, 1884-10-24
ONE OF BROWNS MEG.
A Pennsylvania Mans R~ecollections
of Stevens.
One OF the Prominent Characters OF
the Famous Harper's Very
RaId-A Very Remark
able Man.
George Alfred Townsend,s letter.

George Alfred Townsend's Letter.l
Mr.. Donovan said; Il lived in Baltimore
City before the war, and was reporter and
correspondent on the exchange there. In
fsrmation was brought to US that there was
an insurrection Of some kind at Harperis
Ferry. / went TO the Relay house on Mon
day night, and there took a train coming up
from Washington City bound for Harper's
Ferry. 1t had the marines on board, and
c.. LIE, OF the regular army, who had been
sent there by the secretary OF war. We got
TO Sandy Hook, on the Maryland side Of the
Potomac, and there the train stopped while /
went across the bridge to the ferry. There
were guards on the bridge, and So much ex-
citement and nervousness that after / got tho
countersign l would not pass until they sent
a man with me 70 go ahead and give tho
countersign. The town was in IA str4nge con
dition. Almost everybody was afraid to
walk on the streets because persons had Lesn
shot by Brown and his band from the engine
house.
II went int, the Wager house, WI CT was
prtt y full OF feople. | heari some tns say
that Q h ire was n man upstairs belonging to
Browns band who had bsn shot, 80, Icing
after nsws, l step bed up there, and saw lying
on tn bed a wounltd II wioin have al
ways considered sine. as th- fine Z s. On
OF physicll manhood | had ever 80 N II my
life IL was Stevens, one OF Juhn Brow ma
men, und n very remarkable man any WARE.
He was ent rely naked, except = knlt of
c.out around his miidle. His eye wsrs open
and took in every thing, but he was horribly
shot. He had been shot from a it'll shnnty
called the Calf h ,use while coming mt ~itl
IA flag Il truce u make some pro oi I'm II
the citizens. A man IN there, viii the room
dhrkened bshind him drawing hims III blcl.
far enough ! o TO TO seen, had put a revolver
on his arm IN o nptiodievsry barrel Off iIt)
Stevens. Steve II meanti ne was trying to
see where the sho,s wer c1Iiig from to foe
back, for he was IA, b n,e as II Ii u He fell,
and was dragged into the hotel and me-
nanced with his life, but he never begged "A
word.
When 1 went up upstairs 1 saw a most ex-
traordinary scene. Stevens was lying ON the
bed, and l noticed especially his hands and
feet. He had small hand, and his arm from
the shoulder to the hands was in beautiful
diminishing lines. The shoulder was mag
nihcent There were three persons in the
room, and while | was asking a question OF
themR young man entered by the door, took
his pface at the foot of the bed, and suddenly
he drew a pistol and fired it right into that
mans face, shouting, My father has been
wounded. and lam going to kill you l
looked at the man as the pistol was snapped.
and no never winked. With a calm blue eye
he looked his assassin In the face and uttered
not ono word. 1 cried out, Men, are you
going to see this man murderedr
w jumped up aud wrestled with the
young follow, who was trying to fire again.
He was pulled OIL, and one Of the men said to
him: II that man could stand on his feet
and there was n room full of such as you, hs
could clean you all out in a second During
thiz Whoie ocenrrance Sfavaua was tha laast
Interested person in the matter.
al then began TO talk to him. He answered
me In m~onosyllablss, was resolved to give no
information, and SUI 5 ,quently, when he was
tried and in jail, and before he was hanged,
L often talked to him. II old John Brown
had not been such a remarkable man that
fellow Stevens would have attracted the adj
miration OF the whole country"
Said /: "Mr. Donovan, what state are YOU
a native Off
Pennsylvania, | was born at Shippens-
burg, in thu Cumberland valley While /
have always Leon II Democrat, | have re-
served my private opinions, and among them
have always considered that old Brown and
his party as among the most remarkable per
sons l ever saw
Mr. Donovan, dill you think much of Ste
vens after you came to know him betterfi
ale was a great man. When he was
blOukul AlLN Auul Jul 10 u IAltNls lying
down, he was the best looking man in the
court. He was a young man, but every inch
of him n man" 1 said to him once: Your
name Is not stevensP
eyes it is, said he, but If It isn't, Stevens
will do He never begged nor even accepted
a favor while in Jail There was a strong
prejudice against him because they knew
that the whole genius Of abolition was in his
system For John Brown he had the most
unbounded worship. Brown respected a brave
man, and all HIS men were brave except
Cook, and when he told Cook. when he was
being led TO the gallows, that he had told
lies, he merely expressed his idea OF Cooks
cowardice and trucking. But there was IA
very great difference between Stevens and
Brown. Stevens had taken a purely physi-
cal view of that raid, a soldiers view of it.
He thought that John Brown had made his
preparations well and that they would have
a long campaign and n successful ore and
get off with plenty of slaves He found
nearly all Browns party captured or killed
and he made up his mind that this thing was
a failure.
Brown, on the other hand, soon realized
the moral Importance of that raid, and he
had the intelligence to know that his death
was essential TO a general propagation Of his
views. He had com there originally to
fight. Soon after he was captured he began
to see that his death was Of more avail than
his victory would nave BEEN So that old
man devoted his remaining days to extend
ing and increasing the anti-slavery feeling
and sympathy in the country. He was a be-
lever in the Bible and in orthodox Puritan
ism. He had consolation out OF his Bible.
He took pleasure in his prayers.
stevens was not that kind Of II man. 1t
wns generally believed that he was a Spirit
ualist. lie told me that .pirits could com
mune with each other. His feeling toward
the people OF tho south was that of a man
opposed 10 them, who had come u invade
them, was sorry he was beaten, aud asked.
them nothing whatever in the way OF con
sideration. He referred 10 his death once in
talking to me as a very ordinary matted
signs OF n Hard Winter.
Middlehurv Post !