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NO W READY!
A   STORY  OF   REAL   LIFE,
WRITTEN  BY  A  WESTERN  LADY, AND  ENTITLED:
MRS. BEN DARBY;
OR THE
WEAL AND WOE OF SOCIAL LIFE.
One Volunme, l2mo.
This is a series of striking Pictures of American Social Life, drawn by an Artist
of great skill-one who possesses a knowledge of society, as it appears in City and
Country, Town and Village; whether seen amid the gay throngs of Saratoga, in the
brilliant drawing-rooms of the great Commercial Metropolis, or in its more rustic
developments in the beautiful valleys of the Blue-Ridge, or on the broad prairies of
the West.
The Authoress has shown her ability to delineate character with a power rarely
equaled-herpictures, whether of high life, or squalid misery, are painted in colors
that cannot be mistaken, and their counterparts are sure to be located and recognized in every portion of the land.
In a few Days:
EARLY ENGAGE iENTS;
BY MIARY FRAZAEPR.
One neat Volume, l~5nso.
The title indicates the character of this volume. The scenes are Southern and
Western, and the characteristics of each are faithfully portrayed. The plot is well
laid, and replete with interest. The object of the Author is to show some of the
evils resulting from Early Marriage "Engagements."  She would teach the lesson,
that
Evil is wrought by want of THOUG(HT,
As well as want of HEART.
THE LIFE  OF BLENNERHASSET;
Comprising An Authentic Narrative of the celebrated Expedition
of AARON BURR, and containing many additional Facts not
heretofore published.
BY WILLIAM[  H. SAFFORD.
One Volume, 12 mo. Cloth.




THE
LIFE
OF
HARNMAN BLENNERHASSETT
COMIPRISING
AN AUTHENTIC NARRATIVE OF THE
Gurrt cxpttitonu:
AND CONTAINING
MANY ADDITIONAL FACTS NOT HERETOFORE PUBLISHED.
BY
WILLIAM IH. SAFFORD.
CINCINNATI:
MOORE, ANDERSON, WILSTACH & KEYS,
28 WEST FOURTH STIREET.
1853.




Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1853', by
WILLIAM  H. SAFFORD,
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the District of Ohio.,IREOTYPED BY L. JOHNSON AND CO.
PHILADELPHIA.




PREFACE.
WHILE collecting materials for the present biography, I have met with unexpected difficulties in procuring authentic information from the contemporaries
of Blennerhassett.  This is to be accounted for in the
plain simplicity of most of his neighbours, who took
but little interest in his scientific pursuits-of which
they could neither understand the philosophy, nor comprehend the meaning.  The consequence was, they
associated but little with the man, and their acquaintance was derived more from what they saw, than from
what they heard.
It gives me pleasure to acknowledge the courtesy of
Dr. S. P. HILDRETH, of Marietta, in permitting me
the use of the various historical incidents which his
assiduity and love of the curious have rescued from
oblivion. From the Blennerhassett Papers, published
by WILLIAM WALLACE, Esq., I have made liberal quotations.  To Maj. HORACE NYE, of Putnam, and Col.
1*              5




6                   PREFACE.
JOSEPH BARKER, of Newport, I am alike indebted for
much valuable matter-rendered more interesting from
the fact that they were eye-witnesses of some of the
scenes I have attempted to describe.  Others have
furnished me with materials; but the multiplicity of
their names must excuse their non-appearance.
I have been careful to introduce nothing, as fact,
but what has been fully corroborated by living witnesses.  Nor have I attempted to screen from  the
public eye the infirmities or faults of the subjects of
these pages; while, at the same time, I can truly say,
their virtues have not been exaggerated.
The work is now submitted to a charitable public,
with a knowledge of its many imperfections. More
skilful hands might have avoided many faults with
which I am justly chargeable, and rendered it far more
palatable to the reading critic.
THE AUTHOR.




CONTENT S.
CHAPTER I.
EARLY life of Blennerhassett-Lineage-Education-The Irish
bar-Blennerhassett commences the study of law-Called to
the bar-Certificate —Makes a visit upon the Continent —
France-Witnesses the adoption of her new ConstitutionReturns to Ireland-Spirit of discontent in Ireland-Oppressed
by England-Effect of the American Revolution on IrelandOn the whole of Europe-Repeal of the statute of sixth George
First-Blennerhassett prefers the quiet pursuits of literature
to the political arena-Is dissatisfied with Ireland, and determines to leave-Disposes of his lands-Proceeds to EnglandAddresses Miss Agnew-Marries-Reflections..................... 19
CHAPTER II.
Blennerhassett supplies himself with a library and philosophical
apparatus-Ships for New York-Western country described
-Blennerhassett sets out for the West-Pittsburgh-Mode
of travelling-Marietta-Is desirous of building —Backus's
Island-Blennerhassett concludes a purchase-Commences
improvements-Island with its improvements-Reflections....  30
7




CONTENTIS.
CHAPTER HII.
PAGE
B3iennerhassett described-Studies-Amusements —Anecdotes of
-Appointed justice of the peace-MIrs. Blennerhassett described...............................................................   40
CHAPTER IV.
Early settlers of Western Virginia-Occupations-Amusements
— Patriotism —First settlers of Ohio-Industry-Economy
-Morality-Conclusion.................................................. 49
CH1-APTER V.
Domestic situation of Blennerhassett in 1805-Burr's first visit
to the island-Object of Burr's tour-Finds Blennerhassett
absent from home-Proceeds down the Ohio-Visits WVilkinson-Conference-Blennerhassett visits New York-Thomas
Addis Emmett-Burr's first communication to Blennerhassett
-Effect of, upon Blennerhassett-Blennerhassett's answerBurr's reply-Burr's second visit to the island-Wirt's description of the island as it was at that time-Burr commences
recruiting men for the expedition-Arguments made use of to
induce individuals to join-Effect of his arguments............. 58
CHAPTER VI.
Preparations for the expedition commenced-Burr's visit to Chillicothe-Cincinnati-Kentucky-Alston arrives at the islandAlston with his wife and Blennerhassett visits Lexington, Ky.
-Blennerhassett is introduced to Charles Fenton MercerSuspicious aspect of the expedition-Situation of affairs in the
United States-Apprehensions of the people-Rumours-Gra



CONTENTS.                            9
PAGB
ham appointed a secret agent of the government-Instructions
-Instructions to Gen. Wilkinson-Wilkinson demands forces of
the Governor of Alississippi Territory-Is refused-Despatches
Burling to Mexico-Holds a conference with Governor Claiborne at New Orleans-Mierchants of New Orleans convoked
-Preparations at New Orleans —Blennerhassett sets out from
Kentucky for home-Aleets with MIr. Mercer-ConversationBurr's designs explained —Blennerlhassett is joined by Burr at
the island-Burr leaves the supervision of the boats to Blennerhassett and returns to Kentucky — s arrested-Grahall arrives at Marietta-lInterview with Blennerhiiassett-~isits the
Governor of Ohio at Chillicothe-Act of the Ohio LegislatureMiilitia of the State called out-Anecdotes —Mlercer's visit to
the island-Arrival of Comfort Tyler and his men-Find Blennerhassett disheartened as to the feasibility of the enterprise.  74
CiiAPTER VII.
Burr despatches Swartwout to WIilkinson —Letter —Wilkinson
communicates its substance to the President-Proclamation of
the President —Virginia militia called out under command of
Col. Hugh Phlelps-Blennerbhassett escapes with Tyler and his
forces down thle Ohio-Phelps proceeds to thle island —Finds it
deserted-Ineffectual attempt to arrest Blennerhassett at Point
Pleasant-Effect of the President's Proclamaltion trusted to for
some time in the State of Tennessee-Z-But similar instructions
sent to that State also-G-rahamL leaves Frankfort for Nashville
-The movements of Burr-Kentucky militia ordered outBurr's flotilla —Burr leaves the Cumberland-Lands at Fort
Massac —Is visited by the commander, Captain Bissel-Supplies Burr with a messenger to convey a letter to the Lead
Mines in AMissouri —His wife presents Burr with provisionsBurr and his party proceed to Chickasaw Bluffs-a-Is an interview with the commander, Lieutenant Jacob Jackson-Fails
in his designs-Communication of the President to Wilkinson
— Burr supplies himself with lead!, tomahawks, &c., and proceeds to Palmyra, and thence to Bayou Pierre.........................  95




10                        CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VIII.
PAGE
Morgan Neville, and William Robinson, Junior-Embark from
Pittsburgh in a fiat-boat-Espied by the Wood county militia
and arrested-Escorted to the island to await the return of
Col. Phelps-Difficulties with the militia-Trial of the young
men-Conduct of the militia on the island-Mrs. Blennerhassett's return from Marietta-Her fortitude on the occasionEmbarrassed situation-Accepts the offer of the young men to
convey her to her husband-Col. Phelps's return to the island
-Young men embarrassed at the announcement of his arrival
-Character and description of Col. Phelps-Rebukes the militia for their riotous conduct-His politeness to the young
men-Proffers his services in accelerating MIrs. Blennerhassett's arrangement to go to her husband-Apologizes for the
misbehaviour of his men-M-rs. Blennerhassett prepares to
depart-Leaves the island in company with the young menPasses the mouth of the Cumberlandc-Disappointed in not
finding her husband-Arrives at Bayou Pierre, and is restored
to Blennerhassett-Painful situation of Burr and Blennerhassett-Burr sinks the arms, for the expedition, in the Mississippi............................................................................ 110
CHAPTER IX.
Proclamation of Cowles Mead acting as Governor of the Mississippi Territory-Burr's reply-The boats are visited by
George Poindexter, Attorney-General for the Territory-Object of the visit-A letter from the acting Governor-Burr's
avowals-Poindexter requests his peaceable surrender-Burr
declares his willingness-An interview with the acting Governor the next day is agreed upon-Terms of the agreement
-Burr accordingly surrenders himself-Terms of his final surrender-He is conveyed to the town of Washington-Examination before Judge Rodney-Poindexter called on for his
opinion-It is given —Judge Rodney dissents-A grand jury
is required to be summoned to an adjourned session of the




