T/ie Trial of John Brown.
167
prominent citizens to be held as hostages, in order, as he explained, to enable him to make terms of capitulation in case of being besieged, and also to prevent the use of artillery against him. For this purpose, Captain Stephens of his command, with John E. Cook and others, proceeded to the farms of Col. L. W. Washington, John
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Alstadt and others, a few miles off in Vir ginia, arrested them, and tak ing a number of their slaves, compelled them to hitch horses to car riages and wagons, and brought them . all back to Har pers Ferry; the citizens as pris oners, while the slaves having pikes placed in A. M. their hands, were ordered to At this time join the insur Hayward Sheprection. They pard, a negro took from Coloporter, going onel Washing upon the bridge THE COURT HOUSE ton's house to ascertain (In which the trial of John lirown took place). some valuable what was the relics, a sword matter, was or dered by the insurgents to halt and join and a pair of pistols that had descended to them, and turning to run, he was shot down, him by inheritance from General Wash ington. dying in a short time. The town had now become alarmed, and A detachment of insurgents was sent to capture and occupy Hall's rifle-works, on the citizens realized that it was in possession the Shenandoah side of the town; while of armed men. Brown and the main body proceeded to A citizen named Joseph Boerly was shot standing in his door. Some citizens by this occupy the United States Arsenal and build time appeared with arms, and the insurgents, ings lying along the Potomac, a short dis tance from the bridge. A part of his plan seeing they would be resisted, began to of campaign contemplated the capture of withdraw within the armory grounds, leav
ten o'clock that night. The town of Harpers Ferry lies in an angle between the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, which conjoin there, and flow through a gap in the mountain. A short distance above the point of junction, the Baltimore & Ohio railroad crossed the Potomac over a long bridge, where a watch man and lights were maintained. Approach ing from the Maryland side, Brown and his party captured the watchman and extin guished the lights on the bridge. A guard of four or five insur gents left to occupy the bridge, " held up " the eastbound express train, which ar rived shortly afteroneo'clock
