Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1902-04-18

His knife and pistol were found b
some of our men several days later
After getting out of thesriver, l wen
home and changed my clothes; afte
eating dinner concluded to go to tn
Ferry and see what had become of tn
rest of our men. / went over Cam
Hill, down High street, without meet
ing or seeing any one. Every hous
was closed. When 1 turned the cor
ner of Shenandoah street saw a mai
lying in the gutter opposite the Arse
nal gate. l went to him and turnet
him over and found him to be one o
Browns men. He was a yellow man
and looked as if he had been shot from
an upper story window from the Op
posite side Of the street, he was sho
|. in the left side of the neck, the bal
coming out of the right side near tn,
hip bone. then went over to the rail
road tressling, when l turned the cor
ner at the hotel, | saw another mai
lying between the tracks of the rail
road about hundred yards from the
corner of the hotel. l went to him ani
found him to be Major Beckham. WIZ
was railroad agent as well as Mayor Of
the town. After l turned him ovel
some men in the upper story of the
hotel raised window and called te
me to pull him back 1 dragged him
back about six or eight feet, and they
came out and carried him into the
1 hotel. do not know how long he had
been there before [ found him, but he
was stiff. They told me that Brown Is
men shot at every person that passed
| the water house; [ saw the danger then
and kept back.
| One of Browns sons was standing
inside the door of the engine house,
| which was opened about two feet. He
| had one foot on the hub of the fire
engine, with his gun lying on his leg.
| took my stand behind the corner of
the water house, but as soon as look
ed around he raised his gun to take
aim. l continued to play peep with
him for some time, but finally looked
around when be was not looking and |
shot him; the doors were shut then
and were not opened any more until
Col. r. E. Lee opened them-Or rather
had them opened-the next day.
Armstead Ball was second officer in
the Armory, or master armOrer. He
was one of the men that Brown had
prisoner In the engine house. AS soon
as the doors were opened I asked Mr..
Ball if the shot that the man got just
before the doors were closed had hurt
him, and he said. it had killed him.
He said it was one of Browns sons,
and that he had been warned before
that last shot struck him in the breast
and finished him.
Browns men then cut port holes
through the brick wall of the build
ings east side, and would shoot anyone
that would 60 along Main street.
About that time train came down
from Martinsburg with about hun
dred men. They went into the yard
made a great fuss. Geo. Murphy, son
of the paymaster, got bullet in the
calf of his leg, and man named Rich
ards had an eye shot out, and they
fell back. 1t commenced to rain then,
and Mr.. Strider tied white hand
kerchief On bis umbrella and went and
talked to Brown. He asked Brown if
he would surrender, but be would not;
yet he said if the citizens would let
him and his men 60 to the Maryland
end of the bridge without molesting
them, they would leave. OF course we
would not agree to that, so we ap.
pointed guards fo watch the engine
house and patrols to patrol the streets
and left him with his prisoners stay in
the engine house. That night Col. R.
E. Lee arrived with two companies
and went into camp in the ArmOry yard.
The next morning after breakfast
was standing close to Col. Lee and
Gov. Wise. when Col. Lee asked Lieut..
Greene if he wanted the honor of TAX
ing those men out. Greene raised his
hat and thanked him. Greene then
called out detail, they got sledges
and went to hammering against the
doors, but Gid not make much impress
sion. They then got very long ladder
that stood against the shop, and about
twenty men used il as battering
ram. At the third lick they broke a
hole in the doors about four feet from
the ground, and Lieut.. Greene jump
ed up into the hole, his orderly ser
geant was climbing in partly between
Greene's legs, when some one inside
shot and killed him. He was the last
man killed.
And now 1 believe 1 have stated
about all that occurred under my own
sight, and in conclusion, [ wish to
state that in giving this brief account
of the John Brown raid at Harper's
Ferry in 1859, have tried to state it
as correctly as can, to the very best
of my memory, as I saw them, this
being the first time I have ever written
this account for publication. wish
to call public attention to one other
account by some one who must have
maliciOusly misrepresented the killing
of Leaman in the river. 1t was stated
that be was shot after he had surren
dered. l declare this to be barefaced
lie, and l know whereof [ speak. If
he had ever raised his hand he would
never have been shot, but instead of
showing any signs of surrender, he
drew his knife, which was very long
butcher knife, cut his belt, disposed
of his Cartridge box and coat, as stated
before, retaining his knife in one hand
and six shooter in the other, looking
me squarely in the face, and in my
opinion, decided to take chances with
me, knowing had but one charge.
Respectfully,
q. A. SCHoPPERT.