The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-10-01

p,iaL Aeehiah, steward Taylor and Jere-
Dan ". anderson. white men. killed with
Daingerheld Newly. freeman of color-aIi
Hlileo In the fighting at Harper's Ferry. Oct.
stsu y 10; lSos; with those of Aaron Dwight
S1sNehs and Albert Hazlett, whites. held as
March IA. 1860.
THE AGES OF THE
Let me tell as succinctly as can of the
men who followed John Brown. The ages
OF the men engaged in the raid are worth
hotlclng. The commander, John Brown.
was. at the time of the blow he struck. ff-
lynne years, five months and eight DAYS
old- Ihe youngest member, William Henry
Leehan. was three days less than twenty
years and seven months old when he was
siain' on the afternoon Of Oct. II, 1853. Oil
Yer Brown was but ten lays older when he
eLeo on the 18th. Barclay Coppoc. killed in
III Union army two years later. was two
months and sixteen days older when he es-
capped from the Ferry. Dauphin THOMPSON.
hh ~" IN the marines attack on the engine
mouse on Oct. is. was just twenty-one years
ana six months old when he died. Albert
Iazlets and Francis Jackson Merriam were
IN m"t TWO months of the same age, being
III eneir tWenIy,second years. Hazlett was
the younger. John Henri Cagi, Edwin Cop
poe and Watson Brown were I'm their TWEEN
Brown the youngest. William Thompson
and jeremiah @. Anderson were in their
SMeniy-slSth years and in the order named.
900 AAAN lluN WdS DDTH I0 lUn6
Coz, and was, therefore, several months in
MS tWenty-eighth year. Stevens's birthday
was March 10, 1881, and as he was hanged
on March 10. 1850. he was then one day over
ms t~wenty-ninth birthday. John Edwin
COOK was five months i'm his thirtieth wear
MMnlIe owen Brown, when he escaped from
ndrper Ferry, was two weeks less than
tnlrty-Six years old.
me five colored men are not definitely
reported as thirty-four or thirty-6ve years
OLD. q. p. Anderson had passed his twenty
iourth year when he escaped. John Cope
Iahd, when executed, was a little less than
twenty-five. Leary. when killed. was about
SIX months older, and Shields Green was in
ms twenty-hfth year; That makes the tally
as 10 the wears of those present.
Inc remaining men whose names were
known In connection with the Harper's
one or another reason were not in at the
nn1sh. were young in years. Four of them
practically retired from the plan-Luke Par
son did so definitely; Richard Realf, the
poet, went away and was lost sight of for
over a year; Charles b. Moffet also got OUT
OF touch as to time. while the colored man,
fIcnard Richardson. took a wife unto him.
SELF and remained behind in Canada. George
II. Gill. named as secretary of state in the
so~called provisional government organized
at the Chatham (Canada) convention, was
violently sick with rheumati fever in Iowa,
and could not move. Richard j. Hinton re-
ported Tor duty direct TO Captain Brown
and Kagi. but was sent to Chambersburg
and Philadelphia to look after stores, etc,
a short time before the blow was struck,
and so was unable to get into the fighting.
Frank b.. Sanborn, John Browns most
trusted adviser and confidant, was not ex-
pected to participate in the actual conflict.
his efforts being of more value in affecting
public opinion. Martha Evelyn (Brewster)
Brown, the young wife of Oliver Brown,
and Annie Brown. both of them under sew
enteen, were at the Kennedy farm till with
in a few days of the attack, and are to be
regarded as of the force quite as much as
those who fell in the effort. Martha, with
her baby, died during the ensuing winter at
North Elba. OF those thus named as of the
movement, but not actually. no one was
over thirty. / believe. and most Of them
were several years less.
ALMOST ALL OF COUNTRY STOCK.
Nearly all of them were country born and
bred. Francis Jackson Merriam was the
only one who could be counted as of what
is now termed the leisure class" His
grandfather, Francis Jackson, the president
of the American Anti-slavery Society, was
a wealthy merchant. His father had been
a man of means and he himself was edu-
Gated by private tutors and travelled widely
in Europe, inheriting also a small fortune.
John Edwin Cook was of a well-to-do Con-
necticut family, received a good academic
education and studied law. kagi was of a
farmer and mechanic family, but by his
own exertions secured an education through
teaching and by severe study. He was a
Stenographer, lawyer, excellent newspaper
writer and a fine linguist as well as a fair
classical scholar. Stevens was of Connect
cut stock, village and town workers, small
store keepers and music teachers. He him
self at fifteen went to the Mexican wal and
Dragons when he Joined the Free State
movement. He read voraciously and
was me Teay ,h'e fagily and n1do was Clever er
workman himself. j. c.. Anderson was in
tended for the Universalist pulpit, but be-
came a millwright and stock raiser. Lee
man worked as an operative in a New Eng
land shoe factory. All the others, except
the cOlored man Anderson, a printer, were
ranra1 ON VIM Civ Of thnro uroro from
North Elba-the four Browns and the two
ThOmpsOns. These two families all had en-
gagged directly in the conflict against the
aggressions of slavery-eight men, of whom
six were killed, one wounded in Kansas and
who ever since has been more or less of
an invalid; while of the women and chill
dren affected two died from grief and shock
and a score more suffered greatly. There
were five born in Newland, two in Penn
%sylvania, two i'm New York, two in Iowa;
one was of Vermont stock, but born In
Canada, and the balance were OhioanS. The
Browns, Stevens, Anderson, Kagi, Cook and
Tide were of Puritan, revolutionary and
HuguenOt type. Probably some of the
others had deep colonial roots. There were
none among the fighters not of American
stock. Realf and the writer were the only
ones not of native birth who were made
cognizant of the movement.
SURVIVORS IN THE CIVIL WAR.
When those who survived the fight in
Virginia came to meet with their fellow
citizens the needs of civil strife they were
not found missing. Ot the browns TWO
were able to serve, one as captain of cav
airy and the other as a lieutenant of in
fantry. The North Elba Thompsons gave
four men, one of whom still lives. Bar
clay Coppoc was slain in a guerrilla am
bush as second lieutenant in a Kansas reg
iment. Two brothers were soldiers till the
end. Anderson had several brothers in the
army. Kagis brother also served. Tidd
died as a soldier, of fever, from exposure
in Burnside's Roanoke island expedition OF
1862. The HaZletts were represented, as
also the brothers of Stevens. osborn Perry
Anderson (colored printer was a sergeant
major. The writer had the pleasure OF
mastering Copeland's brother. William, into
the service as second lieutenant of a col
ored light battery. My own span of three
and a half years service, with some early
months of special work in the secret serv-
ice. bears its own record. Richard Realr
was as heroic a soldier as he was a full
throated and bugle-blowing war poet. Par
sons. Lenhart, Moffet and Gill were all in
the lighting ranks.
One naturally in reviewing so startling ar
episode. so remarkable a drama, as that oil
the Harper's Ferry raid, may ask what mas
become of the families and survivors OF
those who wrote their names and deeds III
such lines of living fire. OF John Brown
Immediate family only two sons remain II
the land of life. There are three married