CONTENTS.                          11
PAGE
Supreme Court of the Mississippi Territory-Grand jury assembled-Motion to discharge-Overruled-Presentments by
the grand jury-Acquitting Burr-Present the calling out of
the militia of the Territory as a grievance-Also late military
arrests-Astonishment of the Attorney-General-Leaves the
court room-Judge Rodney displeased-Burr asks to be discharged from his recognisance-Is refused-Disguises himself and escapes-Reward offered-Suspicious circumstance
-Burr's men are placed under guard-Arrests at Fort Adams
and New Orleans-Conduct of Wilkinson-Treatment of Gen.
Adair-Attempt to suspend the writ of "Habeas Corpus"Wilkinson's contempt of the writs of Habeas Corpus-Judge
Workman's recommendation to the Governor-Workman becomes dissatisfied with the Governor-Resigns his officeReturn of Burling from Mexico-Object of his visit-Reception of Burling by the Viceroy of Mexico-Leaves Mexico in
haste-Lieutenant Swan returns from Jamaica with letter
from Admiral Drake-Conveyance of prisoners to Washington
and Baltimore-Their discharge............................   119
CHAPTER X.
Burr's arrival in the village of Wakefield, Alabama-Inquires
for Colonel Hinson's-His conduct excites suspicion-He is
pursued by Nicholas Perkins and Brightwell, the Sheriff-Is
found at Hinson's-His agreeableness-Suspicions of the
Sheriff-Mrs. Hinson's inquisitiveness-His departure from
Hinson's-Delinquency of Brightwell-Perkins sets out for
Fort Stoddard to procure assistance of Lieutenant Edmund
P. Gaines-They start in pursuit-Burr is arrested-His imprisonment at the Fort-Kindness to George S. GainesAmusements at the Fort-Burr's travelling companion, Major
Ashley, arrested, and escapes-Difficulties in procuring a
guard to convey Burr to Richmond-Burr leaves the Fort
under guard-Sympathy of the ladies-Guard-Perkins fears
the influence of Burr-Particulars of the journey-Burr attempts to escape at Chester-Is unsuccessful-Arrives at
Richmond, Virginia...................................................... 13




12                        CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XI.
P.aGE
Blennerhassett sets out from  Natchez to visit his islandTarries at Lexington, Kentucky-Arrested by the authorities
-Mrs. Blennerhassett's letter-Defended by the Hon. Henry
Clay-Is unsuccessful in procuring his discharge-Is conducted to Richmond-Postponement of the trials of Burr and
his accused confederates-Trial of Burr commenced-Court
and bar-Verdict of acquittal by the jury-Burr's arraignment on an indictment for a misdemeanor-Acquittal-Extracts from Blennerhassett's journal kept during the trialExtracts from the private memoranda-Chief Justice Marshall
— Luther Martin —W1illiaml Wirt-Aaron Burr..................... 153
CHAPTER XII.
Origin of the Burr expedition —Miranda's visit in 1797-8His object-Propositions favourably received-Visits England
-Receives encouragement from the British ministry —Mode
of arranging forces for the subjugation of the South American colonies-Ilis plans are defeated by the elder AdamsBurr conceives the plan of the subjugation of Mexico-Auspicious circumnstances-Encouriagement received from distinguished characters —Wilkinson's aid proffered-His counsel
-Daniel Clarki-General Jackson-Effect of the adjustment
of the Spanish difficulties upon those who at first favoured
the expedition-Burr's indomitable perseverance-Treacherous conduct of Wilkinson-Effect of Burr's acquittal upon the
public mind-Character of Burr-Belief that Jefferson tacitly
assented to the expedition-Circumstances which induce that
belief........................................................................ 174
CHAPTER XIII.
Blennerhassett returns to Natchez after the trial-His pecuniary embarrassments-Sacrifice and abuse of his propertyHis complacency —Demands indemnity for his losses from




CONTENTS.                               13
PAGE
Gov. Alston-Purchases a farm in Mississippi, and commences
the culture of cotton-Mrs. Blennerhassett's assistance-Flattering prospects-Effects of the embargo-Receives the intelligence of the burning of his mansion................................ 187
CHIAPTER XIV.
Blennerhassett's prospects declining —Is offered a judgeship by
the Governor of Canada-;Sells hs  estates- Removes to Mfontreal-IMrs. Blennerhassett's epoetry, "The D   eserted Isle"Blennerhassett again isapp(,illto d —-erl inles to prosecute
a claim  subsistii1w in Iceland-i S!ls: ors Ir elnt( —Reflectio5ns
-Applies to Lord cAlnlescey for  ficc —Letter of IMr. GossettIs again disappointed-Pemlooves to the islaldC of Guernsey
- Death.................................................................... 195
CIHAPTER XV.
Remarks on the life of J31ennerhassett-M2lrs. Plennerhassett's
destitute situation-Resolves to visit the United States to
procure indemnity for spoiliations-The reasonableness of
such a demand-A-isits New York —Presents her petition to
Congress-Petition —Robert  Emmett's aid —Letter  to:Mr.
Clay —Ir. Clay presents the petition —Report of the  I-on.
William Woodbridge-Death of Mrs. Blennerhassett-Is buried
by Irish females............................................................ 203
2




APPENDIX.
I. MRS. THEADOSIA BURR ALSTON........................................ 211
II. SECRET CORRESPONDENCE.............................................. 214
III. THE BATTLE OF MIUSKINGUMI, OR DEFEAT OF THE BURRITES.. 218
IV. BRIEF OF BLENNERHASSETT......................................     223




IN T R OD UCT I O N.
NEARLY fifty years since, the inhabitants of the
valley of the Ohio were gratified by the intelligence
that an individual of rank and fortune had renounced
allegiance to his father-land, to take up his abode
among them. In those primitive days, every addition
to the little band of early pioneers was deemed of some
importance; but the accession of one whose manners
and customs differed so widely from their own-who
could build and adorn a palace in the western wildswas considered an event of wonderful magnitude.
With satisfaction they beheld the first germs of
civilization springing from beneath the plastic hand of
taste, and bursting into full maturity through the
genial influence of wealth.  This western Eden, while
it captivated their eyes with its beauty, amazed their
minds with the resources of its possessor.  They witnessed the accomplishment of his ends in the subjugation of nature to his will; saw "the desert bloom and
15




16                INTRODUCTION.
blossom as the rose;" stood as anxious spectators when
the whirlwind of popular prejudice and passion prostrated the hopes and blasted the happiness of his
household; and wept for the desolation which succeeded.
Since the celebrated expedition of Aaron Burr, the
earlier fortunes of Blennerhassett have been the subject of singular curiosity.  Many have been the surmises as to the causes which led the descendant of
European nobility, to renounce the hereditary honours
consequent upon family, for the secluded life of an
unpretending republican.  Some attribute it to an
early alliance with a lady whose fortune and rank were
unequal to those of his own; others to a want of success
as a member of the Irish bar; while the uncharitable
are anxious to throw around the subject conjectures of
the darkest character.,
The mystery which surrounds him and his "island
home" has served, for more than forty years, to entertain the passing traveller, as, upon the bosom of the
Ohio, the latter glides by the spot where once stood
the American Alhambra.  The marvellous stories of
Spain-of Moslem  enchantment and Moorish goldare scarce less credible than the tales at such times
repeated to the attentive ear of the listener.
Memory reverts with fond delight to the earlier days
of our youthful pastimes, when, strolling through the




INTRODUCTION.                 17
embowered coppices of the isle, seated beneath the
vine-clad cotton-tree, or gathering pebbles on the
beach, the stern realities of life were forgotten; and,
in the wild exuberance of our youthful fancy, we
breathed to the image of our heart's first love the language of impassioned adoration. Around the name of
Blennerhassett, and every thing connected with it, was
waved the enchanting wand of romance; and tales of
beauty, of splendour, and of crime, while they fascinated
us with their witchery, startled us with his deep and
dark designs.
Who Blennerhasset truly was, and what his origin
and destiny, it is our object to disclose.  We hope to
strip the subject of that mysteriousness which ignorance, wilful prejudice, or a love of the marvellous
has thrown around it, and reveal to the inquiring
reader the acts and character of the man.








LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
CHAPTER I.
Early life of Blennerhassett-Lineage-Education-The Irish barBlennerhassett commences the study of law —Called to the barCertificate-Makes a visit upon the Continent-France-Witnesses the adoption of her new Constitution-Returns to Ireland
-Spirit of discontent in Ireland-Oppressed by England-Effect
of the American Revolution on Ireland-On the whole of Europe
-Repeal of the statute of sixth George First-Blennerhassett
prefers the quiet pursuits of literature to the political arena-Is
dissatisfied with Ireland, and determines to leave-Disposes of his
lands-Proceeds to England-Addresses Miss Agnew-MarriesReflections.
OF the early life of Blennerhassett we know,
and therefore shall say, but little. That he was
the son of an Irish gentleman, and was born in
Hampshire, England, while  the  family were on
a temporary visit to some friend or relative, in
the year 1767, we are authentically informed.
He might have boasted a lineage, which, although
not noble, was, nevertheless, among the most
19




20               LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
illustrious  of the  Irish  gentry.*   Whether the
boy ever exhibited  any thing above the capacity
of boys of his age, —or whether, on the contrary,
he was considered a silent, dull, and uninteresting youth, —we know not; but that he enjoyed
most excellent  literary   advantages,  is  clearly
established by the fact thllat, at early age, he was
placed by his father in  the celebrated  school of
Westminster; that, after he  had  struggled, in
honourable emulation, with the many worthies
who have  since so brilliantly  adorned  both  the
English  and  Irish  nations,   le  was  entered  at
Trinity  College,  Dublin, where  he  graduated,
with  honour to  himself and  credit to  his professors.
At that  time  the  Irish  bar-a  body  formidable to the then existing  government, by their
- Dr. S. P. IIildreth, in a Sketch of the Life of Blennerhassett,
published in the " American Review," in 1848, states that Blennerhassett was of " Jnoble descent."  Willianz 1Wallace, Esq., on the contrary, who had access to a portion of his papers, and who also
published a sketch of the same individual, in the same periodical, in
the year 1845, describes his parentage as among the most distinguished of the gezry of Ireland, who could trace their lineage as far
back as the English King John. " The family consisted of branches
located in the counties of Cork and Kerry.  Many of the ancient
heads were the chiefs of Balaceady Castle, and held numerous important offices.  The subject of this sketch belonged to the Balaceady branch." I have chosen to adopt'Mr. Wallace as, perhaps, the
best informed author on this point, lie having had access to some of
Blennerhassett's papers, through the courtesy of a son of-the latter.




CALLED TO THE BAR.           21
character and capacity-comprised many sons
of the resident noblemen and commoners of
Ireland. The legal science was not then a mere
trade, but a _profession, requiring both learning
and time to master its abstruse truths.  Eloquence was looked upon as a qualification for
the higher duties of the senate, and almost
every peer and commoner had a relative enrolled among the number.
That Blennerhassett should remain an exception to the general custom, -was hardly to be
expected; and, accordingly, we find him snugly
ensconced in the King's Inns as an entered apprentice in the study of the law.  How successfully he waded through the musty tomes of
black letter, which crowd that ancient library,
is evidenced by the significant appendage of
LL.D., which  occasionally  accompanied  his
namne.
At Michaelmas term, in 1790, lie was called
to the bar, as is shown by the following certificate:*
"KING'S INNS.  These are to certify, that
Hlarman Blennerhassett, Esq., was, in Michaelmas term, in the year of our Lord, one thousand
seven hundred and ninety, generally admitted
* Wallace.




