| Virginia v. John Brown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Decided | October 31, 1859 |
| Verdict | Guilty of all charges; sentenced to death by hanging |
| Charge |
|
| Prosecution | Andrew Hunter |
| Defence | |
Virginia v. John Brown was a criminal trial held in Charles Town, Virginia, in October 1859. The abolitionist John Brown was quickly prosecuted for treason against the Commonwealth of Virginia, murder, and inciting a slave insurrection, all part of his raid on the United States federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. (Since 1863, both Charles Town and Harpers Ferry are located in West Virginia.) He was found guilty of all charges, sentenced to death, and was executed by hanging on December 2. He was the first person executed for treason in the United States.
It was in many respects a most remarkable trial. Capital cases have been exceedingly few in the history of our country where trial and conviction have followed so quickly upon the commission of the offense. Within a fortnight from the time when Brown had struck what he believed to be a righteous blow against what he felt to be the greatest sin of the age he was a condemned felon, with only thirty days between his life and the hangman's noose.[1]
During most of the trial Brown, unable to stand, lay on a pallet.
- ^ "Old John Brown. The Story of the Famous Raid at Harper's Ferry. A Foolhardy Attempt. It Was the Result of Thirty Years of Planning. No One Believed It Would Succeed. What Influence it Had Upon the Civil War That Soon Followed". Evening Star (Washington, D.C.). June 24, 1893. p. 7. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2021 – via newspapers.com.