Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-19

of Maryland. and seems to contain the
suggestion for another ramble. 1t en-
braces an extensive tract Of country.
* X
1t is but a few hundred yards after
you pass Samples Manor Church that
you come in sight of a quaint OLD
house with a low porch across the
whole front. A road to IL leads left
from the main way and you push open
a big red brown gate and pass up to
the house. You are now on the John
Brown farm.
The house which Brown and his fam
lily and partisans occupied during their
preparation for the attack on Harpers
Ferry has partly been built since 1859.
but the old part still stands and is
included in the newer house. In tn"
time of John Brown the house hal
stone walls to the height of one story.
and on top of that stone work was \
structure of logs one story high. and
containing one room At one end or
this stone and log house was an adj
dttion built of logs. two stories high.
but of smaller dimensions than the
main part of the house. In this all
log part there was room downstairs
and one upstairs and the upper room
was reached by a flight of rude steps on
the outside. The hip roof was shingled
and stone chimney rose above 1t.
Near the south end of the house was
log building that was used as a
meat house or storehouse. The lot
around the house and the outbuildings
were inclosed by a stake and rail fence.
like much of the fencing which is to
he seen in that country today. There
is a picture of this house as IL was
when John Brown dwelt there. in pos
session of W. L.. Erwin of Harpers
Ferry. The log outbuilding is gone. but
there will be pointed out to you the
otf
in which the Brown people stored pixies
and muskets and such other weapons
and munitions as they collected. The
place has had many owners and ten
Holmer farmed the place for a num-
Der of years and Daniel Packard Of
Hagerstown was the owner for rather
long period. The property. which
covers 800 acres. is now owned by l.. F..
Calvert and Joseph Savage. and most
of the land is planted in fruit trees
The family living in the house is that
of Edgar Gross.
memories. but visible reminders of thu
John Brown tenantcy are few.
Il
Less than half a mile from the his
toric house and off the main road in
the direction of Elk Ridge lives
woman who knew John Brown, the
sons and the other men who gathered
there. Her name for many years has
been Mrs. Mary Moore, and her hus-
band sleeps in the graveyard at the
side of Samples Manor Church Be-
fore her marriage she was Mary Cath
crime Hoffmaster, and her father and
his family were not only neighbors
but close friends of the Browns She
said:
Yes. indeed; / knew John Brown
hnf r-a b. IL
tainly were surprised. Nobody would
have believed 1t of him if they hadn't
seen all the trouble at Harpers Ferry
with their own eyes. He was fine
old man and splendid neighbor. and
whenever he killed a hog he always
sent his neighbors a piece of meat.
He could quote the Bible by the yard
and knew every word that was in the
DC book s.,,i and :, was ~, as regular at church
Brown were great friends. and we
children, who were growing UP then
liked him very well. Mr.. Browns sons
were good deal over my age then.
but I thought they were very nice
young men,
One may not learn as much of John
Brown by talking with this woman
who lived close to him for several
months and went to church with him
as by reading the work of Redpath,
his biographer. but ii is interesting to
sit under a tree within sight of the
mouse John Brown occupied and talk
with a woman who knew him.
AS far as known, the names of the
Brown party in the attack on Harpers
Ferry, and who are often referred to
as 1.-The INVADERS" in addition to John
Brown and his sons, Watson. Oliver
and Owen. were Aaron D. Stevens, Ed
win Coppic Barclay Coppic. Albert
Hazlett, John E. Cook, Stuart Taylor,
William Lehman. William Thompson.
John Henry Kagi,' Charles P. Tydd.
Oliver Anderson jeremiah Anderson
Dolph Thompson, DangerfieId Newly.
Shields Greene. John Copeland and
Lewis Leary. Newly, Greene, Cope
land and Leary were colored.