Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-28
Carl Brown Said to Have Enlisted a
Company Of Mountaineers.
TWO HUNDREDSTAND OF ARMSSECURED
Coxey's Cd Followers Urged to
Join the New Movement.
@ U EE R OPE RAT ION s

"A washington SeHtlelIldH WHO has spent
a week hunting up in the Blue Ridge in the
vicinity of Front Royal is authority for
most interesting story in regard to the
present whereabouts and operations of Carl
Brown, who became conspicuous as the aid
and son-in-law of Coxey, the labor agitator.
After marrying Coxey's daughter and max
ing his home for several weeks in Washing
ton, where his huge figure, clad in deerskin
garments, became a familiar street sight,
Brown betook himself to Virginia, and, it
is said, became the bosom comrade and
COMPLIANT of Capt. o. c. Cullen. On the
mountain farm where Cullen built his no.
tel are several old abandoned log houses,
nearly fallen to the ground. In one of
these Brown has made his home, and, ac-
cording to the Washington sportsman, is
snugly ensconced there, with very COM
Portable surroundings, and living in no APP
parent want of any of the necessities nor
some of the luXuries of life. Pursuing his
aptitude for caricature and sensational
pamphleteering, Brown has spotted the
mountain roadsides and woodlands with
his peculiar handbills, exhorting the noun
taineers to rally around his standard and
become soldiers in the army of industrial
protest and reform
The supplemented mountain folk, to
whom q few words written or printed on
white paper are as magic, have responded,
selves under his command. For several
weeks they have attended regular drills on
one of the level mountain benches, where
the motley assemblage of lank and swarthy
mountaineers, under Browns pompous
leadership have been perfecting them
selves in the manual of arms and the move
mentS of the company.
Shipment of Arms.
A singular thing told in this connection
is the statement of the station agent at
Riverton that Brown a few days ago re-
ceived two hundred stand of arms, with
quite large supply of ammunition.
Whence these guns came or for what use
they are to be placed in the hands of
Browns company of mountaineers is thus
far mystery. Some residents of the COM
munity believe that Capt. Cullen has Sc
cured these rifles. and it is thought that
when the mountain recruits have been suff-
GENTLY drilled effort will be made to
tender their services to the commando" of
the insurgent army in Cuba. Cullen has
sent out a large number of nicely engraved
invitations to people who might be inclined
to sympathZe with the Cuban cause. solic-
itins contributions of money and firearms,
and some connection is supposed to exist
between this action on his part and Browns
enlistment of men. To the mountaineers,
who are at this time of the year idle and
ready for any kind of sport, the adventure
ting great deal of fun out of it.
The movement extends for a good many
miles up and down the Blue Ridge into re-
gions where TO wagon ever Travelled. and
the means of communication is over mar
row mountain paths ;hickly beset with
boulders and logs, and among population
that suhsists upon the simplest and most
shiftleSS basis of living. The older 4Ren
war in the confederate army, take very
naturally to Browns suggestions, and the
younger ones initiate their example with a
Zest born of their youth and love of arms.
COxey's Men Invited.
Brown has kept in correspondence with
many of the famous army that marched
into Washington in May of 1894, and has
sent out to them the same invitation which
has been given to the mountainous. These
notifications assure the cid followers of
CoXey that if they will come to the Blue
Ridge they need nave no concern about
rations a place to sleep, and that full
supply of arms and accouterments has
been provided for as many of them as will
return TO tie old cause. So far, it is said,
none of the Old followers of Brown and
Coxey have made their appearance. The
well-to-do people of the neighborhood,
while they look upon Browns operations
with the mountaineers as good deal of
joke. and make no special objection to
it, do Lot LOOK with favor upon the as
scmbling of CoXey's old forces in their vi
cinity. The mountain people have plenty
of pork, cOrnmeai and preserves to run
themselves through the winter after their
peculiar manner of living, at certain times
of the year having plenty to eat, and at GER
tain others soinShalf starved,yet the thrifty
and provident farmers in the valley do not
relish the prospect of an overflow of
trampS upon their corn cribs and smoke
houses, as they think would be certain 10
follow the attempts of the mountain folks
to subsist any considerable number of
Coxeys army. They are therefore keeping
a close watch on Browns operations, and
the county and municipal authorities hold
themselves in readiness to suuclch Browns
Quixotic undertaking, whenever it threat
ems to bring upon the towns of Riverton
and Front Royal the prospect of an in
vasion by undesirable and laWiess body
of men.