Evening star., 1921-06-26

dotes of Capt. John Avis. Browns
jailer at Charles Town: Judge Rich
ard Parker. who presided at the
trial; Andrew Hunter. the prosecut-
ing attorney. and Lawson Bolts. e.
J. Faulkner and l.. C. Green. who
Brown dismissed, and George H.
HoYt of Boston, Samuel Chiffon OF
Washington and Hiram Griswold of
Cleveland. who continued Browns
defense and conducted it until the
end of the last dark chapter. Mr..
Avey tells that John Brown. under
sentence of death, walked out of the
Jail at II am. and mounted a three
seated spring wagon. taking the mid
die seat beside Sheriff Moore. Capt.
John Avis. the jailer. and George
Saddler the undertaken, sat on the
front seat and Deputy Jailer James
Campbell the back seat. The wagon
was surrounded and accompanied by
six companies of militia.
Arriving at the scaffold. which was
surrounded by troops. he walked up
and. facing south. his arms were
bound with rope at the elbows and
his legs at the knees. The military
officers. Sheriff John Moore. Jailer
Avis. Deputy James Campbell, DR..
Strath and George Saddler. the un-
dertaker were the only persons per-
mitted to be between the square of
troops and the scaffold. The remains
of John Brown were taken from
Charles Town at 4 O'Clock that after
noon. and delivered to his widow
at Harpers Ferry Thence they were
taken to his old home, at North Elba.
Essex county. y. Y, where they pest.
4 X
WILLIAM DARKE. one of the orig
w inal trustees of Charles Town.
and whose grave is near the vener-
able city, was a man of renown when
the Blue Ridge and Shenandoah re-
gions were the wild west" of the
American colonies. He was born in
Pennsylvania, in 1886. but his parents
from, Shepherdstown when he was a
schild. He was an officer in the vir-
ginia provincial troops. serving with
Braddock. and was present at the
great defeat. He has been described
as a man Of "herculean frame. rough
manners, strong, uncultivated mind,
and of a disposition frank and fear
less" An officer in the revolutionary
army, he was taken prisoner at the
battle of Germantown, in 1877, but on
being released in the autumn of 1850
he returned to his home. and in the
spring of 1881 was at Winchester or
.ganizing troops.
He rejoined Washington's army in
command of a regiment recruited in
Hampshire and Berkeley counties, and
took part in the siege of Yorktown.
At the. end OF the revolution he re-
sumed his farming. He was chosen
as one OF the Representatives of Ber-
kelley county to the Virginia conven-
ton of 17sS. (which had been called to
approve or reject the proposed Con-
stitution Of the United States. and
he voted for its ts,adoption. He was an
officer in Gen. st., Clair's army in the
Indian wars during President Wash
ington's administration and his
youngest son. Capt. Joseph Darke.
was killed in action. Gen. Darke
(his regiment having been expanded
to brigade Just before the siege Of
Yorktown) died on his farm, Novem-
ber 20, 1901.
Jefferson county Was formed In
1901 from Berkeley. and in Howes
book of 1S45 is this: 1T was settled
principally by old Virginia families
from the eastern part of the state.
and the inhabitants still retain that
high and chivalrous spirit and gener-
Gus hospitality for which the race was
30 remarkable in the palmy days OF
its pYosperity"