22         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
into the Honourable Society of the King's Inns,
and called to the degree of Barrister therein.
IN TESTIMONY whereof, I have hereunto affixed
the seal of said Society this eighteenth day of
November, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-five.
" WM. CALDBECK, Treas.  [L.S.]
"Witness, John Cook, Sueb-Treas."
Blennerhassett declined entering upon the
duties of his profession until he had made a
tour upon the continent.
France then presented, both to the philosopher and politician, superior attractions over
any of her sister kingdoms. At the period of
Blennerhassett's visit she had been rocked by
the whirlwind of revolution; and the established
despotism of her military monarchs had been
crumbled into atoms.  The massive structure
of the Bastile, which had stood four hundred
years, every stone of which was wet with the
tears and echoed the groans of four centuries
of oppression, had been torn from its summit to
its foundation, by the infuriated advocates of
popular freedom.  On the anniversary of its
destruction, Louis Sixteenth, with thirty thousand delegates from the confederated National
Guards of the kingdom, in the presence of five




FRANCE-IRELAND.            23
hundred thousand of their countrymen, had
taken the oath of fidelity to the nation, to the
Constitution, and, all save the monarch himself,
to the king. But France was still trembling
from the convulsions of her people. Her recuperating energies were starting afresh, on a new
system of government, which had not yet gained
either the confidence or affection of her subjects.
Having witnessed the adoption of these new
measures, with doubts of their ultimate success,
Blennerhassett returned to his own country, in
time to escape the storm which prostrated the
hopes of the friends of the new constitution,
and destroyed the life of the unfortunate Louis.
The same spirit of discontent which prevailed
in France had extended to Ireland.  For centuries had she groaned under the oppression of
successive English monarchs. Her submission
to the sceptres of Henry and of Richard had
been construed into the right of conqfiest; and
they sought to crush the native spirit of her
people, by fomenting discord and exercising
tyranny.  Ireland  had been blessed with a
genial soil. Nature had lavished her brightest
gifts upon her. The native character of her
population was not inferior to that of other nations.  But, of what avail were fertile fields,
or gigantic intellects and towering talent, when




24         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
national disorganization and political faction
perverted the gifts of Providence to selfish purposes, or destroyed their usefulness, in the general wreck of distracted governments and divided
subjects?  Her manufacturing  interest and
commercial enterprise struggled long against
the monopoly of England; but the superior
power of her ruler enabled her to check their
prosperity, by the heavy hand of arbitrary
restraint. A deplorable want of union of sentiment and firmness of purpose, at all times prevented a successful separation from her powerful
oppressor; and every attempt to claim her independence proved vain and abortive.
Thus, for ages, has Ireland, as the captive in
his gloomy cell, awaked at times as from a
troubled dream, to behold, with longing eyes,
the dawn of the day of her emancipation; but,
finding the darkness still prevailing, gave herself again to slumber, that she might the more
readily forget her situation.
England, fearful of her growing strength,
sought to subdue her spirit, by onerous exactions, and denying her the privilege of a free
legislature.  Not only against Ireland had she
exercised her arbitrary will, but also against
the colonies of her planting in North America.
Vain in the conceit of her imperial power, she




STATE OF IRELAND.         25
dared to exact obedience from peoples separated
by the wide Atlantic, and command the same
submission with which the oppressed subjects
of Ireland had yielded. While her experimental
philosophy had taught her that to retain her
authority she must exercise tyranny, she had
not reflected that there was a point in the
system of her oppression, where submission to
the will of an unyielding despot ceased to be a
virtue.
The spirit of independence was hovering over
the bloody altar of the American Revolution,
when Ireland again awoke to a sense of her own
condition.  She gazed with animated delight at
the increasing success of American arms. Every
new victory found a sympathetic influence, responding with joy, in the secret recesses of her
own bosom. The feeble colonies of America,
spread over a vast extent of territory, with but
few facilities for conducting a war; with a hostile Indian enemy in their rear, and the boasted
chivalry of England at their front; undismayed by difficulty or the fear of defeat, after
seven years of war, were finally victorious. The
arrogance of England bowed its proud head to
the shrine of liberty; and Lord Cornwallis, her
favourite general, led back the relics of her conquered army, to commemorate, in the mother
a




26         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
country, the importance of her power, and the
emancipation of her colonies.
Before they had well considered the reason
of their solicitude, the same spirit of independence had animated the Irish bosom; and, in
every corner of her territory, the fire of liberty
burst forth, in a blaze that threatened equal
destruction to British usurpation and kingly
government. The nation became aroused. English influence and English interests secured
partisans in church and state; and opposing
factions, from their intolerance and party animosity, had already commenced the Irish revolution.
The success of the cause of liberty in the
American colonies, affected, most sensibly, the
whole of Europe.  It appeared, indeed, as
though the fiat had gone forth, that monarchies
and despotisms were for ever to cease from
among men.'" Strange and unforeseen events
were crowding the annals of the world; —the
established axioms of general polity began to
lose their weight among nations;-and governments, widely wandering from the fundamental
principles of their own constitutions, appeared
carelessly travelling the road to ruin."
Such was the state of Europe; presenting an
aspect not. unlike that upon which we, of later




LITERARY INCLINATIONS.        27
days, have gazed, (and to which we still look,
with feelings of solicitude and hope,) when
Blennerhassett left the unhappy shores of
France, for those, not less miserable, of his native country.
Ireland, it is true, from the helpless situation
of England, at a time when her foreign wars
and hapless defeats had exhausted the resources of that powerful nation, had successfully
demanded the repeal of the statute of sixth
George First, entitled "An Act for the better
securing the dependency of the kingdom of Ireland upon the crown of Great Britain;" but
her situation was not less distracted than before.
Although it was difficult to keep aloof from
the entangling snares of party strife, ]llennerhassett chose rather to pursue the more flowery
paths of literature than the sterner and more
rugged way of political preferment. To a mind
which sought within itself for sources of enjoymerit, the bustle and hurricane which re.gned
around served to distract his meditations, and
interrupt the pleasure which, in seclusion, he
had hoped to find.
Being the possessor of an e+': te, with considerable additional fortune inherited at the death
of his father, he determined no longer to remain
in Ireland, subjected to the inconvenience and




28           LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
danger which usually attend the feuds of faction; but, in some more remote and peaceful
region, where the noise of the infuriated mob
and war's dread clamour were never heard, he
hoped to spend a life of repose.
He accordingly disposed of his lands to his
relative, Baron Ventry,* and made immediate
preparation for departing.   Having closed his
business, he started for England, where his two
married sisters-one the consort of Lord Kingsale, the other of Admiral De Courcy-at that
time resided.t
While here he frequently met with, and
finally became affianced to, a Miss Agnew.,
daughter of the Lieutenant-governor of the Isle
of Man, and grand-daughter of the celebrated
general of that name, who fell at the battle of
Germantown. She was young, intelligent, and
beautiful. Possessed of an uncommon degree
of energy, linked to a temperament of romantic
ardour, she listened, with captivated delight, to
the fairy stories he repeated, of the far-off land
in the Western World. It is not, therefore, a
* Those who have spoken of this gentleman before, in connection
with Blennerhassett, erroneously style him Lord Ventry.
t In this statement I follow the lead of Dr. Hildreth and Mr.
Wallace; but as Lord Kingsale was also Admiral De Courcy, I am
of opinion there was but one "sister" implicated.




REFLECTIONS.             29
matter of surprise that she consented to join her
destinies with his, in the relation of husband
and wife; and, as the partner of his joys, and
the solace of his cares, to say, as Ruth to Naomni:
" Whitlher thou goest I will go; and where thou
lodgest I will lodge; thy people shall be my
people, and thy God my God.  Where thou
diest will I die, and there will I be buried."
Upon the precarious sea of life, almost without compass or chart, Blennerhassett had now
launched his adventurous barque. The sudden
truth flashed across his mind, that he, too, was
an adventurer; not, however, for the gold of
Peru, for discoveries in the material world, or
the subljugaton of a foreign power. Gold, and
honour, and station, were already his: but
these, compared to the revelation of truth in
the great volume of nature, to the inquiring
mind, which sought to unfold her hidden mysteries, were but as " sounding brass and tinkling
cynlbal."
To him, that sea appeared serene and safe,
with no adverse winds to interrupt his onward
course; while, in the dim distance of imagination, he descried that shore of sweet repose,
where the deceit and treachery of man should
never disturb the quietude of a mind at peace.
OR*




30            LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
CHAPTER II.
Blennerhassett supplies himself with a library and philosophical
apparatus-Ships for New Yorkl-Western country described —
Blennerhassett sets out for the West-Pittsburgh —Mode of travelling-Marietta-Is desirous of building —Backus's Island-Blennerhassett concludes a purchase-Commences improvementsIsland with its improvements-Reflections.
HAVING supplied himself, in London, with an
extensive library and a philosophical apparatus,
together with other materials deemed necessary
for future use, Blennerthassett shipped -for New
York, in 1797, where he remained, for several
months, to study the topography of the country,
and the character of its inhabitants.
At that time, the territory west of the Alleghanies-particularly  the  valley  of the  Ohio
and Mississippi —was  comparatively  a  wilderness. The enterprise of the pioneer had driven,
to more distant regions, the aborigines of the
West.   The occasional hamlet, with  its few
acres of cultivated ground, interrupted, at intervals, the "' boundless contiguity of shade," and




TIHE WESTERN COUNTRY.           31
marked the abode of civilized and associated
man.  Villages, with rude habitations, here and
there, broke the eternal silence of the forest,
and presented, to the adventurous traveller, as
cheering a prospect as an oasis in the desert.
Through this vast solitude, the silvery current
of the Ohio wended its way to the " father of
waters."  The innovating steamer had never
yet ruffled its bosom, nor startled its inhabitants with the sound of its machinery.  The
deer browsed among the thick undergrowth of
its bottoms; the fox sought shelter in its caves;
and the blood-scented wolf howvled his wail of
hunger, from  the adjacent hills.  Lands of
almost inexhaustible fertility skirted its margin,
and isles of peculiar beauty decked its surface.
Captivated with various descriptions of the
country, in company with his wife, Blennerhassett set out to  seek this delightful land.
Crossing the rugged barriers of the Alleghanies,
then a tedious and difficult undertaking, they
arrived at Pittsburgh, in the fall of 1797, where
their eyes first rested on that river, which afterwards proved the theatre of their happiness,
their deception, and their ruin.  Here they obtained passage on a keel-boat, in those days the
nost comfortable mode of travelling on the
western waters; and shortly arrived at Marietta,




