482 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF 



The audience, led by a strong choir of selected voices, joined in singing the old 

 army song, 



" John Brown's body lies a mouldering in the grave, 

 But his soul goes marching on." 



The grand old chorus, " Glory, glory, hallelujah," was sung with a vigor and spirit 

 that sent waves of melody out over the quiet valley, and as the last rich harmonies 

 died away the echoing mountains gave back the antiphonal response, 



" His soul goes inarching on." 



Colonel Henry H. Lyman, of Oswego, N. Y., a veteran of the late war, was introduced 

 and delivered the oration. The audience listened with close attention and at the close 

 the speaker was greeted with long and earnest applause. 



An interesting scene followed. Lyman Epps, an old colored man, with his family, 

 mounted the platform and sang the hymn, "Blow ye the trumpet, blow! " to the old 

 familar tune of Lenox. He had lived in North Elba many years, and had been an 

 intimate friend of John Brown's household before Brown went to Kansas. This hymn 

 was a favorite with these men. Together they had often sung it at family prayers, 

 and in the little church where John Brown sometimes preached; and when Brown was 

 buried, Epps stood there that bleak, wintry day, and sang it at his grave. To Brown 

 the words always seemed to have a prophetic meaning. 



"Blow ye the trumpet, blow! 



The gladly, solemn sound ; 

 Let all the nations know 



To earth's remotest bound. 

 The year of Jubilee has come, 

 Return ye ransomed people home." 



The Epps family represented the bondmen in whose cause John Brown died. As 

 they arose to sing an impressive stillness pervaded the scene. They were good 

 singers ; for old man Epps had once been a singing master in a small way, and his 

 little choir was trained to sing the different parts. The good old-fashioned tune with 

 its quaint fugue never sounded sweeter than it did that summer afternoon ; and above 

 all the other voices could be heard the clear but plaintive notes of the old man's tenor. 

 The singing concluded, the exercises closed with a benediction, pronounced by the 

 Rev. Father Lynch, of Connecticut. 



The exercises having closed, a platoon of veterans from one of the Grand Army 

 Posts in the vicinity fired three volleys over the grave, the customary salute at a 

 soldier's funeral. And so Captain John Brown, thirty-six years after his death, 

 received the militar\- honors which were not possible in 1859. 



