farm, five miles from Harper's Ferry, was leased. The Northern
immigrants posed as farmers, stock-raisers, and dealers in cattle,
seeking a milder climate. To assist in the disguise, Brown's daughter
and daughter-in-law, mere girls, joined the community. Even so it was
difficult to allay troublesome curiosity on the part of neighbors at the
gathering of so many men with no apparent occupation. Suspicion might
easily have been aroused by the assembling of numerous boxes of arms
from the West and the thousand pikes from Connecticut. Late in August,
Floyd, Secretary of War, received an anonymous letter emanating from
Springdale, Iowa, giving information which, if acted upon, would have
led to an investigation and stopped the enterprise.

The 24th of October was the day appointed for taking possession of
Harper's Ferry, but fear of exposure led to a change of plan and the
move was begun on the 16th of October. Six of the party who would have
been present at the later date were absent. The march from Kennedy farm
began about eight o'clock Sunday evening. Before midnight the bridges,
the town, and the arsenal were in the hands of the invaders without a
gun having been fired. Before noon on Monday some forty citizens of the
neighborhood had been assembled as prisoners and held, it was explained,
as hostages for the safety of members of the party who might be taken.
During the early forenoon Kagi strongly urged that they should escape
into the mountains; but Brown, who was influenced, as he said, by
sympathy for his prisoners and their distressed families, refused to
move and at last found himself surrounded by opposing forces. Brown's
men, having been assigned to different duties, were separated. Six of
them escaped; others were killed or wounded or taken prisoners. Brown
himself with six of his men and a few of his prisoners made a final
stand in the engine-house. This was early in the afternoon. All avenues
of escape were now closed. Brown made two efforts to communicate with
his assailants by means of a flag of truce, sending first Thompson, one
of his men, with one of his prisoners, and then Stevens and Watson Brown
with another of the prisoners. Thompson was received but was held as a
prisoner; Stevens and Watson Brown were shot down, the first dangerously
wounded and the other mortally wounded. Later in the afternoon Brown
received a flag of truce with a demand that he surrender. He stated the
conditions under which he wo