The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-12-19
JOHN BROWN
PAPERS FOUND
Batch Of Them Among
Revolutionary Records.
REPORT OF HIS TRIAL
This Said to Be Among the interest
ing Documents.
MAY FIND HIS PERSONAL PAPERS
The Carpet Bag Containing These Thought
to Be 10 the Upper Part of the Capitol,
Where Colonel tiuuford Put
lt-New Light Nay Be
Thrown on Famous
MAY.F!ND HIS PERSONAL PAPERS

portancc have been discovered within the
last few days in FirSinia's Capitol. They
are the official documents OF the famous
John Brown case. These long sought for
relating to the Revolution, which. at the
time of the moving of the State Library
into it's new building, were tumbled into
a corner, where they lay until d few
days since Incidentally the hiding place
of John Browns personal papers has
come to light at last. These papers,
which were captured at the time Of his
arrest, wcro thrown into John Browns
carpet bag and are now somewhere in
the roof of the Capitol building.
1t is possible that efforts will be made
to recover this carpet Lag. and at the
same time there is d fear that rats have
made havoc with it and it's contents
In order to find il, it may be necessary
to tear d hole in the roof OF the build
ing, and this may cause some delay, as
so through many forms before this per-
mission is given. The papers which were
placed in the carpet bag are John
Browns personal papers. in which 1t IS
believed are many facts important TO
historians.
REPORT OF TRIAL.
Among the papers which have been
found, it is stated, are full reports OF
Browns trial, the various warrants is
Iued IN the matter and other things or
vital interest as throwing Information on
this event These papers are now IN
tho possession of the State Librarian,
Mr.. w. w. Scott, who declined last night
to allow a reporter to see them or to
tell exactly what was in them. They
are State records, however, and miy be
made public to-day.
There lies behind this discovery an in
teresting story, which will revive many
memories of tha period when the Unit
ed States. at war with itself, was torn
!, by dissenting voices and the passion OF
brother against brother. These papers
were conc ealed, as a matter of fact. 10
hold down. the tide of indig1la ton which
would inevitably have followed their pub
LEGATION.
7 AT the tiuse of he capture Of John
Brown. when his personal effects were
taken Hon. Henry 4. Wise, later Cen
eral Wise, was Governor of the State OF
Virginia. Colonel George Munford was
adjutant. and as such took charge OF the
papers, 10th those that had been taken
from John Brown and those relating to
the case. These remained in his posses
sion, as custodian. until that time when
in order to place them beyond public
reach, he took them on q, canal boat up
r ,-t1o,,
brought back to Richmond. they disap-
peared and he was the only man who
knew their whereabouts.
TOLD HIS son.
Colonel Munford died several years a go.
but before dying he told his son, who
was q: colonel in the Confederate Army
at the time of the Civil War, where the
Brown papers had been placed. They
had, he said, been bundled into the car
pet bag, which was the personal prop
erty Of John Brown, and had been hidden
among the glrders IN the roof OF the
Capitol He told exactly where they had
been placed, and from the time of his
death until the present, William Mum
ford, now Rev. William Munford. pastor
OF a church in MARYLAND, near Annapolis
has kept the secret.
DR.. Munford was in Richmond recently
for several days as a guest of Mr.. Chas.
H. Talbot, a No. aI3 East Franklin
Street. He is a relative of the Talbot
family. When he learned of the discov-
ery of certain Of the John Brown docu-
ments he told of the manner in which
his ia ther. Colonel George Iunford. had
hi0den the papers, and thus the matter
came to light after 50 many years. Now
Mr. Allan Talbot, of this city. may un-
dertake to restore the papers which Were
placed in the carpet bag, to the light Of
day through a search Of the capitol roof,
if such search is permitted.
INTEREST IN THE PAPERS
1t is not known or even conjectureG
how the papers which have been found
were thrown among those relics of the
Revolution, where they were found. It is
possible. however, that they may have
been hidden there by Colonel George Nun
ford at the time the other papers were
thrown into the loft Be this as it may.
there is a very wide interest in the docu-
ments and their discovery will create
something of a furore among historians.
Now it is believed that in the calmness
of a reunited country many facts hither
to dark as to the John Brown case will
be revealed, thus at this late day throw
ing a light on a matter of which SO little
is known.
DR.. William DIunforCi left Richmond on
Tuesday night to return to his home in
Maryland. He was possibly the last, OF
at least one of&the last. men to hold a
conversation with John Brown. This was
as Brown was on his way to the place Of