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
six miles below. After a little more time the news was confirmed,
qualified, however, by the intelligence that he was likely to die from
the effects of the exposure. Shortly after, another rumor was spread
that he had died, but, about 8 o'clock, p.m., the old hero made his
appearance in the flesh, having been rescued, sure enough, and having
revived from a fainting fit into which he had dropped on being landed
from his perilous voyage. He had waited at Berlin for the passenger
train due at Harper's Ferry at the above hour, and having taken passage
on it he was restored to his anxious friends. He was received with the
greatest enthusiasm and conveyed by an exultant crowd to the residence
of his niece, Mrs. Julia Johnson. It was the seventy-sixth anniversary
of Mr. Wernwag's birthday and, taking into account his age, as well as
the circumstances of the adventure itself, it is one of the most
extraordinary instances on record of providential preservation from what
appeared to be inevitable destruction.
Soon after Mr. Wernwag's hasty passage down the river, a ludicrous
mistake was near causing trouble between some of his friends. At that
time there lived at Harper's Ferry two men of hasty tempers, but of
generous impulses--one an Englishman and the other an Irishman. They
were inseparable companions and proverbial for their attachment to one
another. Both were great admirers of Mr. Wernwag and with moist eyes
they both stood close together on the river bank, when their old friend
was swept off to his death, as all supposed. Mr. Wernwag had an only son
who was named Edward. The young man happened to be away from the place
at the time, which was a great aggravation of the calamity supposed to
have been consummated. The boy's acquaintances used to call him
"Wernwag's Ed." and this familiar appellation was the cause of a
misunderstanding, which was near ending in a fist-fight, between the
friends referred to. About the time when the old man reached the "Bull
Ring" the Englishman turned to his Irish friend and asked him where he
thought Wernwag's Hed could be found--of course meaning the boy. As
usual with his countrymen, he used the aspirate "=H=" before the vowel.
The Irishman understanding the inquiry to refer to the poor old
gentleman's cranium, and thinking that the question savored of untimely
levity, replied that he supposed it would be found with the rest of the
body, and he added some comments to show his opinion of his friend's
heartlessness. The Briton feeling innocent of any wrong, and being a man
of pluck, put in a sharp rejoinder which was met by another from the
peppery Irishman. The quarrel was intensified by the laughter of the
by-standers who took in the situation accurately. The interference of
friends alone prevented a set-to and the belligerents were alienated
from one another for many weeks after. The matter dropped when the
mistake was explained and they became fully reconciled.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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