The Strange Story of Harper's Ferry, with Legends of the Surrounding CountryBarry, Joseph
History
The Strange Story of Harper's Ferry, with Legends of the Surrounding Country
Barry, Joseph
Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) -- History; Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) -- History -- John Brown's Raid, 1859
In 1862 Mr. Daniel J. Young, formerly master machinist at the rifle
factory, was sent from Washington City to take charge of the ordnance at
Harper's Ferry, as also, of all the government property at that place.
He was the same who, on the morning of the Brown Raid, ventured to
remonstrate with and warn the invaders. We have already given an account
of his services to the government and his promotion to the rank of
captain in the regular army, and how he was retained at Harper's Ferry
from the time of his appointment in 1862 until the end of the war, and
still farther, until 1869, when the government interests at the place
were disposed of at public sale. In the meantime, he was made defendant
in a suit against the government for possession of the most important
part of the armory grounds--the plaintiff being Mr. Jacob Brown, of
Charlestown, West Virginia, who had a long-standing claim for said
property, arising from alleged irregularities in the original purchase.
The case was decided in Parkersburg, West Virginia, in August, 1869,
Chief Justice Chase presiding at the trial. The verdict was in favor of
Captain Young and the government. Some years before Mr. Brown had
another suit with the government for another piece of property. This
first trial took place in the United States Courts, at Staunton,
Virginia, and the result was adverse to Mr. Brown's claim.
During the winter of 1868-69 a bill was introduced into Congress and
passed, providing for the sale of the government property at Harper's
Ferry. On the 30th of November and the 1st of December, 1869, therefore,
it was put up at public auction, and the armory grounds and the site of
the rifle factory were purchased by Captain F. C. Adams, of Washington,
D. C., for the sum of two hundred and six thousand dollars, with one and
two years time for the payment. Most of the houses and lots belonging
to the government in other parts of the town were disposed of to
citizens on terms similar as to time, and very high prices were offered.
Captain Adams represented, as he said, some northern capitalists, and
great hopes were entertained for the revival of manufactures at the
place and the renewal of the old-time prosperity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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