The Strange Story of Harper's Ferry, with Legends of the Surrounding Country — John Shaqi
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
Mr. Stubblefield was succeeded, in 1829, by Colonel Dunn. This gentleman
had been connected with a manufacturing establishment, at the mouth of
Antietam Creek. His was a melancholy history. He was a strict
disciplinarian and, indeed, he is represented as having been a martinet.
The severity of his rules offended several of the workmen, and he paid
with his life a heavy penalty for his harshness. A young man named
Ebenezer Cox, an armorer, had given offense to Lieutenant Symington,
while the latter temporarily filled the office of superintendent, during
the second court martial on Mr. Stubblefield, and, therefore, he was
dismissed by that officer. When Colonel Dunn succeeded to the office,
Cox applied to him for a reinstatement. It is said that the latter
expressed contrition and made submission to Colonel Dunn who, with
violent language, refused to be appeased and displayed great
vindictiveness by threatening with expulsion from the armory works any
employe who should shelter the offender in his house. Cox's
brother-in-law, with whom he boarded, was obliged to refuse him
entertainment, and it appeared as if Colonel Dunn was determined by all
means to force Cox to leave his native town. Thus "driven to the wall"
the desperate man armed himself with a carbine and presented himself at
the office of the superintendent, about noon, on the 30th day of
January, 1830. What conversation took place is unknown, but in a few
minutes, a report of fire arms was heard. People rushed to Colonel
Dunn's office and were met by his wife who, with loud lamentations,
informed them that her husband was murdered. The colonel was found with
a ghastly wound in the stomach, through which protruded portions of the
dinner he had eaten a few minutes before. Being a very delicate,
dyspeptic man, he generally used rice at his meals and a considerable
quantity of this food was found on the floor near him, having been
ejected through the wound, but, strange to say, it was unstained with
blood. When found the Colonel was expiring and no information could be
got from him. Mrs. Dunn was in her own house, opposite to the office,
within the armory enclosure, when the crime was committed, and knew
nothing, except the fact of the murder. She had heard the shot and,
suspecting something wrong, had entered the office and found her husband
as above described, but the murderer had escaped. Suspicion, however, at
once rested on Cox and diligent search was made for him. He was
discovered in the "wheelhouse" and taken prisoner. The arrest was made
by Reuben Stipes. Cox made no resistance and he was immediately
committed to Charlestown jail. The body of Colonel Dunn was buried in
Sharpsburg, Maryland, near the spot where, many years afterwards,
General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate army, stood while directing the
movements of his troops at the battle of Antietam. There is a tradition
that the day of his funeral was the coldest ever experienced in this
latitude.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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