Year: 1859

wood and screw through the furrule and wood ami
shaft Of the blade. These spears obviously made
the hands OF negroes 10 do the butchery serye
iDsurrecOu Besides these arms he had large q,,an-


ty Of clothing wearing apparel and bed clothing
preparations and provision Of all kinds At no time had
be than twenty two men, and the night of Sab
bath, the 10th inst, be invaded the county OF Jcsr
and Harpers Ferry with butnneeen menone Of the


latter from Canada, born In North Carolina and last


from Ohio These men came, few as they were from far
wich county, from Harrisburg Penn from Iowa, from
Ashtabula, Ohio, and from Canada and other places
They transported their arms through Pttsburg Cham
bersburg, named Henric being chief agent and
the latter place concentrated and thence the
Kennedy farm in Maryland. There they had been for
tons were on foot, they kept man named John r.
Cook at Harpers Ferry, or near by, pro-
fessedly teaching school in Maryland across the
Potomac opposite the arsenal He had married at
Harpcrs Ferry and his wes mother and brother lived


there and he spent much Of his time there He in
constant communication with the slaves the surrounding
country took of them, and was thoroughly in
formed OF yhng about the arsenal. The plan Of
operations with all this opportunity and information
easily formed and executed. On the night Of the 10TH
armed with rifles and revofvers the nineteen men about
O'Clock, entered tho town. put the lights the


telegraph wres and stationed thirteen TO arrest the in
habans as they should appear in the morning, by
and two by two unsuspious OF danger and unarmed
and mprison them in the strong walled yards with iron
gates Six Of the men, Captain Stephens at their head
went four miles into the county Of Jefferson and took Col


Washington and Mr. Alstadt from their beds placed them
and nsr sves m 70 1orr morse and drove the
Of this expedition drove the wagon slaves across


tho Potomac into Maryland, to bring in the spears and
them from falling into the hands Of troops or
people who might come " attack them. They
Sa Sr u was 70 O ang


day morning dawned they bad fully opened the despe-
rate campaign They shot poor negro on the bridge;


they had stopped the going eastward, and detained


them for hours they had cut the telegraph wires, had
captured Washington and Astadt and their slaves four
mill in Tho had tha IN
bring In their arms and began TO mprs0n the operatives
Of the arsenal and the inhabitants Of the town, and TO
Turner-who resisted their violence. The Of this


flew to the country around The volunteers Of Jefferson
with Coonels Baylor and Gibson rushed to the scene
working day Dress and without arms munitions, sup
posing they. could get ammunition at the arsenal.
Blu. when they got there they found all the and
munitions in the hands Of the marauders. But, with
what arms they had, they attacked them, and some
seven a OF them were were wounded; but they Killed lI,a
have stormed and taken them in hour, but
they anxious for the lives and safety Of their
knives Of the ruans and they were restrained by their
appehcnsons thai they might be slaughtered by the dos
peradoes By this hesitation they allowed them to hold


liant ard noble Virginia Colonel Robert Lee worthy OF
any service on earth arrived with his regular corps Of
marines. He waited only for light Then rendered the
assault in State pride, 10 the Virginia volunteers who
there Their feelings for the prisoners made them
decline the risk of Staying their own friends and Le
could not delay moment to retake the arsenal punish
the impuden invaders and release the prisoners at the
necessary risk Of their own lives His galanuy


titled that the task was so easy. He saw United States
armory the possession of bandits from the superinen
dence Of which his profession had been elected and he


felt that the regular army and his native state were alike
dishon0red. With modification and chagrin inexpressi
ble he picked twelve marines and took the engine house


in ten minutes with the loss Of marine killed and
wounded without hurting hair OF one of the prisoners
And now say TO you that would have given my right
to its shoulder for that feat TO have been performed
by the volunteers Of virginia on Monday before the ma
ed Ru fllarnt no
cowardce panic on the part Of the inhabitants who
were made prisoners, on tho part of the volunteers
who first reached the They first bewildered
by the surprise They We're caught unsuspecting,
armed and knew not what TO make Of The extraordinary
thing They could not at first, conceive what meant.
They, than 100 of hem prisoners before they
realized the purpose of the INVADERS then they could
not ascertain their numbers and could not but believe
daring an act And thought the volunteers, who had
but few arms, cartridges, and training and who
were wholly ignorant of the force they had
and who felt for their nehbors and friends the prisoners


