The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1895-10-04

eus' llGtle oanQ out Brown him
self and six men, two of them
wounded. A surrender was de.
manded and refused. Then the
soldiers seized a long ladder for
a battering ram aud breke in the
doors. Lieutenant Green first
entered and struck Brown sew.
eral times with his sword. The
old man was supposed to be
dying. but he rallied in a few
minutes, when he and his com.
panions were removed from the
engine house amid the hooting
of the crowd, and subsequently
placed in prison to await trial for
treason, murder and conspiracy
to produce Instruction.
Then Col. Lee. who figured in
this AFFAIR, was the same officer
who afterward distinguished
himself as the foremost military
leader of The Southern Confed.
eracy. He treated Brown kind.
ly, and spoke respectfully of his
courage and fortitude. II came
here to liberate slaves" Blown
said, land was to receive no re-
ward. 1have acted from sense
of duty, and am content to await
my fate" In answerto inquiries
from officers and citizens. he in.
timated that his original plan
had been to push on into the
mountains of Virginia, freeing
slaves as he went. Why, then,
did he tarry at Harner's Ferry
until this plan was spoiled His
explanation was. to the effect that
twas foreordained to be so. "All
our actions, he said, "even all
the follies that led to this disas-
ter, were decreed to happen ages
before the world was made
He had weakly listened to the en-
treaties of his prisoners and par
leyed with the citizens as to a
compromise, he went on to state
and so had lost his chance. Il
had no desire to killany person, Z
said. ..and would not have
killed aman had they not tried
to kill me and my men. could
have sacked and burned the town
but did not / treated the per-
sons whom l held as hostages
kindly, and appeal to them for
the truth of what l say" Col.
Lee offered to exclude all visitors
if their presence and their ques-
tons were annoying, but Brown
replied that, on the contrary, he
was glad to talk to them, and to
make himself and his motives
clearly understood.
There was intense excitement
in Virginia and throughout
the South. Wild stories of a
general conspiracy for the over
throw of slavery were circulated.
The matter was solemnly con
sidered by the President and his
Cabinet, aud steps were taken
for the defense of Washington
against apprehended attack.
There was much mastering and
drilling of militia for expected
service. The politicians filed |
the air with tire-eating speeches.
aud public meetings passed in.
dlgnant and bloodthirsty resolu.
tions. Martial law was declared
in the district around Charles
town, where the captured raid
ers we're confined. and a small |
army was collected there TO guard
them and to resist any effort that !
might be made to rescue them. |
Gen. Taliaferro, a pompous old
fellow, with staff as large as
Napoleon's at Waterloo, was in
command. One regiment, it is
told, was composed of men who
had never seen a railroad, and
when they were brought up to
train, and the engine whistled,
they all broke and ran for the
hills, and finally had to be back
ed in like mules. The old ba-
rouche in which Browns wife
came to visit him ives surround
ed by a company of cavalry, and
she was received with ridiculous
military ceremony, Every burn
ing haystack caused the long roll
TO be sounded, and the troops
would seize their arms in antici-
patton of battle, Business was