Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1886-07-31
HARPER'S FERRY.
OLD JOHN BROWNS FORT HIS.
TORIC GROUND AND THE SCENE

AOAtAS ehhoCH ~ A1to u n n SGhN2
OF Many Oonfiicts-Ruins OF the Govern
ment Armory-Harper' Grave
Homeward Bound.
There are several flights of stepe lead
ing from the railroad, and Island Park
10 reached by crossing . long bridge.
As the excursionists started towardI
this bridge they were beset by the pro-
prietors Of various booths In the vicinity
who had all kinds of eatables and
drinks for sale. These with the back /
drivers, and fruit and segar peddIers,
with the venders OF prom enade whips,
kept mp such babel Of sound and con-
fusion that 1t was relief TO escape |
ACROSS the bridge and seek shady spot
beneath the many beautiful trees In the
park. This place was originally. known
as Burns' Island, and was purchased |
some years ago by the Baltimore and |
Ohio Railroad Company as an excur- |
sion ground. 1t is now ftted up with
|pavilions. seats, tables, swings, flying
horses and all the many convenienccsl
that are usually found at resor4 of this /
kind. Its popularity is attested by the |
fact that there is scarcely day during
the season that 1t 10 mot visited by an
excursion.
The location is excellent. and the
Maryland Heights on one side, with
Bolivar Heights on the other. seem vol
| stand like great sentinele to protect itI
| from the elements. There Ia q gap in|
the mountains through which fiows thel
Shepapd doah river, and 1t seems won
derfui how this gap, through which itsl
waters pass, was ever formed. Mary
land Heights is filled with almost all
kinds of game, among them being large
numbers Of wild goats, which originat-
ed from q pair that were turned loose
in the mountains some twenty five
years ago by an Irishman, who then
lived In that vicinity. Several Of them
were seen browsing on the sides Of the
steep rocks, and they seemed about
half as large as the tame animals. Deer
were also plenty In this mountain until
within q few years, but wild turkeys,
lquail and pheasants still abound.
All the ground in this vicinity is his
torical, and the representative Of the
RRPUBLiCAF was fortunate in meeting 8
DIR. w. Ii. Cannon, a native of, and re-
sident In the vicinity. At the time OF
the rebellion he was but . boy, but he
says he remembers many of the stirrin &
, scenes Of those days. At one time Cen
eral Stonewall jackson had hts head
Iquarters at the doctors fathers house,
on Bolivar Heights, and he describes
, the General as being gentleman in
every respect.
He pointed out the spot in the heights
, occupied by General Miles when he
1lsurrendered his command of 13. .000
men to General jackson, and although
there Is no doubt but the Doctors sy m.
|, pathies were and probably still are, with
The South, he denounced General Miles
for, what he designated, his treachery
and cowardice. Several bare places in
these rocky heights still show where
, Miles had his batteries of 100 pound
lguns, and even at this day 1t seems
hard TO understand, how with the na-
tural strength of his position, he was
ever obliged to surrender.
After resting for an hour in the de-
I. Ilightful park, hack was taken for
Harper's Ferry, nearly a mile distant,
and the liberal use OF the drivers whip
= on the animated skeletons which sup
Iplied the motive power, succeeded In
getting the party 10 their destination
before they were entirely melted. One
Iof the principal objects of interest al
this poiut Is low brick building will
three large arched entrances, two o
which have iron doors, while the third
tis boarded up. Large white letters OF
e the front of the building tell passeri
| by that this was "John Browne Fort.
, This building was at one time an en-
y tgine house, but has become historica
II by John Brown and his army of twenty
. men retreating to, and holding it uuti
II Colonel Robert K. Lee arrived tron
e | Washington with detachment OF ma
J, rinee, and compelled him to surrender
lone part of the old building still con
y ttains q large iron cannon, as remind
: Ter Of those days, while the structure 1t
r self Is and will continue to be pointe.
out as the place where the first blow
i. between the North and South, that cos
the country hundreds of thousands c
valuable lives, and untold billions G
money.
70 John Brown came TO the Ferry abou
~ Isix weeks before making his demonstra
il ticn, and boarded with family in th
~ vicinity. As hs seemed to have plent
or Of money, and was courteous and po
- lite to all, he soon became very populal
II During these weeks he made almoi
a daily visits TO Maryland Heights, an
OF when questioned In reference to Then
~ said that he WAS searching for coppe
~ ~ lore, which he believed existed in th
i, mountain In large quantities, but wins
Id his real object wss no enc ever learne
,s- and nobody ever suspected his inter
tioDs until Sunday night, October 1911
1859, when at the head of twenty me
he demanded the surrender of The towl
IT, The greatest confusion and excit
he ment Immediately prevailed, whic
~ Ispread even for miles out in the coui
AZ try. Men moulded bullets and pre-
nv pared to defend their HON es, while o
to manner of exaggerated rumors wei
sd lcirculared concerning the strength
ny the invaders, and what they propose
We doing. Among these reports was OF
IN that Brown and his men intended
m Kill all the ugly women, and take Il
les good looking ones away with them ,ar
az q consequence rouge and powd
in | were In demand for the ladies to bea
tify themselves with.
Years ago Harper's Ferry was Ghost
as the site for q national armory, ar
,ou this fact, with the work which Il
lou Government furnished the inhabitant
uy caused it to be o thriving, prosperol
not lplace. Whens the State OF Virgin
ys. passed the ordipance OF secession Il
tod place was untier command of Lieutel
ief ant Jones, who had but q single cor
~, pany OF United States regular troor
Sod The news was spread that the Virgin
irsl militia were coming to capture 6
uid town, and the lieutenant, knowing tn
ID "a: with his small force Of men resistan
ant would be useless, determined to eVac
tbe ate the place, but before doing 30 he
Are to the arnory and other governme
buildings, and they with fifteen tho