32           LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
a town of greater imlportance than any other in
the State of Ohio.
The population of this  pleasantly-situated
villatge was unusually  intelligent and moral.
The puritanical character of its earlier inhabitants gave a tone to society, which identifies the
present generation with their fatllelrs who repose
in their beautiful cemetery.
Blen erhlassett's time was pleasantly occupied
during the winter in visiting the vttrious fianilies, and making  occasional excursions through
the neighbourhood, to select a site ior a residence.  Above the village, and within a convenient dista~nce, is an eminence ot' considerable
height, conmmanding   an extensive view of the
river and surrounding,  country. With this situation he was much  pleased, and hlad almost deterniined to erect on its summit, a castle, after
the nmanlner of many in his native country, but
the ascent being difficult, and the declivities too
precipitous, lie abandoned the idea, and sought
a situation more easy of access.
The following spring, he concluded to purchase an island in the Ohio river, about two
miles below  Parkersburg, or the mouth of the
Little Kanawha, which, to his peculiar mind,
possessed superior advantages to the adjacent
farm.  To one of romantic temperament, its




BACKUS'S ISLAND.                33
locality was truly delightfuil.  Upon its gentlysloping banks waved the drooping branches of the
willow, and laved their graeefiul foliage in the
passing stream.  The nmajestic forest trees, untouched by the hand of civilization, reared their
tall trunks, as monarchs of the land; while the
wild-brier and woodbine, blending in promniscuous profusion, entwined their tendrils around the
shrubbery of thle wild-wood.   Flowers of rare
beauty burst spontlneously from  the soil, and
mningled their fraratnce with the passing breeze.
The happy songsters of the woods warbled forth
their lively notes in thle secluded groves, until
each bush and brancll a.ppeaLred vocal withl the
songs of nature's music.
Could the Imind, in pursuit of seclusion and
repose, picture to its imaoination a: situation
more  desirable?   Here  Tnight his cultivated
taste adorn, to every extent, the ruder touches
of nature, and miellow  into  softer shades tlie
harsher outlines of her pencil; here might the
mind, unfettered  from   worldly  cares, drink
deeper draughts from Truth's ever-flowing fountain; here,
" At the shadowy close of day,
When the hushed grove has sung its parting lay;
When pensive Twilight, in her dusky car,
Comes slowly on, to meet the evening star,




34          LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
Above, below, aerial murmurs swell,
From hanging wood, brown heath, and bushy dell;
A thousand nameless rills that shun the light;
Stealing soft music on the ear of night;
So oft the finer movements of the soul,
That shun the sphere of pleasure's gay control,
In the still shades of calm seclusion rise,
And breathe their sweet, seraphic harmonies."'
When fatigued with  the  severer studies of
science, he could amuse himself with the traditions and  stories of several intelligent revolutionary soldiers who resided on the Belpre shore;
or, as game abounded, might engage in the
delightful sports of hunting and fishing.
That portion of the island purchased by Blennerhassett, was known by the familiar cognomen
of;"Backus's Island," and contained about one
hundred and seventy acres.  General Washington, it is said, embraced this little gem of nature,
in the many valuable tracts of land entered by
}him on the bottoms of the Ohio.  His far-seeing
eye proved as successful, inl judging of the future
advantages of his various locations, as of the
material of men and soldiers.
In 1798, Blennerhassett, having purchased
the upper portion of the island, at a cost of four
thousand  five  hundred  dollars, moved  into a
block-house situated  near the head.   This, to
* Rogers.




HIS RESIDENCE.            35
those who had enjoyed the splendour of palaces,
with the many conveniences which the arts of
civilization afford, was a sorrowful exchange,
which few could desire, and fewer still would
have made. He energetically commnenced clearing the grounds of the thick growth of timber
and underwood, for a site upon which to erect a
dwelling.  Many hands were requisite, in addition to the slaves he haId recently purchased, for
the laborious task.  The forest trees were uprooted, and their boughs and trunks conveyed
away.  The small inequalities, not suiting his
fastidious taste, were smoothed and regulated as
fancy dictated.
Vainly ambitious to excel any private residence west of the mountains, and to fashion it
after those of his own country, economy and
simplicity were lnot consulted in its construction.
The sum of sixty thousand dollars, it is said,
was expended by Blennerhassett, in fully establishing himself in his new abode. To the mind
of the voyager descending the river, as the edifice rose majestically in the distance, spreading
its wings to either shore, the effect was magical;
and emotions were produced, not unlike those
experienced in gazing on the Moorish palaces of
Andalusia.  There was a spell of enchantment
around it, which would fain induce the credulous




36          LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
to believe that it had been created by magic,
and consecrated to the gods. On a nearer approach was observed  the' beautifully graded
lawn, decked with tasteful shrubbery, and interspersed with showy flowers; while, a little in
the distance, the elm  threw its dark branches
over a carpet of most beautifiul green sward.
Beyond these, the forest trees were intermingled
with copse-wood, so closely as to exclude the
noon-day sun; and, in other places, they formed
those long sweeping vistas, in the intricacies of
which the eye delights to lose itself; while the
imagination conceives them  as the paths of
wilder scenes of sylvan solitude.
The space immediately in the rear of the
dwelling was assigned to fruits and flowers; of
which the varieties were rare, excellent and
beautiful; and the manner in which they were
disposed over the surface, unique, elegant and
tasteful. Espaliers of peach, apricot, quince and
pear trees, extended along the exterior, confined
to a picket fence; while, in the middle space,
wound labyrinthine walks, skirted with flowering shrubs, and the eglantine and honey-suckle
flung their melliferous blossoms over bowers of
various forms.
On the south was the vegetable garden; and,
adjoining this, a thrifty young orchard, embracing




HIS RESIDENCE.             37
many varieties of fruit —promising abundant
supplies for future use.  Not entirely neglecting
the useful for the ornamental, Blennerhassett
had cleared a hundred acres below, and cultivated, in great perfection, the various crops
adapted to the soil.
"'The hall was a spacious room, its walls
painted a sombre colour, with a beautiful cornice
of plaster, bordered with gilded moulding, running round the lofty ceiling; while its furniture
was rich, heavy and grand. The furniture in
the drawing-room  was, in strong contrast with
that of the hall, light, airy and elegant; with
splendid mirrors, gay-coloured carpets, classic
pictures, rich curtains, and ornaments to correspond, arranged, by Mrs. Blennerhassett, with
nicest taste and harmonious effect.  A  large
quantity  of silver-plate ornamented the sideboards and decorated the tables.  The whole
establishment was chastened by the purest taste,
and without that glare of tinsel finery, too common among the wealthy."
Such was the residence of Blennerhassett,
after he had expended much labour and money
to render it the reality of what before was but
ideal, an image of which had long haunted his
dreams of youthful fancy, as the picture of sylvan
4




38         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
beauty, of peaceful solitude, and of calm repose.
How marked the mutations of a few short years!
Ireland, but as yesterday, claimed him as a representative of one of her great families and of
her constitution.  The deference, due alike to
rank and birth, in a monarchical government,
was his by inheritance; and the favour of courts
and of coronets was obtained without an effort,
and resigned Without control. Around him, a
restless and distracted population were daily
enacting scenes of outrage and oppression; and
the hand of civilization, while it gave energy to
intellect and advanced the arts and sciences,
proved a powerful auxiliary in azggravating the
causes and perpetuating the scenes of the revolution.  To-day, we view  him  as the retired
citizen of a republic, in the bosom of the forest
of the Western World, with no tie of kindred,
save the faithful companion of his bosom, and
the two little sons who had been added to his
household.  Quietly  retired  from  the  busy
haunts of man, his hours of study were only intruded upon by the friendly visits of his neighbours, to  whose natures, dissimulation  and
flattery were alike unknown, and whose society
and attachment he cherished by reciprocal attentions.




REFLECTIONS                          309
Amidst this peaceful solitude, how fully could
he adopt the sentiment of the rural poet:"Welcome, pure thoughts! welcome, ye silent groves!
These guests, these courts, my soul most dearly loves;
How the wing'd people of the sky shall sing,
My cheerful anthem to the gladsome spring.
Here dwell no hateful looks-no palace cares,No broken vows dwell here, no pale-faced fears."




40           LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
CHAPTER III.
Blennerhassett described$-Studies-Amusements-Anecdotes ofAppointed justice of the peace —Mrs. Blennerhassett described.
BLENNERHASSETT  Was  about six  feet in
stature,  of slender  proportions, and  slightly
stooping.  Ile was entirely devoid of that stavilcer
in modlo, which is so attractive to the gentler
sex, and not unfrequently captivates the minds
of firmer Inould, in society at large.  Hiis forehead, the index usually resorted to by which to
judge of men's minds and mneasure the depth of
intellect, was prominent, and claimed for its
possessor, by the general rule, an intelligence
above the ordinary capacity of mankind. His
nose was the distinguishing feature of a face
which wore an aspect of seriousness and thought,
almost amounting to cold reserve. Like many
of the nobility, he was extremely near-sighted;
and, unlike many of the present age, who ape
this defect of nature as characteristic of the
aristocracy or the literati, he found it a matter




AMUSEMENTS.              41
of serious inconvenience. In gunning, particularly, (an amusement of which he was passionately fond,) he had usually to be accompanied
by his wife, or some one of his servants, who
levelled his fowling-piece and brought it to bear
on the game. Peter, a domestic who sometimes
attended him on such occasions, was in the habit
of taking his station at a short distance, and
giving directions after the following manner:"Now, level, Mr. Blennerhassett.  A little to
the left! —Now to the right!-there!-steady!fire!"-Off would go the gun, and, not unfrequently, the game, likewise.
His usual dress was of the "' old English style,
with scarlet, or buff-coloured, small-clothes and
silk stockings; shoes, with silver buckles; and
a coat generally of blue broad-cloth. When at
home, his dress was rather careless; often, in
warm weather, in his shirt sleeves, without coat
or waistcoat; and, in winter, he wore a thick
woollen roundabout or jacket."*
Retiring in disposition, his life was sedentary
and studious; books and philosophical experiments possessing greater attractions than the
gay and fashionable assemblies of the ball-room.
Always entertaining, he never indulged in
* Hildreth. —" American PReview," 1848.
4*




