferers, without regard to parry or color and
that In all these appropriations there was but
sixteen dollars expended for arms or military
equipments of any kind ; that Gerrt Smith also
contributed ten thousand dollars which he gave
with special directions that it should be appro-
priated for food and medicine for the destitute
and sick, and not for purposes of warfare.
Mr.. Arnys testimony shows that in 1856,
when Missourans invaded Kansas, and closed
the Missouri river and turnet .back emigrauts,
did not know who-to Kansas that boxes, said
to contain four hundred Sharpe's rifles, came to
Chicago that one hundred OF them were taken
up the Missouri river, and seized at Lexington
Mo. /; another hundred were seized at Waverley,
| Mo. When about to give the detailed history
of these arms. he was stopped
Mr.. Army then testified that the other two
hundred we're sent to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and
from there to Tabor on the sborders of Iowa
4 and Nebraska, by wagon. He was about to
state the condition of things at that time, the
imminent danger of civil war in Kansas, and
his visit to Washington and conference with
! President Pierce, and that he. told the Presi,
dent about these arms, and was told not to pro-
coed. He testified that Brown applied for the
rifles to the National Committee, at a session
held in New York in January 1857, and that
committee refused to let him nave them; and
as they had not purchased them, they gave the
control of them to the Kansas Aid Committee
in Massachusetts. Mr.. Army, resiguing his Of
fee of agent at that meetingstestfed that he
| did not know anything about the arms after
tina. time. He informed the committee that
the reason the arms were not INT into Kansas
was, that President Pierce 3ppointed Geary
Governor of Kansas in place 81 Shannon, aud
Geary visited the Governor of Missouri, who
took steps to open the throuqhfares of travel,
and Geary turned the Missouri invaders back,
thus making peace.
The substance of Arny's CT yersatons with
Brown, in 1858, in regard tdehis movements,
was, that Brown proposed to lccate somewhere
and run off slaves from the South, so as to make
that kind of property insecure. Army testifes
that he opposed this mode of interference with
slavery Brown said he disliked the do-noth-
ing" policy of TIE Abolitionisss East, and said
| hx-t ba,r
and water principles. AS tolle Republicans,
[ Brown thought they were ofsno account, for
they wers opposed to carrying Che war into Al
rica-they were opposed to meddlipg with sla-
very in the States where it existed. Brown
said his doctrine was to free the slaves by the
sword Army wanted to know how he recon
ciled that with his Quaker speace principles
which he held when he first .f<new him, more
than twenty years ago. BROW said that the
aggression of slavery, the M rders and rob-
| berries perpetrated upon himsT and members
of his family, and the violation of law by Atch-
ison and others in Kansas, from 1853 to that
time, had nvinced MN that peace was but an
empty word and he repeated his dislike to the
| Republican party and Abolitionists, saying they
wese ereyens-that they had refused to assist
him. Army se.atSed that he declined to have
anything further to do vitp la operations.
/ understand that Mr.. Army declined giving
the names of persons in Massachusetts who aye
supposed to have had control of the rifles, as
he could not state definitely who purchased
them without referring to his books in Kansas,
which the Committee would net give him time
to procure. AS Army was in Cincinnati just
| previous to the receipt of the litter written to
| Secreayy Floyd, announcing Me intention to
invade Virgins, !. is supposedly some persons
here that he was the author cf it. One thing