Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1870-03-08
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IFrOm the Detroit Post.
The John Brown Raid.
.Sseret History Of L.al lNemoas.al8lls 4

81
Brown and five of his men arrived in De-
troit with fourteen slaves from Missouri in
the summer of 1853 One of the slaves gave
birth to a male child on .he way. The boy
was named John Brown, and now lives in
Windsor. BY strange co-ineideps Fred.
| Douglass happened to be lecturing 10 this city
the same evening that Brown arriYeh After
the lecture the leaders Of the insnrrsctionary
movement got together in the house of VIM.
| Webb, on Congress street, near Antoine street,
I and arranged the plan for the raid on the
1 South, which broke out prematurely at Har-
r's-Ferry.
Mr.. Webb was for years manager of tie
! plug tobacco factory on Jefferson avenue.
He is nowsdead. The leading eolored p00ple
of Detroit aud Chatham were also present at
/ the meeting. Douglass objected to Browns
1 plan, which originally was to make raids on
| single plantations, until Le had collected "a
! force Of about i goo slaves, and then swoop'
! down on the larger towns and cities, collecting
/ force aud mateEialas he progressed. Brown
/ grew wrathy, aud asked Douglass if he was
1 coward, and referred TO his successes in Kansas
/ Us an auGury of the Virginia campaign.-
! Douglass replied tina he was not coward,
and would give material aid to the plan if no
! did not approve of it, OF did not 90 himself
George De BaPtiste also disapproved of the
| plan, but proposed a gunpowder plot, by
which some fifteen of the largest churches in
the South would be blown up on a fixed Snn-
day. Brown objected to that plau on the
I score OF hpuiauitv, asserting that by his plau
not hundredslives would be lost, his inten-
tim being moi to shed blood unless it became
! absolutely necessary. De Baptiste still urged
radica! measures, declaring that Brown 5 plan
would fail, and perhaps cause the loss of a
million of lives before the troubles likely"ta
eBsue would be ended. He cited in support
of his position the fact that the Nat Turner
insurrecti6h in 1881, by which ffty-three
white lives were lost, bad had the effect ,ot
Gtusing the next Virginia Legislature to con-
sder abill iVr the gradual emancipation ofthe
slaves, which bill was lost by only two votes.
Ossawatomie's counsel finally prevailed, and
the only faver. beside money aad advice, that
he asked Of his Detroit friends, was to furnish
him one man. which they did-a Chathamite.
The news Of the disturbance at Harpet's
Ferry, which took the nation with so much
surprise, was perfectly well understood by the
colored people of this city. They were an
ticipa,ins the event since one Foster had
divulSed in Washington. the plans OF Brown
who, in consequence, was Obliged to either
abandon his ou,erprise ur, precipitate,,matters,
even at fearful odds. lie chole the latter
alternative.
Tbs sequel is sufficiently we'll known
These facts, however, have been kept with
sworn secrecy. until lately, by the cOlored men
Of Detroit. The particulars have never been
published. 1t may be only necessary to add
that subsequent TO the meeting at Webb's
oIse, on Congress street, meeting was held
in Chatham, at which the "caP sheaf', was
put on the plan. Now that the negroes arc
equal, politically, before the law, they have
no fear in letting their connection with this
affair be known. They glory in it,