42         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
trivial conversation, but interested his audience
in something calculated more to instruct than
amuse their idle fancy.
His scientific studies, which were much facilitated by means of his various apparatus, included
chemistry, electricity, galvanism, and astronomy. By the aid of a telescope and solar
microscope, it was with much satisfaction that
he could demonstrate the truth of his theories
by practical observation, and acquaint himself
more fully with the Inotions and positions of the
various planets, as well as the minuter bodies of
the earth.  While experimenting in chemistry,
he had conceived the idea that animal substance
might be so adipocerated as to subserve the use
of spernmaceti for light. He accordingly placed
pieces of meat in a small inlet from the river, to
undergo a chemical change. When the proper
time had elapsed, as he supposed, to test the
truth of his theory, on visiting the cove he found
the finny tribes of the water had anticipated his
experiment by converting the meat into food.
The act was not repeated, and his theory remained undemonstrated.
He was a connoisseur in music, and performed
admirably upon the violin and violoncello.
Many of his hours of recreation were whiled
away with this delightful amusement; and,




ANECDOTES.               43
being an adept, pieces of his own composition
were played with animating effect.
Of an unsuspecting disposition, he was easily
imposed  upon  by the misrepresentations of
others.  Not unfrequently had he to pay enormously for his practical knowledge of life and
human nature.  It is reported of him that, on
one occasion, having employed an individual to
collect muscle shells from the beach, on which
they were scattered in great profusion, when
the labourer came to receive his pay, Blennerhassett inquired the reason of his high charge.
"The diving's so deep, and the shells are so
scarce."
"But," replied Blennerhassett, "you do not
dive, do you?"
"Ay, indeed! In fifteen feet water."
Believing there was no occasion for misrepresenting a fact, which could be readily ascertained by a short walk to the river, Blennerhassett paid the man his money-a sum equal to
five times the real value of the shells.
Of a nervous temperament, he not unfrequently imagined objects which had no existence in nature, and apprehended evils that were
never to be realized. Earthquakes and thunderstorms, to him, were intensely alarming; and
such was his timidity on the approach of a




44         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
threatening cloud, that it was his usual custom
to close the doors and windows of his house,
and place himself in the centre of a bed, to
avoid the accidental effects of the electric
fluid.
Of his forensic talents, or legal ability, he
never, in this country, gave evidence. He was
not deficient, however, in either. The county
court of Wood county recommended him to the
Governor of Virginia for the magistracy; and
by His Excellency he was duly commissioned:
but presuming it a condescension for which he
should be poorlv paid, and still less respected,
he modestly detined to " qualify," and remained
a private citizen.
Let us turn, for a time, from the man, to contemplate and gaze upon the person and character of his companion.  History affords but few
instances where so much feminine beauty, physical endurance, and many social virtues, were
combined with so brilliant a mind, in the person
of a female.
Her stature was above the ordinary height of
her sex; her form well-proportioned and beautifully symmetrical; her manners of the most
captivating gracefulness, with sufficient dignity
to repel familiarity and command respect. Her
dark-blue eyes, beaming with love and affection,




MRS. BLENNEREIASSETT.        45
and "'sparkling  with life and  intelligence,"
looked forth from  beneath  the long brown
lashes, which hung as curtains to conceal their
charms.  Features of Grecian mould, embellished by a complexion whose carnation hue,
health, and the hand of nature alone, had
painted.  Her hair, which was of a dark-brown
colour, was usually concealed beneath a headdress of rich coloured silk, worn after the manner of the Turkish turban.
Her mind was not less polished than her
manners; and the fluency with which she
wrote and spoke the French and Italian languages indicated a high degree of cultivation,
which few, even in this golden age of science
and letters, have ever attained to.  Her taste
for dramatic composition led her to adopt, as a
favourite pastime, the rehearsal of Shakspeare's
plays. These were usually executed with an
effect which would have done honlour to more
professed connoisseurs, and exhibited a talent
which needed only cultivation to have won
laurels of lasting freshness in the theatrical
world. Her familiarity with various French
and English authors rendered her an agreeable companion for the man of letters, and
proved a valuable assistant to her husband
in recalling to mind some opinion or expres



46          LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
sion of an author which had escaped his
memory.
She cultivated, to some extent, a taste for
poetry, and produced several pieces which are
still in existence.  As we are enabled to offer a
specimen of her powers in this flowery department of literature, we forbear an expression of
opinion, but leave the lines to represent their
authoress.*
But it is only in the every-day affairs of life
that we can gain a perfect knowledge of the
true character of individuals. It was in this
peculiar sphere that Mrs. Blennerhassett exhibited an uncommon degree of excellence, and
won the affection of all within her influence.
She adapted her customs to the society around
her, and joined in their amusements and festivities with all the spirit of one accustomed to
frontier life from  earliest infancy.  Riding on
horseback was a delightful and healthy exercise, in which she frequently participated. At
such times, she was usually habited in a fine
cloth riding-dress, of scarlet colour, richly bespangled with gold lace and glittering buttons.
From  her downy hat waved'"the  graceful
plume of the ostrich," and the rich folds of her
* See Chap. XIII.




MRS. BLENNERHASSETT.          47
drapery fell gaily over the flanks of her noble
steed. Over hill and through dale, with the
fleetness of the deer, she took her course, and
seldom did her attendant get a glimpse of his
sprightly charge until she' checked her speed
to await his coming.
That she was capable of extraordinary physical endurance, was frequently demonstrated
by the long and speedy walks she performed,
whether on business or visiting some favourite
friend. She has been known to accomplish a
pedestrian tour, of from ten to twenty miles,
with as much ease as other ladies would make
their usual calls among city or village acquaintances.  Fences or fallen timber were no impediments.  Bounding over them with astonishing
agility, she  carelessly pursued  her way, as
though tracing the more familiar paths of the
wild woods.
Although she participated in the various
amusements through the country, and was the
ruling spirit of every assembly, she never neglected the ordinary duties of her household;
every apartment received her personal attention, from the kitchen to the chambers, and was
duly cleansed and arranged according to her
direction.  By her were the daily tasks of the
servants assigned, while she performed with




48          LIFE OF BLENNERIIHASSETT.
cheerfulness the duties devolving on herself.
In short, like Shakspeare's Portia,
"' She was, indeed, a rich-souled creature, in
whom  the  first germs of womanhood  had
blossomed forth, without a weed to check, or a
chill to blight their growth."




EARLY SETTLERS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA.    49
CHAPTER IV.
Early settlers of Western Virginia —Occupations-AmusementsPatriotism —First settlers of Ohio-Industry-Economy-Morality
-Conclusion.
THE  character, manners, and  habits of life
of the early settlers of Western Virginia, are
topics which have engaged the labours of but
few pens; but they are not the less interesting
on that account.
Many of the inhabitants of this new, and
hitherto uncultivated portion of the State, were
intelligent sons of families of distinction in the
" Old  Dominion."   The  great abundance  of
game of nearly every variety; the free and
exciting sports of a life in the western wilds,
devoid of care, and free from those conventional
restraints  which  more  polished  society  imposes on individuals, and by which, to a considerable extent, their actions are controlled;
the exhilarating, health-invigorating, glorious
fuln of chasing
"The stag to the slippery crag,
And following the bounding roe;"5




50         LIFE OF BLENNERIHASSETT.
combined to allure the ardent and pleasureloving youths from the tamer scenes of their
childhood to those boundless fields of new and
ever-changing  excitement.  Others, enjoying
smaller patrimonies, hearing of the rich alluvial bottoms of the Ohio and its tributaries,
and the low price at which land could be procured, deserted their less-inviting homesteads
to seek new sources of wealth beyond those
blue peaks which many regarded as the western
limit of civilization.  Penury, and the  exhausted lands of other portions of the State,
drove no inconsiderable number in search of
genial soil, where the hand of man might
realize rich returns from the toil bestowed upon
it; or the abounding game should furnish supplies of food without that effort which nature
requires of those mrho seek her bounties.
Populated by these various classes, enticed
thither through  considerations  as  different
as the dispositions and circumstances of the
individuals themselves, that love of society
which is seldom lost in man served to banish
distinctions of rank, and render an absolute
equality essentially necessary to their social
existence. Around the blazing fire, the son of
the wide-famed statesman tripped merrily in
the misty mazes of the dance with the daugh



EARLY SETTLERS OF VIRGINIA.      51
ter of the unknown peasant.  The scholar,
orator, and divine strove in eager emulation to
plant their rifle-balls as near the centre of the
target as that of the uncultivated woodsman.
Remote from friends, from society, and the
pleasing associations of earlier years, they devised amusements in every thing, and made
frolic of labour itself. A house-raising, or logrolling, was as cheerfully attended as the wedding of a favourite friend; and a corn-husking
collected the inhabitants from  several miles
around.  The  almost daily  interchange  of
civilities, and constant association of the various classes, as well for the purpose of joint protection against the deadly rifle of the savage,
as the innate love of company, served to mould
the general character of the population into a
distinct type, peculiar to themselves, and
stamped their virtues with an originality which
the mutations of time have failed to change.
The Virginian, thus re-moulded, (if we may
be allowed the expression,) from his active
habits of life, was capable of extraordinary
feats of strength and astonishing agility of limb.
For a wrestle, or a foot-race, he was always
ready, and never refused a challenge to take a
trial at either.  While, to gratify his revenge,
he would have grappled with Apollo for the




52        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
tripod of the temple; yet the overflowing
fountains of his heart gushed forth, in swelling
streams of sympathy, for the misfortunes of his
fellow-men. Chivalrous, brave, and independent, "1 he would not have courted Neptune for
his trident, nor Jove for his power to thunder."
With a generosity bordering on extravagance,
his house, his horse, his gun-yea, every thing
but the sacredness of virtue were at the disposal of his friends.  Clad in the buck-skin
moccasin, with a hunting-shirt of linsey-woolsey,
his rifle on his shoulder, and a butcher-knife
at his side, he never changed his apparel to
suit the circumstances under which he was
placed; and, whether pursuing the fleeting
game, visiting a neigllbour, or attending the
services of the church, the same attire was
suitable both to the day and the occasion.
The deer hunt, the horse race, and everglorious fox-chase, were the usual sources of
amusement among the men; while the women
found enjoyment at the various wool-pickings
and quiltings throughout the neighbourhood.
The circumstance of their spending so much
time, in the enjoyment of lawful amusements,
is to be accounted for in the fact, that, at that
early period, they had but few desires to be satisfied, and fewer wants to be supplied.  There




