The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-07-31

demanded the immediate surrender OF the
inmates, pledging them full protection until
fairly tried, according to law. Several OF
the party seemed willing to surrender, but
old Ossawottomie, pointing to his sons,
both badly wounded on the foor), SAID ne
had counted the cost, and knew what he had
to expect, and he should face his fate then
and there, unless granted the terms ne had
solicited the previous evening: namely, to
be allowed Ito march out with his arms
and prisoners as far as the second toll-gate,
where he would free the prisoners, and take
his chances OF escape.
AS this preposterOus proposal was not 10
be thought OF, Col. Lee ordered the Lleuten-
ant to carry the building by storm, taking
great care not to shoot the citlzenrprlsoners:
Fifteen or twenty marines at once dashed
to either side of the entrance. AID two stall
wart men with sledge-hammers tried to
batter down the gates. Failing in this, the
Marines took a heavy ladder: 40 feet IN
length, and running forward dealt a power
full blow that shattered the doors from their
fastenings. A furious volley burst forth
into their faces, killing private Quinn, and
woundlng one or two. But the Marines
clambered over the barricade, and poured a
volley upon the outlaws. Edwin Coppic,. a
mere youth, cried surrender ! Only
one man ~surrenders!' yelled old OssawOttO-
ME, as he fired his last shot at Lieut.. Stuart,
who, at the next moment cut him down with
a sabre-stroke. Brown also received severa
bayOnet thrusts in the melee; the smoke
and confusion preventingth excited Marines
from seeing that all the outlaws were hOrsdu
combat. Browns bravery makes one regret
it was so unworthily and recklessly sacrificed.
Viewed simply as an exhibition of manli-
ness and fOrtitude under misfortune, his
whole conduct from the moment OF his re-
fusal to surrender, to that of his death upon
the galiows, was grandly heroic. Governor
Henry A. Wise, whose intensity OF feeling
against the Abolition plotters quite equaled
their own against all Southerners, was moved
to say In a public speech before Browns
trial =
"He is a bundle of the best nerves I ever saw. He is
righteousness. He is cool, collected and indomitable,
and he inspired me with great trust iu his integrity, as a
man of truth. He is a fanatic, vain and garrrlous, but
firm, and faithful, and intelligent. Col. Washington
says that he, Brown, was the coolest and frmest man he
ever saw in defy1ng danger and death. With one son
dead by his side, and another shot through, he felt the
pulse of his dying son with one hand and held his rife
with the other. and commanded his men with the utmost
composure, encouraging them to be firm. and to sell
their lives as dearly as they could
HI OUTLAW DOOM.
Three whites, Brown, Stevens and Cop
pic, all wounded and three negroes Zone
from North Carolina, the other from Canada
were captured. Cook and Hazlett escaped
into Pennsylvania, but were soon brought
back by the $1,000 reward offered for them.
-Four other consplratOrs who came too late
to participate in the raid, managed to escape
capture. Great excitement prevailed, and
suspicious persons were arrested at many
points particularly after the occurrence of
a number of incendiary fires, and the pOis-
oning Of valuable stock. Strange to say not
a single slave escaped during all the tumult.
OF the dozen or more, collected from the
country, all returned home as soon as they
could slip away from their captors; and
even those whom Cook took with him near
except one, who was drowned while attempt
ing to swim the river to escape his self-con-
stituted ''deliverers.'' This ought to have
opened the eyes of the Northern people to
the villainous lies of ''Uncle Toms cabin
pattern but did not. Brown himself re-
allied how he had been duped into
sacrificing his life for a chimera and while
cunning enough to profess to die
contented with his work, he roundly
upbraided Cook for deceiving him as to the
supposed anxiety OF the negroes to revolt.
The court OF Jefferson county being in SEES
sion, the prisoners were at once indicted for
high treason, murder, and melting servile
instruction. Browns trial began Oct. %,
and continued three days. He was brought
into Court lying on a lounge, and took active
part IN his W defence justifying his
course, and parading his good treatment of
his prisoners. He grew angry with his
counsel, and discharged them but after
wards admitted he had a fair trial. It
would have been better in certain RESPECTS
had less haste been shown in the pushing
the trial but, of course, there could be but
one termination for such an affair.
Brown was sentenced to be hanged on the
2nd day of December; his companions to
follow him on the 10th, except Stevens, who
was handed over to the Federal authorities, !
The executions were conducted with much
military display, and red tape-ism.
that might have been omitted with
credit to Governor Wise. But there
was intense excitement almost daily
der, and a daily shower of ANONYMOUS letters
warning the Nirginians of plots for rescue.
Undoubtedly efforts were made in both Ohio