Franklin Repository

Who is responsible? asks The Journal of Commerce, in reference to the late affair at Harper's Ferry. If we were to look beyond the immediate actors in that affair, says the New York Tribune, we should say those were responsible who first set on foot and afterward encouraged and sustained the Border-Ruffian Pro-Slavery war against the Free-Labor settlers of Kansas. John Brown, then a peaceful and quiet citizen, went to Kansas with no intention to do anything against Slavery, except so far as his vote and influence might go to keep it out of that Territory by purely peaceable and legal means. He settled himself at Osawatamie, built a steam saw-mill there, gathered quite a settlement about him, and devoted himself with energy to the business in which he was engaged.--Finding, however, that the elections of the Territory had been invaded by armed intruders from Missouri, who drove the legal voters from the polls and returned as elected such persons as they saw fit, and that this usurpation of the powers and authority of a Territorial Legislature was countenanced by the Administration at Washington, he joined with the great body of the free- labor settlers in the movements that led to the framing of the Topeka Constitution. Under that Constitution, one of his sons was elected to the Legislature, and, about the same time that Gov. Robinson and others were indicted for high treason, this son of Brown was arrested at Osawatamie under a similar charge, his feet and hands were chained together, a heavy oxchain being employed for that purpose, and he was compelled to walk the whole way to Lecompton under a burning sun, the iron wearing the flesh from his ankles. Fatigue excitement, and bad treatment, brought on a brain fever, and, as no proper attention was paid to him, he died a few days after. The sacking of Lawrence followed. Buford's men, imported from South Carolina for the express purpose of driving the free-labor settlers out of the Territory, made their appearance, and these free-labor settlers had no alternative except to suffer themselves to be thus expelled or to take up arms in defense of their houses and property. Capt. Brown chose the latter; and it was thus that he was converted from a peaceful settler into the captain of a band of rangers. The first military exploit of his which made him known beyond the limits of the Territory, was a collision with a party of Bufford's men, in which, with an inferior force, he made thirty-one prisoners, and recovered a large quantity of plunder which these marauders had collected. Osawatamie itself was sacked by a large party of Pro-Slavery marauders, who committed great atrocities. It was at this time that the Sharp's rifles, to which The Journal of Commerce refers with so many affected starts of horror, were sent to Kansas as a means of enabling the free-labor settlers to maintain themselves in the Territory; and unquestionably but for the assistance thus sent, those settlers would have been expelled or cowed, and Kansas before now admitted into the Union as a Slave State.-- It is, perhaps, the agency of the Sharp's rifles, thus placed in the hands of the free-labor settlers, in promoting that consummation, that makes them such objects of detestation to The Journal of Commerce. The Missourians on the border, finding that the free-labor settlers were making an effective resistance, mustered a fresh force of more than of a thousand men, and, under Atchison as commander-in chief, marched into the Territory. A large detachment of this force proceeded against Osawatamie. As they approached the town, a son of Brown was taken prisoner and afterward shot in cold blood. The few inhabitants, taken by surprise, were unable to defend the place, which was first plundered and then burned.

Even after this partisan war was appeased in some parts of the Territory, it was kept up in Southern Kansas, and Brown had an active part in it. He began on the principle of defense--he now acted on that of revenge.--This feeling on his part was still further aggravated by the Missouri expedition, under the notorious Captain Hamilton which invaded Southern Kansas, seized eleven citizens quietly at work, and shot them in cold blood. Brown retorted by an invasion of Missouri during which he liberated a number of slaves whom he succeeded in transporting safely through Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois, to Canada. It was probably the success of this enterprise which suggested to him the idea of another of the same sort on a larger scale, and which resulted in the wild adventure in which he lost his life. But for the attempt to force Slavery upon Kansas, and to that end to drive the free-labor settlers out of it, Brown would have remained a quiet and industrious man, and would never have been heard of beyond the limits of his immediate neighborhood. It was the sufferings of himself and his family at the hands of the Pro-Slavery party in Kansas that inspired him with a bitter spirit of hatred against the whole institution, and, by breaking up his home and making him an outlaw, left these feelings at full liberty to work. And it was principally among persons who went, as he did, to Kansas, as peaceful settlers, but whom the civil war kindled in that Territory on behalf of Slavery had converted in fierce and desperate men, that he found the most of his associates. If anybody is to be held responsible for Brown's conduct, we must say it must be those who made him what he is.

From what we have heard, it appears our Southern neighbors of Maryland and Virginia, bordering on Pennsylvania, are very indignant at the citizens of Chambersburg-- regarding them as the most fanatical "abolitionists" with which the country is troubled; and as thoroughly identified with "Old John Brown" and his crazy followers, in their late fool-hardy attempt at stirring up insurrection among the slaves at Harper's Ferry.