EAIRLY SETTLERS OF VIRGINIA.     53
being then but little, if any, demand for agricultural produce, it was unnecessary to raise more
than the consumption of the immediate vicinity
required. Remotely situated from the extravagance and luxury of more cultivated society,
there was no need of mahogany sideboards,
groaning with champaign, nor of Brussels or
Turkey carpets to decorate their floors.
Their unflinching patriotism was repeatedly
tested in the Revolution, and various engagements
with the Indians.  At the first call of their
country's voice, the animated response was
heard in every hamlet. When they had neither
the soldier's uniform, nor equipages, nor arms,
they seized their trusty rifles; and, from their
smiling fields of toil, from the pleasant scenes
of their sportive pastimes, they flew to will a
soldier's name or a soldier's grave.  The results
of their efforts shall glow beneath the pencil and
the pen-shall live in national song, and survive in the spirit-stirring anthem, till none are
worthy to repeat the strain, or to paint the
scenes of their country's glory!  When the
question of the purchase of Louisiana was first
mooted in our national councils, and it was then
urged that the inhabitants of that territory
would prevent a free and easy navigation of the
Mississippi river;-' Give me," said Washing5*




54           LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
tonp, "lthree hundred picked men, well-tried and
true, of old West Augusta,' and I will calre my
way to the Gulf."   What higher compliment
could have been  paid to  the patriotisln  and
bravery of the original settlers of the transAlleghany country-a remnant of whoml   a few
still remain, as landcl-nmarks by which to trace
the characters of the departed!
While this type of character occupied the
Eastern shore of the Ohio, thlat of the West contained a-other, as marked ainld distinct as that
of the Cavalier from  the tounldhead.  Many
revolutionary officers and soldiers of the Northern
States, who had exhausted their resources in
fighting the battles of their country, and who,
from  the depleted state of the national finances
had to rernmain for a time wTithout indemnity,
either for their services or losses, sough-t this
new  land, where they could  recuperate their
shattered fortunes  by economy and  industry.
Others, too, of the sons of New  England, attracted also by the fruitful valleys of this beautiful and majestic river, bade farewell to the
rocky and ungrateful soil of their birth, and,
with a plough and a bed, a Bible and a wife,
-* This was the term applied to all the territory west of the
Alleghanies, known as the North-West Territory. Augusta County
then comprising the whole.




EARLY SETTLERS OF VIRGINIA.     55
set out for the West.  Here, hundreds of miles
from father Aminidab and mother Patience,
they set themselves industriously to work, clearing up farms from which to realize fortunes, as
soon as the circumstances of the country would
permit. That their most sanguine expectations
have been fully realized, is happily demonstrated
by the fields waving with grain, valleys filled
with herds, and hills covered with flocks, which
meet the eye of the traveller as he passes along
the stream.  While the meed of praise has been
awarded them for their indefatigable industry,
they have not been regarded as possessing that
generous hospitality which is characteristic of
their neighbours of' Virginia. Educated to believe there was no product without labour-no
wealth without economy-they indulged but
little in amusements, and were careful against
expense.  In  their moral and religious observances, they were rigidly austere. Like the
Puritans of Plymouth Rock, from whom  they
were descended, the Bible formed the chief rule
of their conduct. Their family government was
based upon its precepts, and its holy teachings
were listened to each Sabbath, in the "forest
sanctuary."  True, some there were who occasionally broke over the more austere lessons
which had been taught them by their parents,




56          LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
but the exceptions, "c like angels' visits, were few
and far between."  If their liberality at any
time exhibited itself, it was usually towards
objects of charity, or to spread the teachings of
that gospel which they had bhen taught ever to
revere.  For bravery and devotion to the welfare of their country, they were justly regarded
the equals of their neighbours; ancd acts of
Indian cruelty were jointly revenged by the
two.  Having enjoyed early aldvantages in the
best schools and acadenlies of thd~leir native States,
they were fully informed  upon the subjects
usually tauguht at such institutions, and many
possessed talents of superior brilliancy.
Such were the men with whomn Blennerhassett had cast his fortunes.  The variety of
characters, perhaps, was as great, if the number
of persons was far less, as that of the society he
had recently abandoned.  There was the hospitable  Virginian, who, though  he  neither
claimed nor desired  the titulary dignity of a
nobleman, exhibited a generosity equal to that
of its proudest possessor,-a generosity which
knew no bounds, and awaited no emergency for
its exercise.  With a reckless profligacy, he
scattered his bounties broad cast; threw open
the doors of hospitality; lavishing, with an
unsparing hand, the gifts which fortune had be



EARLY SETTLERS OF VIRGINIA.     57
stowed upon him. There was the high-toned
chivalry of the Crusades, which stooped to no
baseness; cringed to no superior; nor was intimidated by menace; performing kindnesses,
without ostentation; acts of daring, without
boasting, and relieving the wants of the distressed, without the hope of reward.  There
was the zealous puritan, acknowledging no superior but God; no law binding on the moral
man, but the Bible; no religion but that of
Calvin; rejecting the unmeaning forms of Popery; combating the doctrine of apostolic succession; and discarding, in his worship, the use
of the gown, the surplice, and the prayer-book.
There, the meek and pious Christian, dispensing
charities without parsimony; visiting the sick
and the afflicted; and mingling the comforts
of religion with the sad and agonizing scenes of
death. And there, too, alas!-the crafty and
wily miscreant, making promises never to be
fulfilled; taking advantages in trade: regarding
neither the teachings of Holy Writ, nor the
precepts of morality; but ever faithless, ever
insincere, prostrating virtue without compunction, and indulging in every lawless vice.




58              LIFE OF BLENNERII ASSETT.
CHAPTER V.
Domestic situation of Blennerbassett in 180.5-Burr's first visit to
the island —Object of Burr's tour-Finds ]Blennlerhassett absent
from hl ome-IProcce(ls dovwn the OClio-Visi ts vWilkinson-Conference-Blenlnerhassett visits New York  Thotn as Acddis EmmettBurr's first commlunlication to B:1ielmlelrhassett —Effect of, upon
BlennerhaLssett-Bllcnnrebhalssett's answer-Burr's reply-B-urr's
second visit to the island —Wirt's description of the islalld as it
was at thllt timle-Burr colmmences recruiting men for the expedition-Argumenlts made use of to inlduce individuals to joinEffect of his arguments.
EIGHT years had  already elapsed  since  Blennerhassett had    nade  the  island  his residence.
The flowers and shrubbery planted by his hands
had now  spruncg up in luxuriiant perfection, and
regaled the senses with  their grateful fragrance.
The products of his husbandry secured  at least
a  comfortable  supply  of' all the  necessaries  of
life, and  more  than  this  he  wished  not.   The
independence  of  his  situnation  enabled  him   to
procure  any  or  all of the  delicacies which  a
more  Epicurean  taste might have desired; but
these  had  been  resigned, with  the  pomp  and




AARPON BURR.              59
glitter of his former station. Around him, he
viewed a contented family, rejoicing  in the
buoyancy of health, and with the sprightliness
of youthful vivacity.  The returning seasons
brought with them  returning pleasures.  New
scenes of interest, new engagements, and wider
fields of usefulness, daily presented themselves
to his awakening impulses; but, in the midst
of all this peace and cheerlifulness-this Cconstant sunshile of the soul" —a dark and portentous cloud gathered in the horizon of hLis effulgent future, destined soon to burst with sad
fatality upon the unsuspecting circle of that
household.
In the spring of 1805, Aaron Burr, late Vice
President of the TJnited States, after the closing
of the session of Congress, set out on a journey
through the Western States. The object of this
tour, although never definitively declared, was,
doubtless, three-fold:
First.  To ascertain the sentiments of the
people of the West upon the subject of a separation from the Atlantic States.
Secondly. To enlist recruits, and make arrangements for a private  expedition  against
Mexico and the Spanish provinces, in the event
of a war between the United States and Spain,
which at that time seemed inevitable.




60         LIFE OF BLENNERIIASSETT.
Thirdly. In the event of a failure of both of
these measures, to purchase a tract of land of
Baron Bastrop, lying in the territory of Louisiana, on the Washita river.  Upon this, he
contemplated the establishment of a colony of
intelligent and wealthy individuals, where he
might rear around hirm a society remarkable for
its refinement in civil and social life. That each
of these stupendous enterprises was determined
on, is clearly inferable from the evidence afterward adduced against him.
With a mind, tortured by remorse for the unfortunate duel with Hanmilton; sickened by disappointment in political preferment; disgusted
with the more pacific measures of Jefferson, he
could only direct his thoughts in scenes of outward conflict, and bury the disquietudes which
were tearing his soul, by plunging into deeds of
wonderful magnitude.
Knowing full well the  advantages which
wealth and influence would add to either undertaking, he sought first to secure the co-operation
of the most conspicuous characters at that time
occupying the West.  Blennerhassett was a
shining treasure, too valuable to remain unnoticed:-a gentleman of opulence and ease, possessing a mind of superior scientific acquirements; and who, from the discontents of his




BURR'S FIRST VISIT.         61
own country, it would readily be presumed, was
well acquainted with military tactics; such a
personage would indeed prove a powerful auxiliary in any measure he had proposed to himself. Burr, accordingly, landed at the island;
and, in company with a Mrs. Shaw, strolled over
this far-famed paradise.  Mr. Blennerhassett
was absent from home. His wife's attention
having been attracted by the strangers who
were then surveying the premises, she despatched a messenger to them, tendering the
hospitalities of the mansion. To increase her
surprise, Burr returned his card by the servant,
stating that as curiosity alone had prompted the
visit, they must decline the invitation. Honoured
by the attention of so distinguished an individual as the Ex-Vice-President of the United
States, Mrs. Blennerhassett was unusually importunate; and Burr, with an assumption of
hesitation, finally yielded.
Having participated in the general topics of
conversation, until about eleven o'clock at night,
Burr re-embarked on board of his boat, and proceeded down the river, to view the country and
hold conferences with the inhabitants at the
various points.
General Wilkinson, who commanded the
western forces, was, at that time, temporarily at
6




62         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
Fort Massac, near the mouth of the Ohio. As
a previous correspondence had been held between them, which  had brought them  into
intimate relations, Burr wished to ascertain,
with what confidence he could rely on the aid
of that officer and his men, in the event of an
expedition to Mexico.  The result of that interview has never been definitely ascertained;
but it was strongly suspected, however, that
Wilkinson assured him of his support. Here,
the Ex-Vice-President was furnished by the
general, with an elegant barge, sails, colours
and ten oars, with a sergeant and ten able hands
to prosecute his journey.
About this time, Blennerhassett, having received intelligence of the arrival, in eewT York,
of his classmate and friend, the celebrated
Thomas Addis Emmett, who had been compelled to flee his country, by reason of serious
political difficulties, hastened to meet him. The
feelings of the exiles, as they again clasped
hands on the western borders of the Atlantic,
can only be fully appreciated by those who have
experienced the emotions.  Here he found one
with whom  he could freely sympathize, and
who, in return, could as freely sympathize with
him. Often, in early life, had they sported
together over the same green meadows, and




