Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-02-24
Secret History Of John Brown 5 Raid.

The Detroit Post gives the following
as the secret history OF the celebrated
raid upon Harper's Ferry by John
Brown, whose soul Is supposed vet
10 be marching on:
Brown and FIVE Of his men arrived
IN Detroit with fourteen slaves from
Missouri, in the summer Of 1853. One
OF the slaves gave birth to a male
child on the way. The boy was named
John Brown, aud now lives in Wind
~Or. BY a strange coincidence Fred.
Douglass happened 20 be leCturing in
this city the same evening that Brown
arrived. After the lecture the leaders
Of the insurrecuOnary movement got
together ia the house Of William
Webb, on Congress street, near An
tOine street, and arranged the plan for
the raid on the South, which broke
out premarurely al H8rper'S Ferry.
MT. Webb was for many years
manager a the plug tobacco
factory ON Jefferson avenue, and was
"A highly respected man. He is now
dead. The leading cOlOred people Of
Detroit and Chatham were slsC pres
snt at the meeting. Douglas. NJ
leCted 10 Browns plan, which OtIgi-
naly was 10 make raids on single
plantations until he had collected a
force of about 1000 slaves, and then
sweep down on the large towns and
cities, collecting force and material
as be progressed. Brown grew WTathy
and asked Douglass If ne was a cow
ard, and referred to his successes in
Kansas as an aUgUry Otthe Virginia
campaign. Douglass replied that he
was not a coward, and would give ma
teriai aid 20 the plan il he did not APP
prove of j., or did not go himself
George DE Bsptiste also disapprOved
If the plan, but proposed q gUnpOW-
der plot, by which some fifteen Of the
largest churches IN the South would be
blown NJ on q fixed Sunday. Brown
objected to that plan on the score
Of humanity, asserting that by his
plan not a hundred lives would be
lost. his intentions being not to shed
blood unlees 10 became absolutely
sleressary. Da BaPti7te sin urged
radical measures, declaring that
Brown plan would l8il, and perhaps
cause the loss of a million OF lives be-
fore the troubles likely to eusue would
be ended lie cited i'm support Of his
position .he fact that the Nat Turner
insurregtiou, IN 1851, by which fifty
three white lives were lost, had had
the effect OF causing the next Virginia
legislature 70 consider Dill for the
gradual emancipation of the slaves,
which bin was lost by only two votes.
OssaWatomie'3 counsel finally pre-
vailed, and the only favor besides
money and advice, that he asked Of
ais Detroit friends, was to furnish
him one map, which they did--a
Chathzmite. The news OF the dis
turbance al IlarpeT's Ferry, which
t06E the nation with so much sur
prise. was perfectly well understood
hv the coiorei people Of this city.
They were anticipating the event,
since one Foster had diVuleed In
Washington the plans Of Brown, who,
in CONSEQUENCE, was obliged either to
abandon his enterprise or precipitate
matters, even II at fearful odds. lie
chose the latter alternative.
The sequel i5 sufficiently well
known. These facts, howeyor, have
been kept with sworn secrecy, until
lately, by the cOlOred men OF Detroit.
The particulars have never been pub
iished. 1t may be ouly necessary to
add thai subsequent TO the meeting at
Webb's house, on Congress street,
meeting was held in Chatham, At
which the cap sheaf" was pat on
the plan. Now that the negroes are
equal, politically, before the law, they
have no fear in letting their cOnnec-
iio2 with this affair be known. They
glery IN it.
A correspondent of the santa Re
Mr. lferfoGq, writing from Albu-
oleroue in the same Territory, de-
scribes a theatrical performance Of a
Lind that seems ike a leaf from me-
1ipval annals. Ii is difficult to re-
slize Thai the old Miracle Play, the
narept of the modern drama, Is yeti in
sTistence. and in the United States.
He saws: 'sThe past week we had
Grand Gesia at Duranes, with theat-
Tjcal performance by an amateur
company of actors. The play was the
great moral drama Of the Flah Of Nan,
In which were persOnated God,
Adam, Eve Mercy Gabriel,
ne Devil, Appetite etc. God
sy,as represented by a well known
Snfe{1er of this place. The play went
- Ia the satisfaction Of all present,
"a the crowd was immense. We
Lad borse-TaciBg, dancing and various
liner sports at the least