In the various accounts published, Chambersburg figures very conspicuously as having been the head-quarters of these deluded men. Here is where they had their implements of war consigned, and from which it also appears, some of their correspondence was directed.--That all this is true, will not admit of a doubt; but that any one of our citizens "aided or abetted" them, or had the most remote idea of their designs, we do not for one moment believe.

Several strange men, for some time past, were stopping in Chambersburg, boarding at different places; who they were or what their legitimate business was, nobody knew, and the strangers themselves did not see proper to tell. They purchased a number of articles at our Edge-tool Factory, such a Picks, Axes, &c., they had a variety of boxes of heavy merchandise of some kind consigned to one of our Forwarding Houses, directed to I. Smith & Sons,"--and they paid their way as they went. They represented themselves as Mineralogists, but who they were, what they were and what they were after, nobody knew. Our citizens were as totally ignorant of their designs--of their dark and damning plot--as were the citizens of Harper's Ferry, into whose midst these Sharp's Rifles, Revolvers, Pikes, Picks, Shovels, Spades, &c. were transported and secreted.

That the heavy boxes which passed through one of the Forwarding Houses of Chambersburg, contained war implements, and that they belonged to "Capt. John Brown" or "Osawatomie Brown" and his followers, must be true, judging from what has lately been revealed; that these Rifles, &c., were landed in or near Harper's Ferry, is equally clear of demonstration; but that our "Southern brethren" should, therefore, be incensed at the citizens of Chambersburg, stigmatizing them as a nest of vile "abolitionists," who had knowledge of and winked at the diabolical transaction, is, to say the least of it, simply silly--as foolish as to assert, that the citizens of Harper's Ferry or Hagerstown were privy to the plot of these crazy conspirators, because these Rifles were transmitted through their midst.

The citizens of Chambersburg are an order-loving, law-abiding people, and in these respects, or in any other moral virtue that goes to make good American citizens and lovers of the Union, are the superiors of our "Southern berthern" located on the "border" or in any other part of "Niggerdom." But because our people love Liberty more than Slavery, is no reason why they should be charged with a knowledge of the doings or designs of the Harper's Ferry insurrectionists, or that any, even one, of our citizens, was in the secret; and to suppose that they would, in the most remote degree, countenance or favor, or "aid and abet" such a ruthless and murderous plot, or any thing even slightly approximating to it, with a view to the wiping out of their "peculiar institution," is ungenerous--nay, it is cowardly. Had our people had the least inkling of the designs of these deluded men, they would have nipped the plot in the bud; but being as ignorant of their designs as were the people of Harper's Ferry, it is folly for them, in their blind rage, to be heaping execrations upon our community, as being, in any manner, cognizant of their proceedings.

Our community was somewhat excited on Friday last, about noon, by the appearance of a suspicious character, supposed, at first, to have been Capt. Cook, of Harper's Ferry notoriety.

Mr. Hiram Wertz, of Quincy, while on his way to this place, overtook a man on the road, who was carrying a short rifle wrapped up in a blanket. Mr. W. kindly invited him into his buggy. When about 3 miles from his place, the man got out, remarking that his business required him to take another road.--As he got out of the vehicle, the skirt of his coat was turned up by the wheel, and a large new revolver fell from the pocket. This at once aroused the suspicion of Mr. Wertz.--When he got to town, he related the circumstance to several of his friends, and while yet, in conversation upon the subject, the man made his appearance. He was followed and tracked to a house at which some of Brown's men boarded when in this town. Posting a man to watch the premises, the others went to obtain the necessary legal authority to arrest him; but before they returned the suspected party escaped, unobserved, from the rear of the house, through the back yard. On searching the premises, a blanket was observed under a board at the foot of the garden. On being taken out and unrolled, it was found to contain an unloaded Sharpe's rifle. The blanket is marked "E.H.", and both it and the rifle are in the possession of Sheriff Brown. Immediate pursuit was made by a number of citizens, but his whereabouts could not be discovered.

On the next morning several of our citizens went in pursuit of this man, believing him to be "Capt. Cook," one of Brown's leading men in the Harper's Ferry insurrection, and for whom a large reward has been offered by the Government. Sheriff Brown, Capt. C. T. Campbell and M. W. Houser went to Carlisle, as the man was tracked in that direction; and while on the look out for him in that locality, Mr. H. overhauled and arrested him on one of the streets of Carlisle, and had him lodged in the jail of that place, where he will be detained for a further hearing upon the charge for which he was arrested.

Cook's wife and child were boarding, for the past week or more, at the house to which this man was tracked and from which he escaped; but she denies this man being Cook. From the initial letters on the blanket that was found around the rifle, he is supposed to be Lieut. Hazelett, who was reported killed at Harper's Ferry. Mrs. Cook started for New York on Monday morning last.