LETTER FROM BURR.           63
participated in the same amusements. And
when, at a more advanced age, they had been
honourable competitors for academic honours,
no selfish ambition had served to unloose the
bonds which early childhood welded, although
the contest was never so spirited, or the prize
was never so dazzling.  Still later in life,
they had deplored together the fate of their
country; had witnessed her deep degradation,
and sighed over the hopeless prospects which
were shadowed in the distant future.  After
several weeks spent with his friend, during
which time he renewed his former acquaintance
in the city, he returned to his family on the
island.
In the beginning of December, 1805, Burr
addressed a communication to Blennerhassett,
regretting that the absence of the latter had
deprived the former of the pleasure of improving
his personal acquaintance, when visiting his
island residence. In an insinuating but guarded
manner, he alluded to the talents of Blennerhassett, as deserving of a higher sphere than that
in which they were employed. Ile was surrounded, to be sure, with all the comforts of life,
but those very comforts only served to effeminate
the mind, for want of active engagemlents. His
pleasures were merely passive, and were better




64         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
suited to the negative enjoyment of the rude
and unconscious herd, than to those delightful
sensations experienced by theintelligent mind
when in the active exercise of all its ennobling
powers. There were other considerations, too,
which should induce him  to feel that physical
effort was necessary. He was surrounded by a
growing family, who demanded of him superior
advantages over those to be obtained in his new
and unpolished neighbourhood.  His fortune
was gradually diminishing, while no effort was
made to add to his present estate. The inevitable consequence therefore rhust be the impoverishment of his children by his listless
attention to all financial affairs.  Suggesting
several plans by which Blennerhassett might
enhance his fortune, and render himself a more
important individual in society, he left him to
meditate on the truthfulness of the picture so
dexterously set before him.
Such apparently disinterested counsel, from
one whose judgment and experience he respected, caused Blennerhassett to turn his attention,
more particularly than he had hitherto done,
towards himself and his own affairs. The result
was all that Burr could have desired.  An
answer was returned, in which the writer desired to be admitted into a participation of any




BURR'S SECOND LETTER.          65
speculation which might present itself to Burr's
judgment as worthy to engage his talents. "In
making this advance," says Blennerhassett, "I
contemplated not only a commercial enterprise
or land purchase, but a military adventure was
distinctly mentioned in which I would engage."
He said, he conceived the country on the eve
of a Spanish war, when it would be necessary
to call all the talents of the country into action,
among which, the brightest was Burr's, and
under such considerations he was willing to
engage in any enterprise for the subjugation of
the Spanlish dominion.*
To this communication the following reply
was returned:
"WASIIINGTON CITY, April 15th, 1806.
"' DEAR SIR:-Your very interesting letter, of
the 21st December, arrived here just after I had
passed through this city on my way to South
Carolina, and was not received until about two
months after its date.  The subject of it" [securing land in the South-West,] "'has been
daily in my mind.  Independently of considerations personal to myself, I learn, with the utmost
pleasure, that you are to be restored to the
social and the active world.  Your talents and
* See Blennerhassett's Brief: Appendix, No. 4.
6*




66        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
acquirements seemed to have destined you for
something more than vegetable life; and, since
the first hour of our acquaintance, I have considered your seclusion as a, fraud on society.
The confidence you have seen fit to place in me
is extremely flattering, and it would seem that
there has been, without explanation, a sort of
consent between our minds.  In a matter of so
much moment, and on which I am so imperfectly informed, it would be hazarding too much
to offer advice, yet it is due to the frankness of
your letter, to acknowledge that I had projected,
and still meditate, [partly obliterated] a speculation precisely of the character you have described. It would have been submitted to your
consideration, in October last, if I had then had
the good fortune to find you at home. The business, however, in some degree depends on contingencies not within my control, and will not
be commenced before December, if ever.  From
this circumstance, and as -the matter in its present state cannot be satisfactorily explained by
letter, the commnunication will be deferred till a
personal interview can be had.  With this view,
I pray to be informed of your intended movements the ensuing season, and in case you should
visit Orleans, at what time and what port you
mnay be expected on the Atlantic coast. But I




VISIT OF BURR.             67
must insist that these intimations be not permitted to interrupt the prosecution of any plans
which you have formed for yourself.  No occupation which will not take you off the continent
can interfere with that which I may propose."
[The letter then gives an account of the society
of Orleans, and concludes:]  c" We shall have
no war" [with Spain], "unless we should be
actually invaded. Some estimate of the views
and temper of our government may be formed
from  the proceedings of the House of Representatives with closed doors. A copy of that
part of their journal I sent for your amusement.
"Accept, dear sir, assurances of the great consideration and respect, with which
"I am, your obedient servant,
A. BURR."*
"H. Blennerkhasselt, Esq."
In the month of August, 1806, Burr, accompanied  by his  accomplished  daughter, Mrs.
Theodosia Alston, wife of Gov. Joseph Alston
of South Carolina,t visited the island.  As this
interview has been eloquently alluded to by the
distinguished William Wirt, it is introduced as
* "Blennerhassett;" By Wm. Wallace: "American Review,"
1845.
t See Appendix No. I.




68          LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
descriptive of the domestic situation of tie Blennerhassett family, at this particular period. He
remarks:-'"A shrubbery, which Shenstone might have
envied, blooms around him; music that might
have charnmed Calypso and her nymphs, is his;
an extensive library spreads its treasures before
him; a philosophical apparatus offers to him all
the mysteries and secrets of nature; peace,
tranquillity and innocence shed their mingled
delights around him; and, to crown the enchantment of the scene, a wife who is said to be lovely
even beyond her sex, and graced with every
accomplishment that can render it irresistible,
has blessed him with her love, and made him
the father of her children. The evidence would
convince you, that this is only a faint picture
of real life. In the midst of all this peace, this
innocence, this tranquillity, this feast of mind,
this pure banquet of the heart, the destroyer
comes:-he comes to turn his paradise into a
hell; —yet the flowers do not wither at his approach, and no monitory shuddering, through
the bosom of their unfortunate possessor, warns
him of the ruin that is coming upon him. A
stranger presents himself.  Introduced to their
civilities by the high rank he had lately held in
his country, he soon finds way to their hearts




WIRT'S SPEECH.           69
by the dignity and elegance of his demeanor,
the light aid beauty of his conversation, and
the seductive and fascinating power of his
address. The conquest was not a difficult one.
Innocence is ever simple and credulous; conscious of no designs itself, it expects none in
others; every door and portal of the heart are
thrown open, and all who choose it, enter. Such
was the state of Eden when the serpent entered
its bowers.  The prisoner," (Burr) "in a more
engaging form, winding himself into the open
and unpractised heart of Blennerhassett, found
but little difficulty in changing the native character of that heart, and the objects of its affections. By degrees, he infuses into it the poison
of his own ambition; he breathes into it the
fire of his own courage; a daring and desperate
thirst for glory; an ardour panting for all the
storms and bustle and hurricane of life. In a
short time, the whole man is changed; and
every object of his former delights relinquished.
No more he enjoys the tranquil scene; it has
become flat and insipid to his taste. His books
are abandoned; his retort and crucible thrown
aside; his shrubbery blooms and breathes its
fragrance upon the air in vain-he likes it not;
his ear no longer drinks the melody of musicit longs for the trumpet's clangour and the can



70         LIFE OF BLENNEIRHASSETT.
non's roar. Even the prattle of his babes, once
so sweet, no longer affects him, and the angel
smile of his wife, who hitherto touched his
bosom with ecstasy so unspeakable, is now unfelt for and unseen. Greater objects have taken
possession of his soul; his imagination has been
dazzled by visions of diadems, and stars, and
garters, and titles of nobility;-he has been
taught to burn, with restless emulation, at the
names of Cromwell, Ca-sar, and Bonaparte," &c.
Leaving  his daughter with Mrs. Blennerhassett, Burr proceeded immediately to recruiting
men for the expedition.  His mind was now
fully determined on the enterprise. Every thing
appeared favourable, and what was to prevent
the realization of his dreams?
"Far away to the south-west, a thousand
miles beyond the Mississippi, lay a vast and
wealthy empire, governed by tyrants whom the
people hated, and defended by troops whom
soldiers should despise.  For years, the riches
of that kingdom were the theme of travellers.
Her mines were inexhaustible and had flooded
Europe with gold.  Her nobles enjoyed the
revenues of emperors; her capitol was said to
be blazoned with jewels. It was known to look
down on the lake, into whose waters the unhappy Guatemozin had cast the treasures of that




BURR'S PROJECT.            71
long line of native princes, of which he was the
last. Men dreamed of that magnificent city as
Alladin dreamed of his palaces, or Columbus of
Cathay.  Costly statues; vessels of gold and
silver; jewels of untold value; troops of the
fairest Indian girls for slaves; all that the eye
delighted in, or the heart of man could desire, it
was currently declared, would form the plunder
of Mexico. A bold adventurer, commanding an
army of Anglo-Saxon soldiers, could possess
himself of the empire. The times were favourable to the enterprise. The priesthood throughout Mexico was disaffected, and would gladly
lend its aid to any conqueror who secured its
privileges; and the priesthood then, as now,
exercised a paramount influence over the weak
and superstitious Mexicans. America, too, was
thought to be on the eve of a Spanish war, when
the contemplated expedition might easily be
fitted out at New Orleans. Burr saw the glittering prize, and resolved to seize it.  He would
conquer this gorgeous realm, and realize, in this
new world, as Napoleon did in the old, a dream
of romance.'" He would surround his throne with dukes
and marshals, and princes of the empire. The
pomp of chivalry, the splendours of the east,
should be revived in this court. Realms equally




72         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
rich, and even more easy of spoil, opened to the
south, to whose conquest his successors, if not
himself might aspire. Perhaps nothing would
check his victorious banner until he had traversed the continent) and stood on that bold
and stormy promontory, where the contending
waters of the Atlantic and Pacific lash around
Cape Horn."'
WVith that eloquence of expression and power
of imagination which was peculiarly his, he infused into the minds of his auditors a thirst, like
his own, for the brilliant scenes of Mexico. At
Marietta he had an opportunity of meeting with
the militia, who were assembled for the purpose
of an annual training.  Being called upon for
that purpose, he exercised the regiment in a few
evolutions, by which he demonstrated to the
doubting his superior knowledge of military
tactics, and capability for commanding.  A ball
succeeded the training, in the evening. The
congregated beauty of the surrounding neighbourhood greeted him with their smiles; while
the men of rougher mould gave encouragement
to his enterprise.  Offers of distinction and
rank, and the dazzling dreams of wealth, were
arguments irresistible to the young and adven* Anonymous.




