Preparing for a reenactment of the historic John Brown trial are, from left, Roger Micker, John Hepburn, Honorable Judge Harry White and Lloyd Wells inside Independence Hall.

At 12:20 p.m. Saturday, the historic courtroom inside Wheeling’s Independence Hall will host a reenactment of a trial of abolitionist John Brown, heard by a contemporary jury. The presentation is free and open to the public. Following the trial a panel discussion will be held. The presentation is a program of the Ohio Valley Civil War Roundtable.

On Oct. 26, 1859 Jefferson County Judge Richard Parker of the Commonwealth of Virginia assembled a grand jury to determine whether or not Brown should stand trial on the following charges: treason, conspiracy and murder. The jury decided upon a true bill.

On the night of Oct. 16, 1859 John Brown led an army of 21 men into the town of Harpers Ferry. Their objectives were to seize weapons stored inside the federal armory and liberate the slaves in the immediate region. At late night a shot rang out near the railroad bridge and a baggage handler was killed. News spread quickly that their was a serious threat to the residents of the town. A 36-hour standoff resulted in the deaths of four citizens, a marine, and 12 of Brown’s army. Brown and his surviving followers were captured in the armory’s engine house by U.S. marines led by Robert E. Lee.