The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-11-18
GbQKteIliqsur
THE JOHN BROWN RAID.



Reflects ana "Reminiscences About
HarpeE's Ferry.
From Letter Of @. A, Ib,nxnd In he
Chicago Tribune.
l.. HARpBR's PERRY,
l am 10th 10 throw away \ good deal
OF work upon letter OF a column, but
OF the point OF Harper's Ferry l may
say that It has been next to dead ever
since John Brown invaded Il, and that
II Is now 0 village Of pauperS, who
hang upon the approaching sale by the
United Statesof the armofy and Rrsen.
al grounds aa their last and vital
chance for existence, This sale takes
place In the latter part Of the present
month, November, and, when we ar.
rived on Friday night, at 0 O'Clock, we
were supposed TO be the purchasers,
and our names were carefully 'elImln-
ated' on the hotel book. There we
learned the antiquity OF the strange old
man.trap.' az Robert Il. Lee called II.
HRrper's Ferry remained the National
Afmory Bixly.seVen years, having
been selected by Washington, The
Government property consists Of 485
acres, besides timber rights over !. 1906
acres. In 1918 q Maine inventor, named
Hall, established rifle factory here,
10 1850 an armorer, named Cox, MUIR.
dered the Superintendent OF tho post
and was hanged at Charlestown. Al.
Ifed NJ. Barbour, who commanded here
during the Brown raid, was the elev-
enth Superintendent, and he went
South during the war. These were the
main Incidents Of the point prior 10 the
Brown raid. When John Brown ar.
rived here the two villages OF the Ferry
and Bolivar, which latter overhangs
the other as the upper City OF Quebec
0verhangs the Lower City, contained
5000 people. The three great Enclosures
OF Government property, called respec.
lively the Armory, the Arsenal, and
Halls Ride Works, were beautiful edI-
ices, surrounded with shade trees, and
the bell rang the call 10 work and 10
meals, its peaceful music stirring the
sheep upon the two great ridges OF
mountain, while, during the heat OF the
day, the sound Of steam hammers and
whistles and the moving OF feet made
the deep solitude OF the spot endeared
TO greRarious souls; and, when human
sounds ceased, the roar OF two minRling
rivers closed In upon the places; the
lights went out; the railway engines
elared past, shaking echoes from the
ridge. Such was Harper's Ferry when
the stern old John Brown regarded Il
from the opposite heights OF Maryland.
To-day Harper'a Ferry looks like the
ruined village Of some ruined castle,
euoh as one finds upon the upper Dan.
ube. And ont Of The ruins peep and
creep some single hermlts to tell you
about John Brown, the greatest dis.
Iurber oil the peace that ever lived.
+ CHARLEsTowN.
I took the train on Saturday for
Charleslown, and spent four hours
there. II 10 an Inland town, IOur miles
from the Shenandoah, and, strange to
say, Ia growing, and In the direction Of
the gallows Of John Brown; for four
new houses now stand on part OF the
sight OF his suspension. The Hallows-
spot is q corn.held; full Of shocks OF
fine tall corn, and It has changed In
few respects since the execution, The
only ruined parts OF Charlestown are
the Court House and the Jail. The
former maintains Ito walls and out
lines, and the four brick and plaster
Doric columns before 1t are still stand
Ing; but the roof Ia reduced to q few
beams, the whole interior Ia torn out,
and the edihce has now only one floor,
the cellar,-and is, to speak truthful
~, the oess>pool for all the Migrants In
the village. To look into the interior
10 to feel 'revolted, yet to say: 'The
place 70 ACQUIRED = AT present, the seat
OF justice 10 removed to ShepherdstoW
four miles from the seat OF the battle OF
Antletamt and ChRrlestown Is strag.
CLING turnpike village. Opposite tho
Court House Is the jail, also roohess
and torn out; but Its Jail yard Is per-
fectly enclosed by the stone wall, and
many or the iron-barfed windows, iron
gratings, etc., remain, while the IaIl
Interior exhibits accurately the sites OF
the floors, stairway, cells, elc. l found
q freed-woman hanging out clothes In
the jail-yard, and ascertained that the
gallows OF Brown had been manufac.
tured into all conceivable articles OF
furniture, and was 10 held In request
that part OF It's lumber, which had
been used TO make tavern porch was
atterward torn out to supply canes at
one dollar apiece. The ruined Court
House and jail had been despolled by
soldiers TO make quarters, and tens Of
thousands OF men have marched
through Charlestowu, singing:
John Browns body lies moulderlnR In tho
His SOULS marching on!"
Captain Avis, the TALLER Of Brown, a
hearty fellow, now keeps u bar-room,
wi b the sign, Avis Bal. room, and he
has, also. q distillery four miles ont of
town. Hels Republican. Campbell,
the Sheriff who hanged Brown, is dead,
and not much regretted, q a.i - -"
The Cemetery Of ChArleStown con-
tains about Two hundred dead dis
unionists. amongst whom are many
othcers, and one Of these Ia endowed
with a monument wherson IL the pioua
ehgy OF cooked Colts revolver, full
army size, with hand on the trigger;
this may be designated as 'armorial
bearing The handsOmest Of the tombs
bears this inscription:
...r 'F6ntdine Bcckham
Died In the 9Th year OF his age,
While Mayor OF larper's Ferry,
He fell r victim 10 the raid on the
memorable 18th day OF October,
0l'a.a rs 1884, e..r -.
Judged by this inscription Beck hams
heirs has good taste. We want 10
know the association Of the dead
man, and his tomb saves his fame In
sentiment. But near BY IL the family
lot ofthe man who 10 accused Of riding
70 the gallows In the cart with Brown,
the cabinetmaker Hawks. Here Is an
exterior evidence OF how much Mas.
sachuseGts man can forget alter living
sone time away from home: Il
I'm memory Of ~
n.' , SARAH W. 8. HAWKS, ill
..ra.! consort Of r-,. .r| l
%. .mg W. J. HAYES. i
And daughter OF the Hon. Enos Smith.
OF Aghaeld, Mass, who departed
this life August 18th, 1856. =
-r ai Aged 50 years.
Much as she considered and loved
the domestic sociablllty other husband,
aha UNA mi n feal1 HR7tlo 7