with great anxiety after seeing how rcmorseesy Turner
and Beckham had been shot down They vigorously
played their rearms and made assault and retired
only after sustaining severe volleys Of rifles from
brick walls densey ooped TO receive them, and
when they were without any artillery or means of
batiering doors walls. The prisoners were tho walls
OF tho marauders-stronger, with volunteers,
brick and mortar They loved Washington, and Alstadt
and Mills, and other prisoners, and Wouldn't their


lives. This wrong, but natural, and net cowardy.


chided them for their mistake and told them that had
arrived there in tme would have stormed the strong
hold in the shortest possible time and that If Gen George
Washington had been of the prisoners, aud his


life had been mpered by tho attack, II should have
been delayed five minutes cloud applause.) The lives
outside in this Gaze, precious the lives inside
OF the prison. and TO prove that not nhumanity
risk the lives Of prisoners would have gladly rsked my
life to them every hazard Of their lives and
my own. tremendous applause.) Such my sense
Of degradation at allowing these marauders hid that
arsenal with its prisoners, for i've minutes, would not
have pareyed with them moment-l would have order
ed the attack and led il. (Tremsndous applause)
would proudly have risked my life to have gotten my
guard there in time, and TO have taken the place
with our own Virginia boys (Applause) was
ready to weep when found the whole force overcome
only some twelve fifteen men, and the vrginia
volunteers had not captured them before Col Lee
But, my fellow citizens, you must not imagine that this
invasion was so Insignificant, that Commander Brown
mad because this force small. His force,
small as was, was largo enough to divide to penetrate
sleeping country around and TO take United States
nal, with all its arms Taking these his expectation
joined Immediately by hundreds and thousands
Of the United States which he had captured the
Shareholders Of Maryland and Virginia In this consisted
his disappointment and failure. No negroes rose up
seize the arms he ha captured The negroes he had cap
tured they crossed the river with Cook and got
out Of his wagon back in tepdaon to their masters
All of Mr. Alsadts returned, and all OF Mr. Washingtons
but onc-his carriage drivers body, the who drove
wagons into town when his master was made prisoner
found drowned Wednesday morning the Potomac And
this is the only consolation which have 10 Offer you in
this disgrace that the faithful slaves refused to take M
against their masters and those who taken by
force from their happy homes deserted their beraors as
as they could dare make the attempt (Appause


Not slave around was found fthless, and will
have lost life except the Of excellent character who
shot by Browns party the BRIDGE and except this
servant OF Colonel Washington whose body found in
the river and whom Cook may have shot in his attempt
10 escape from him. Brown was not mad but he was
miscrmed to the temper and disposition Of slaves
Ho ought TO have known that all the slaves north


ern border are held as were BY suerance-their
sufcrancetha they to ibcrators in Pennsylvania
easier than lberators como to their emancipation.
He Ignorant it SEEMS Of the patriarcha relations in
which slaves everywhere held by their masters
and what bonds Of affection and interest exist
between them and their masters. And thus was that
ssOld Brown the fanatic Of 0ssawatomic and Lawrence
and Fort Scott memory who denounced the Mssourans
boder ruflans, became the border rulan'' of yr-
ena himself, and prisoner OF treason to her au
fhory The slaves he would incte nsurrcction and
massacre would not take up arms against their masters
His spears were untouched by them. And they them
selves mistaken who take him to be madman He is n
bundle Of the best Fever - and thrust and
bleeding and in bonds. He is Of clear head OF
courage foriitudc and simple ngenuousness He is cool
collected and indotabc, and is but just TO him to say
that humane TO his prisoners attested 10 me by
Colonel Washington and Mr. Mills, and he inspired mo
with great his integrity man of truth He is