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
Of the Grand Jury that indicted Brown and the Petit Jury that tried and
condemned him there is but one survivor, as far as the writer knows, Mr.
Martin, now of Virginia. Judge Parker, who presided at the trial, and
the lawyers--Hunter and Harding--who prosecuted, have all "crossed the
bar" as have, probably, the strangers who defended. The
sheriff--Cambell--who officiated at the execution, and all his deputies,
have passed away. Lee and Stuart are dead, and it is believed that of
all who figured prominently in this remarkable tragedy the juror above
referred to is the only survivor, with the exceptions before named and
possibly that of Lieutenant Greene of the marines; but John Brown's fame
is on the increase and time enhances it, call him what you will. It is
remarkable that the gentlemen who were Brown's prisoners displayed
little or no vindictiveness towards the man who had subjected them to so
much danger. The writer frequently noticed in conversation with them
that they invariably dwelt on his extraordinary courage and that the
animosity, which it was natural they should feel on account of his
treatment of them, was lost in their admiration for his daring, though
misguided bravery. Mr. Donohoo visited him in prison and, very much to
his credit, exhibited towards his fallen foe a generosity characteristic
of the man himself and the gallant nation of his birth.
The story of the Brown raid should not close without notice of another
party who figured rather curiously in that memorable transaction. At
that time there lived at Harper's Ferry a half-witted fellow, named John
Malloy, who managed to gain a precarious living by getting scraps of
broken bread and meat from the kitchens of the people, in return for
services rendered in carrying water from the town pump and the river. He
was never known to sleep in a house--a door step answering all the
purposes of a bed, and a store box being regarded by him as a positive
luxury. When drunk--which was as often as he could get whiskey
enough--he had a particular fancy for a sleep on the railroad track and,
in consequence, he was run over several times by the trains, but it
appeared as if nothing could kill him. On one occasion the point of a
"cow catcher" entered his neck and he was pushed by the engine a
considerable distance. Even this did not terminate his charmed life, but
several ugly scars remained as mementos of the adventure. Like others,
he was taken prisoner by Brown and confined in the armory yard. About 3
o'clock in the afternoon of Monday when the alarm had spread a long way
and people had crowded in from the surrounding country, armed with every
species of weapon they could lay hands on, John managed to escape by
climbing the armory wall. When he was seen getting over, the country
people to whom he was unknown supposed that he was one of Brown's men,
and score of them blazed away at him with their guns. A shower of
bullets whistled 'round him and his clothes, never in the best of
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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