The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-12-22

been proposed, monument and the
restored fort. The Baltimore and Ohio
! Railroad Co, has already erected a
small slab, perhaps a dozen feet high,
marking the spot where the larger me
mortal might be placed If the inten-
/ tons of its promoters should ever be
carried out. The restored fort, how
! ever, has already been practically COM
pleted. and some date in the spring
will be selected for the exercises Of its
dedication. Its location is several
miles away from the original site,
which is on land now occupied by the
railroad. The restored building bears
! a simple inscription of four words,
Restored by Kate Field
Miss Field, it seems went to Har-
per's Ferry and there found a faithful
few who cherished the memory of John
Brown and desired in some way TO COM
memorate his most noted exploit. But
these friends were limited in means
and in the most effective kind Of enter
prise. The latter quality Miss Field
herself furnished, while money she col
lected by popular subscription in Chi
cago through the columns of a newspa-
per: and by her cooperation with the
local helpers John Browns fort has
been brought back from Chicago and
rebuilt on a beautiful hill overlooking
a long stretch OF the Shenandoah
Miss Field would undoubtedly have
been able to secure land OF the railroad
company TO replace the fort on the
original spot. but she preferred to have
this memorial in the center of five
acre park. One Alexander Murphey.
a farmer. readily offered the required
amount of land.
In the work Of rebuilding. as much Of
the Old material has been used as posi-
bic, and il is not likely that any larger
monument than the slab already men
toned will be built on the old site very
soon- Local sentiment is much oppos-
ed 10 the monument idea. while MAX
ing no outward objection to the resto-
ration Of the fort.
Political opinions in this little West
Virginia hamlet are amusing and TO an
extent typical Of border-state senti-
ment. The two great political parties
now divide upon apparently the same
lines which separated men in 1861 The
leading colored man in the town who
was present at the hanging Of John
Brown in Charleston, began his de-
Scription of those stirring scenes TO the
writer by saying that he did not know
whether his listeners were Union men
or Democrats" That this IS a logical
and comprehensive division OF the
whole range OF American citizenship
is never doubted along the headwaters
OF the Potomac. One Of the leading
white men Of the town. when asked
what proportion of the inhabitants
were Northern nj their sympathies, re-
piled. That is easy enough TO tell
Wilson carried this village and Ballvar
by seven votes the last time he ran for
congress. As that remark shows,
Hsrper's Ferry is in the West Virginia
district formerly represented by the
present postmaster general. Wilson
comes from the neighboring village OF
and was a soldier in the
army. His successor in
congress comes from PhiEippi. which I
was the scene OF one OF the hottest OF I
the battles OF the civil war. In the 4
light OF this division Of The voters along /
war lines. an inquiry was made as 70 /.
how il happened that a Democratic 4
borough had elected 10 a prominent o. .
fee q former Union soldier. The re- 4
ply showed that the man owed his 4
presence il the federal army 20 the /
draft and that the people OF the local 1
lty We're 50 liberal minded that they
did not let mans service in the Un-
ION army count against him as long as
he couldn't help 81.
The inhabitants OF this region infuse
into their political struggles a consid-
cradle degree OF bitterness. The local
leader OF The movement for the restora-
ton OF the John Brown memorial. Ny.
z B. Chambers. is Republican OF a
pretty staiwart type. With no small