Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1922-10-12

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! Arrest, Trial and Execution oi Man
Who Tried to Free Slaves.
School boys and girls sing about
how they "Fiung John Brown or
i Sour Apple Tree" but how many
know the details of the tria.., cjnvic-
i tion and hanging Of John Brown IN
! Charles Town?
+ Sixty-three years ago the nation
swas rent with discussion over slav-
/. cry. 1T had. become the greatest is
sue since the Revolutionary war.
jwhile Horace Greedy wrote stirring
s editorials to free the slaves, John
Crown took an even more violent
course. He tried to free the slaves
! by force. It was national issue.
George d. Moore, former prose-
scutinge attorney in Charles Town, w.
Va, writing in local paper, says:
During the early summer of 1859
"a party Of strangers arrived near
FHarper's Ferry, then part OF Vir-
sginia. With them was an old man of
venerable, appearance who called
himself Isaac Smith. They repre-
scented themselves as prospecting for
minerals and took long and frequent
,Fambles over various parts OF the
Blue Ridge mountains near by. Al
ter few weeks they moved to what
is known as the Kennedy farm, about
five miles from Harper's Ferry, on
the Maryland side OF the Potomac
river, and established headquarters.
Thes were amiable people and soon
made number of friends. In the
meantime u large quantity Of arms
and, ammunition was smuggled in to
them.
Twenty men descended upon Har-
per's Ferry on the night OF Sunday.
October 16, 1859. They shot men in
the streets and took possession OF
the town. Nobody seemed to know
what 1t was all about. Later one OF
the attackers declared they had come
to free the Virginia slaves. They
said they had the means to accom-
plish their plan.
"News OF the attack on Harper's
Ferry was flashed across the nation.
The Virginia militia came, and Gov
srnor Wise OF Virginia took personal
charge After three day fight the
little army was captured. It's leader
was recognized as John Brown.
Brown and his followers were Ia
ken to Charles Town, where the grand
jury was In session. Virginia and
what Is now known as West Virginia
were then one State.
THE old Virginia law required
five days lapse between the prelimi-
nary and the submission of the case
to the grand jury.
"A whole nation was wrought up
to the tensest pitch during those five
days OF suspense. 1t was rumored
everywhere and particularly through
the South that John Browns little
army Of 20 men was but the forerun-
ner OF q mighty army from the North
to come down ands free the slaves,
and that O powerful secret organiza-
ton was planning revolt by riot and
murder and the Brown gang was to
be released from jail.
These rumors grew; they travelled
fast. 1t was argued that John Brown
would not have dared attempt such a
bold thing as the capture of Harper's
Ferry unless he hatsample backing,
"On October rs the preliminary
hearing opened, with the court house
heavily guarded by militia troops.
Everywhere the town was jammed
With strangers. There was q little
4 army OF newspaper men.
Brown, It is believed, fully real
ised what was to come. The court
house was across the street from the
1Ail. Brown was marched out from
the front door OF the Jail, grim and
determined. A double file Of soldiers
guarded him. He presented re-
markable picture.
whether he was legally right or
not, he believed his cause Just. He
waa six feet tall, stoop-shouldered,
< old, barehAaded and wore long,
shaggy gray beard. But his piercing
Old eyes showed no signs of fear.
Hjs condition is described as feeble,
,apd bystanders gaped in silence as
he moved slowly along, manacled.
: '"Ths court room was jammed with
go or 600 people. Eight justices of
tho peace conducted the preliminary
heArins. They constituted the. court
+ q fisps resort; upon their say would
0opena whether John Brown, avowed
s sNolttionist, should be set free with
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