The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-09-16
OLD JOHN BROW N
REV. DIR. CAMPBELL ON THE
HARPER'S FERRY TRAGEDY.
FOR THEBENEFlq OF THE VIGIJANqS

The Deed ola Fanntic and Its Terrible
Resulfs--A Graphic History Gather
cd from Eyc-Wifnesses and Pnrfici-
pants in the Fighting nj the Ferry.
The lecture course of the Vigilant
Fire Company was opened in tEeir
neat and attractive hall last night by
Rev. DR.. w. c. Campbell, OF the First
Presbyterian Church. The subject
was John Brown at Harper's Ferry"
familiar topic. but one invested
with peculiar interest by the per-
sonal researches of the lecturer dur
ing his residence at Harper's Ferry.
The audience filled the hall and gave
the closest attention. DR.. Campbell
said:
THIS event might have been per-
mitted to sink into oblivion, as many
another bad done, had it not been the
precursor of one of the most terrible
wars of modern days. The wavelet
that Tapped itself on the banks of
the Potomac at Harper's Ferry did not
subside until it had beloved the land
with G00,0 graves. 1t saw arpies
numbering 100000 men mustered
and armed. 1t saw an expenditure Of
So, 200, 0OO,OO0, and the country bur
dened with debt of $500, 900, 900.
This gave to the work of John Brown
a significance it might never have
had.
Brown had nursed his plan for
twenty years. He began to put it
into operation The 3rd of July, 1859.
On this day he was seen for the first
time near Harper's Ferry. lie came
accompanied by lis two sons and SON
in-law, Oliver and Watson, aud Jere-
miah Anderson. He gave their names
as j. Smith and sons. They passed
among the people with whom they
lived as cattle dealers and proarectors
for ores.
About the 10th of July they rented
n shall farm, five miles from Harper's
Ferry on the west side of the noun
tain on what is known as Samples
Manor. Here he collected his men,
and gathered his arms and military
stores. The three months passed here
were spent 10 fixing up his arms and
In travelling about over the adjoining
States preparing the minds OF the
negroes for his coming. He had an
his plan of operations TO
called at his request,
nearly Il year before at Chatham,
Canada West. In this convention he
stated that he had been considering
the matter Of freeing tie slaves Tor
twenty years.
He stated that the line of noun
tains running through Maryland,
Virginia, North Caro- lima and into
Georgia, was full of natural fortitica-
tions in which Il few men might de-
fend themselves against larger bodies.
He supposed that as soon as his in
tention VAS made known that all the
slaves in The South would immedi-
ately flock to Kim, together with all
the free negroes, North and South,
and that II large portion Of the white
laboring population in the South
would also come. These were to be
his soldiers. He supposed that the
State troops would fist besent against
him. These he expected to defeat be-
fore the regular troops would be met.
All slave holders who resisted were to
be taken and held as hostages ard
their property confiscated. Those
who did not resist were to be pro-
tected.
He came to Virginia first because it
had fewer slaves than any other
Southern State, and because resist
ance would probably be greater there
than elsewhere. He came to Barper's
Ferry because it had located in it a
government establishment for the
manufacture OF arms and an arsenal.
in which, at that time, were stored
&c, 900 stand of the most improved
arms.
On the night of the 10th of Octo-
Der, 1859, he started with his men from
their home on the mountain to the
Ferry. At this time he had twenty
two men, including himself. VI
these seventeen were whites and
and the other five were re
rroes. He took nineteen men with
him leaving Owen, his son, Frank
Merriam and Barclay Coppic to guard
their things until they could be sent
for. They reached the Ferry between
II and - o'clock at night. The town
was asleep except the solitary watch
men who guarded the property OF the
baltimore and Ohio railway and the
property of the government and the
rifle works.
The bridge Waterman was quietly
arrested and two men left to guard
the bridge and cut the telegraph
wires. The rest proceeded to the gate
OF the United States armory and de-
,nanded admission from the watch
man, which was refused. They at
once arrested him and broke open the
gate. Two. others were sent across
the street to seize the arsenal, which
they did. Kagi, their secretary Of
war, was sent q half mile up the
Shenandoah river to seize the rifle
works located there. Cook, who had
lived for some time in and near Har-
per's Ferry, having taught school
there and was we'll known, was sent
with five Others into tho country to
arrest Colonel Washington, and bring
him to Brown. He did so and also
brought his four-horse wagon and
horses and his carriage and all OF his
slaves they could find.
Allihis was very quietly done, but
it was not long until the TRACE iy be-
gan. The first person killed by
Browns men was an innocent
and inoffensive cclored man, q
porter at the hotel, He, while
waiting for the incoming train,
due about 1 O'Clock, heard a noise
on the railroad bridge and going out
to learn the cause, was ordered by
some oneto halt. He thought some OF
the boys wanted to play trick upon
him, and instead OF hating, he ran,
and they shot him. He died in great
agony the following day.
Wien the morning dawned the en-
.ployes at The armory md rifle works,
l,l y,