Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1907-04-13
JOHN BROWNS PISTOL
Nov 10 Possession Of Young
theatrical Manager,
a NATIVE OF MARTlNsBURG
Father Kept Hotel at q. & o. s.,k;.r
When Everybody Took Their
Meals Here.

hrown OF Ossawatomic. expected -
use 70 liberate the negro Ia antebeIlur
days, ia owned by ormond H. Butler
business manager Of Adelaide Thurs
ton.
Mr., Butler came into the possession
OF this old relic through meeting
with his cousin In Roanoke. va. whom
he had not seen for thirty-five years
and Mr. Butler viii forward it in a few
days to his sister in Baltimore who has
an old pike presented to Mr. Buffers
father at the trial of John Brown. held
at Charles Town.
Mr. Buffers father. Ormond RI. Bnt-
Ter, ST., was acting sheriff. who kept
hotel at Harpers Ferry, one In Mar
tinsburg, In what is now Berkeley
county. West Virginia, and another at
Sandy Hook Maryland. across the riv-
er from Harpers Ferry At the Mar
tinsburg hotel, the present business
manager Of Miss Thurston was born
and is proud that he is West vir-
ginian. AZ that time. the trains on
the Baltimore Ohio stopped here and
the elder Butler enjoyed 4 large trade
at his obstetrics drawn from the trav-
cling public
In 1S5a John Brown aad his three
sons dropped into Sandy Hook across
the river from Harpers Ferry, then q
growing town with the rifle works sit
uated there employing about 1900
men. aud secured board at Butlers
hotel at that point Brown and his sons
went under the name of John Smith
and sons and were known to the pub
lie around the nolghborhood as pros
pcctors. After awhile Brown OF
Smith. a9 he was known TO the peoN
pie of that town, rerted small farm
In the mountains near Sandy Hook
not far from Maryland Heights, osten-
sibly for the purpose of raising sheep.
but really as rendezvous of those In
terested in the scheme proposed by
John Brown for the liberation Of the
colored man.
Two white men and % negroes
joined tie party and one morning
they surprised Harpers Ferry and took
possession Of the rifle works. Pre-
vious to this they made a trip through
! the surrounding country and taking
and taking the owners of plantations
MS prisoners, they freed the slaves
The prisoners were taken to the en-
CINE house and at the rifle works ans
locked in and this old engine house
was later known as John Browns forf.
A number of citizens we're killed and
wounded in the attack.
John Browns raid was ended when
the marines under the command Of
General Stewart from Maryland and
General Robert e. Lee made their an
pearancc Brown himself was impris.
oned In the old fort. with his captsves
and much difficulty was experiences
In getting him to surrender as he held
out for a long time and the beseigers
were afraid to shoot for fear OF kill.
ing the citizens imprisoned in the en-
CINE house. One of his sons was can
tured and while the crowd of jnfurf
ated people were taking him across
the bridge to hang him, he bit the.
thumb OF one Of his captors while re-
sisting and he was shot with a pistss
In the back Of the head. His body
fell into the river below and lodging
on rock was a target for the rifles
Of the mob.
Brown was placed under arrest and
taken to Charles Town where he was
tried in the old court house that stun
stands at the county seat OF Jefferson
county. During his trial he presented
to Sheriff Butler weapon known as
a pike, II being a sort of spear and
sword combined, the blade about
twelve inches in length and fastened
to pole about six feet in length. Ar
OF Browns company were armed with
''N'ftf~D. hC pthN - NOW III LUt d.
session OF the sheriff's daughter, who
resides in Baltimore.
During the trial, the revolver now
in the possession of Mr.. Butler was
offered as evidence but later disap-
peared and its whereabouts became
a mystery. At Roanoke, Mr.. Butler
met his cousin William McAbee en-
ployed In the Norfolk and Western
machine shops at that place. ard
knowing that Butler was interested in
the curio because OF his fathers con-
nection with the case that stirred
the whole country, he presented the
gun to the theatrical man and explain
ed the whereabouts of the gun for the
last half century. His brother Taylor
McAbee, who lived at Sandy Hook
during the Brown raid, secured the
gun at the trial and carried IT AWAY