Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-08-05

! gave not the slightest intimation OIL !"
| the Virginia authorities And the pup''c
| press Of the country. with all It's ene,sy
and enterprise, never once optaineo u'o
smallest clue 10 the conspiracy now on
| hand Tho secret, however. was not >"
| well kept but that the people OF Alex
| andria heard in some INDEFINITE way
| probably through negroes, that an ihsu'
| rectionary movement or some klno was
| on foot. and at their request Goverhor
| Wise shipped them arms. 10 iuii sus-
| pIcion. therefore, 1t was proposed py .ne
| conspirators that Brown should return
! 20 Kansas and defer his movement until
| the following year.'s To this arrangement
| Brown agreed. and, returning to Kansas.
! spent the remainder OF the year 1885, ana
| n norton OF 1859 in that Territory ana
| in Missouri. plying his usual vocation OF
| numbering shareholders and running OH
slaves on stolen horses to Canada. a lou
| OF these stolen horses he sold at public
auction IN Cleveland. Ohio, thus providing
additional funds for his enterprise"
RETURNED EAST.
In the spring of 1859 Brown returned
to the Eastern States and organized his
forces for his proposed foray into VIZ
ginIa. He now had to his credit several
! thousand dollars, raised by the Abolition
lists of Massachusetts,. In July. 1883,
under the name OF Smith, ne
rented a small farm in Maryland. hve
/ miles from Harper's Ferry and about
twenty-six miles south of the Pcnnsyl-
vania border-the famous Mason Il
/ Dixon line. Here he made p.etence OF
raising cattle and mining, while actually
engaged In collecting his men, arms, pro-
| visions. tents, wagons, and hor1es FOR the
! campaign. All this he did without ex-
I citing the slightest suspicion OF his real
| Intentions among his neighbours. The
year before, as above stated, report OF
| his plans had reached the ears OF proml-
nent Republicans in Washington, ana
vague rumor of an insurrectionary move
| mcnt Of some kind among the negroes
had alarmed the people of Alexandria
I But this time Brown conducted his OPERA
| tions with SUCH secrecy that even MS re-
| turn from Kansas was known only 10
few persons Yet movements of ihls KIND
are sometimes thwarted by too much Sc
crecy. as well as by n premature us
/ closure. To make them successful they
must be anticipated by those who are 10
! take a part in them, and the minus Oh
, the proposed participants must be pre-
, pared by secret emissaries for the overt
act which is To be the signal for the up
| rising.
Browns army now numbered twenty
two men, with whom on Sunday. the l6th
| of October. 1889 at Z. NJ, he set out
! to invade the State Of Virginia, not an
| inhabitant Of which. white or black, had
the slightest suspicion of the movement
, or of the contemplated mischief. Brown
reached the Potomac in the course of the
! night. and after cutting the telegraph
| wires along the Baltimore and Ohio rail
| road, entered Harper's Ferry, and seized
| the United States arsenal, armory, and
| rfe-factory, located there. taking the
! watchmen prisoners. The capture of these
| places was for the purpose OF supplying
| the negroes with better arms than the
pixies Brown had brought with him. But
| it never seemed to occur to Brown that
this daring act would be regarded as an
attack on the United States Government,
and that in consequence he would soon
be confronted by Federal troops.
FORTY PRISONERS.
Brown now established hts headquar-
ters in the armory-yard. and dispersed
some of his little band to guard the
places he had captured, and to hold the
bridges and other points; others were sent
into the country to bring in the promi-
nent shareholders and their slaves. by
! daylight next morning he had forty
| prisoners-white and black-captured IN
the town and country. But as soon as
the town people realized what had oc-
Cured they armed themselves and opened
fire on Browns scattered forces. Inc
fire was returned. and several were Killed
on both sides Brown placed his pixies
in the hands of his negro captives ana
determined To make a stand, but to MS
utter amazement and despair the bewil-
dered negroes refused to fight. Brown
exhorted them TO strike Il blow FOR hb-
nj line enlpdV-
ored TO convert them into soldiers, but
all in vain. In fact the negroes had sense
enough to see that pixies were not sulta-
Bile weapons against men 100 yards OH
armed with rifles" Besides. OF all Nir-
gina slaves. those in the Valley OF the
Shenandoah had least occasion or desire
to rebel. They were treated by thelr
masters with more respect and conf
dence than white domestic servants were
at the North for knowing. as they did,
their position, a distant or austere man
ner toward them was not necessary 10
keep them in proper place or order
REITERATED TO THE ENGINE
HOUSE.
From the smallness of Browns force
he was unable to maintain communica-
ton with his detached parties. Some OF
these finding themselves cut Off from
their commander and also learning that
several Of their number had been killed
fed across the river and made their
escape. Ry the middle of the day all
who had not escaped had been either
killed or captured or forced TO retreat 10
Browns headquarters at the armory. All
that was now left of Browns little army
consisted of Brown himself. his two sons
and four others-or seven in all. Instead
of now placing himself at the head OF
those, and. by making desperate break
for liberty illustrating his favorite maxim
that zone man In the right ana
ready TO die can chase thousand. .
Brown. after being convinced that
his negro prisoners would not fight
liberated them and adopted the
fatal resolution of throwing himself
with the remainder OF his band. and all
his white prisoners into the engine-hOuse.
and defending himself then TO the last
extremity. unless ne could obtain salts
factory terms. This engine-house was a
low but strong brick building, situated In
the armory yard. Brown, on taking pos
session Of IL, barrcaded It's doors and
windows. pierced its walls with loop-holes,
and made other preparations for despe-
rate defence. This stronghold OF the
daring raider was Immediately surrounded
by the enraged citizens and his retreat
cut Off
Browns negro prisoners, II Is needless
to say, returned Immediately to IN II
masters glad To escape from the bloody
| clutches OF the fierce Kansas fighter
His white prisoners, however, who were
prominent citizens Of the town and sur
rounding country-Colonel Washington, a
relative Of General Washington, being
among the number-Brown retained as
hostages for his own safety, and by
threatening their lives he hoped 70 obtain
! permission to retire into Pennsylvania
the condition Of their safe delivery 10
! their friends. He therefore proposed to
/ his besieCers 20 permit him TO 20 with his
prisoners as far as the Maryland side OF
the Potomac. where II he was not pur-
sued, he would liherate them unframed.
But this proposition was promptly and
Indignantly rejected. The blood Of the
citizens OF Harpers Ferry had been shed,
ana Brown and his followers must pay
the fort 1T with their lives.
FLASHED OVER THE COUNTRY.
During The previous night Brown had
detained for several hours the EASTERN
bound pass niger train on the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad. which crosses the Po-
tomac at Harpers Ferry, but he had