CHARACTER OF BURR'S RECRUITS.    73
turous; and Burr soon found himself surrounded
by men impatient for the expedition.
Let it not be presumed that the honest and
patriotic spirits of the West for a moment contemplated treachery to their country, or meditated a wilful violation of her laws.  They who
had breasted the storms of adversity, in every
conceivable shape; who had scaled the barriers
of the Alleghanies, amid the dangers of Indian
warfare; who, for many years, had stood upon
the frontier of civilization, and grappled, in
deadly conflict, with the enemies of their country
and their race; who had pursued the savage to
his wigwam and startled himn from his nlountain fastness; these were the men whom impartial history must pronounce incapable of a crime
so base, so revolting to the mind of every patriot.
But they were deceived, in their over-credulousness, in the statement of Burr, and joined the
expedition, under the well-grounded belief that
Jefferson favoured it; and that, in the event of
war, it would be neither illegal nor contrary to
the wishes of the government.




O4              LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
CHAPTER VI.
Preparations for the expedition commenced-Burr's visit to Chillicothe-Cincinnati-Kentucky-Alston arrives at the islandAlston with his wife and Blennerhassett visits Lexington, Ky.Blennerhassett is introduced to Charles Fenton Mercer-Suspicious aspect of the expedition-Situation of affairs in the United
States-Apprehensions of the people —Rumours-Graham  appointed a secret agent of the government-Instructions-Instructions to Gen. Wilkinson-Wilkinson demands forces of the Governor of Mississippi Territory-Is refused-Despatches Burling
to Mexico —Holds a conference with Governor Claiborne at New
Orleans-Merchants of New Orleans convoked-Preparations at
New Orleans-Blennerhassett sets out from Kentucky for homeMeets with Mr. Mercer-Conversation-Burr's designs explained
-Blennerhassett is joined by Burr at the island —Burr leaves the
supervision of the boats to Blennerhassett and returns to Kentucky-Is arrested-Graham arrives at Marietta-Interview with
Blennerhassett-Visits the Governor of Ohio at Chillicothe-Act
of the Ohio Legislature-Militia of the State called out-Anecdotes-Mercer's visit to the island-Arrival of Comfort Tyler and
his men-Find Blennerhassett disheartened as to the feasibility
of the enterprise.
IN  the  month of September, 1806, Burr commenced active preparations for the contemplated
expedition. Contracts for fifteen large bateaux,
sufficient to convey five hundred men, and a
large keel-boat for the transportation of provi



BURR'S VISIT TO CHILLICOTHE.     75
sion, arms, ammunition, &c., also, for flour,
whisky, corn-meal, and other eatables, were
entered into; for the most of which Blennerhassett became responsible.  Much of the corn,
from which the meal was made, was raised and
kiln-dried on the island.
While these operations were being carried
forward, Burr visited Chillicothe, then the seat
of government of Ohio, and continued his trip
to Cincinnati, and thence to Kentucky. The
object of this tour was to extend his acquaintance, and add new recruits to his enterprise.
Each private was to supply himself with proper
arms and clothing, and to receive, as a compensation for his services, one hundred acres of land
on the Washita: officers were to receive according to their grade.
In the month of October, Mrs. Alston, then at
the island with the family of Blennerhassett,
was joined by her husband, who had fallen in
with Burr's plans, and, in all probability, was to
accompany him on his tour. They, in company
with Blennerhassett, proceeded to Lexington,
Kentucky; leaving the island and its affairs
under the supervision of Mrs. Blennerhassett.
On their passage down, they met with the
distinguished Charles Fenton Mercer, who was
an old college-mate of Mr. Alston, at the New




76         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
Jersey College. Having been introduced to the
acquaintance of Blennerhassett, Mr. Mercer remarks, that the reputation which he had acquired for talents, learning and taste, and an
eccentric and somewhat romantic mode of life,
rendered this interview with Blennerhassett one
of the most interesting events which occurred to
him  during his residence on the Ohio.  He,
therefore, accepted with much pleasure an invitation to visit the beautiful and much celebrated island.
It was true, that, at that period, and for several weeks previous, reports were in circulation,
that Blennerhassett was engaged with Burr in
some common enterprise, to which many had
imputed a highly criminal design. But those
reports, and especially the injurious suspicions
often connected with them, seemed to have
arisen from pre-existing prejudices against Burr,
which it was not difficult to trace to an origin
very remote from the designs now ascribed to
him. As the reports were believed and propagated, by those who spake of them, with a conviction and zeal proportioned to their ignorance
or malignity; and as they were, in themselves,
most improbable, absurd and ridiculous, Mr.
Mercer considered them entitled to no consideration.




POLITICAL ASPECTS.         77
The expedition, in the eyes of many, began
now to assume a serious aspect; and, through
the medium of the press, attracted the attention
of those more remote from the scene of preparations. Apprehension and alarm seized on the
public mind, and spread dismay throughout the
country.  Spain had refused us compensation
for her spoliations during a former war. Our
commerce passing on the Mobile river continued
to be obstructed by arbitrary duties and vexatious searches.  The boundaries of Louisiana
remained in dispute, producing much uneasiness
and discontent in the south-west. The government had been deterred from a declaration of
war, by Napoleon, from the effects of whose arms
Europe was then trembling, and who had intimated that France would take part with Spain
in any contest she might have against the United
States.  Added to this, the impressment of
American seamen by British vessels; and our
nation was at once reduced to a situation of
painful humiliation.
Feeble, indeed, would be that aid which a
disunited people could render, in time of perils
such as these. Never before, in the history of
the nation, had rebellion and disunion so openly
avowed itself.  How far this disaffection extended, was, to many, a matter of mysterious
7*




78         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
and anxious conjecture.  Burr had, but a few
years previous, closed a close and popular canvass for the Executive chair. It was known
that, not only his partisans, but his personal
friends, were numerous; many of whom were
men of wealth and influence, who could rally to
their standard a formidable number to support
the cause of faction.  Party malevolence and
personal animosity added fuel to the flame, and
ultimate ruin hung, as a witherinc  pall, over
the destinies of the country.
A rumour was gaining ground that a numerous and powerful association, extending, from
New York, through the Western States, to the
Gulf of Mexico, had been formed; that eight or
ten thousand men were to rendezvous in New
Orleans, at no distant period; and, from thence,
with the cooperation of a naval force, follow
Burr to Vera Cruz; that agents from Mexico
had come to Philadelphia during the summer,
and had given assurances that the landing of
the expedition would be followed by such an
immediate and general insurrection as would
insure the submission of the existing government, and silence all opposition in a very few
weeks; that a part of the association would
descend the Alleghany river, and the first general rendezvous would be at the rapids of the




RUMOURS OF THE EXPEDITION.      79
Ohio, towards the twentieth of October, and,
from thence, the aggregate force was to proceed
in light-boats, with the utmost velocity, to New
Orleans, under an expectation of being joined
on the rout by men raised in the State of Tennessee and other quarters.
It was said that the maritime cooperation
relied on was from a British squadron in the
West Indies; that active and influential characters had been engaged in making preparations
for six or eight months past, which were in such
a state of readiness that it was expected the
van would reach New Orleans in December,
where the necessary organization and equipment would be completed, with such promptitude that the expedition would leave the Mississippi towards the first of February. It was
added, that the revolt of the slaves, along the
river, was relied on, as an auxiliary measure;
and that the seizure of the banks of New Orleans was contemplated, to supply the funds
necessary to carry on the enterprise.*
Mr. Jefferson, then President of the United
States, through considerations of caution, and
to quell the apprehension of danger, adopted the
precautionary measure of appointing Graham,
* Martin's History of Louisiana.




80          LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
the Secretary of the territory of Orleans, a secret
agent of the government, with instructions to spy
out and investigate any plot hostile to the national interest; empowering him  to enter into
conferences with the civil and military authorities in the West, and, with their aid, to call on
the spot whatever should become necessary to
discover the designs of the supposed conspirators;
and also to bring the offenders to punishment,
when he should have fully ascertained their intentions.
It being known, at this time, that many boats
were in preparation, stores and provisions collected, and an unusual number of suspicious characters in motion, on the Ohio and its tributaries,
orders were given to the Governor of the Mississippi and Orleans Territories, and to the commanders of the land and naval forces, to be on
their guard against surprise, and in constant
readiness to resist any enterprise that might be
attempted.
On the eighth of November, instructions had
been sent to General Wilkinson, to hasten on
accommodations with the Spanish commander
on the Sabine, and fall back with his principal
force on the hither bank of the Mississippi.*
* Jefferson's Message of 22d January, 1807.




PROCEEDINGS OF GENERAL WILKINSON.    81
This order, however, had been anticipated by
Wilkinson, who, on the fifth of the same month,
three days previous to the despatch of the instructions, having received intelligence that the
Spanish camp on the Sabine would be broken up
on that day, began his march towards Natchitoches.  Immediately on his arrival there, he
had directed Porter to proceed with the utmost
expedition, and to repair, mount, and equip for
service, every piece of ordnance in the city; to
employ all hands in preparing shells, grape, canister and musket cartridges, with buck-shot; to
have every fieldpiece ready, with horse, harness and drag-rope, and to mount six or eight
battering cannons on fort St. Charles and fort
St. Louis-below and above the city-and along
its front, flanks and rear.
Porter left Natchitoches with all the artifices,
and company of one hundred men, and had been
followed by Cushing with the rest of the forces,
leaving only one company behind. Wilkinson,
on his way to New Orleans, stopped at Natchez,
and made application to the Executive of the
Mississippi Territory for a detachment of five
hundred men of its militia to proceed with him;
but, declining to communicate his motives, in
making the requisition, the governor refilsed a
compliance with so mysterious a demand.




82          LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
From this place, Wilkinson, on the fifteenth
of November, despatched Burling, one of his
aids, to Mexico, for the ostensible purpose of apprising the Viceroy of the danger with which his
sovereign's dominions were menaced; but, in
reality, (as the general mentions in his memoirs,)
on grounds of public policy and professional enterprise, to attempt to penetrate the veil which
concealed the topographical rout to the city of
Mexico, and the military defences which intervened-feeling that the equivocal relation of the
two countries justified the ruse.*
As soon as Wilkinson arrived in New Orleans,
he held an interview with Governor Claiborne;
at which time it was deemed expedient to convoke the merchants of the city, to adopt precautionary measures for their security.  The latter,
in an animated address, exhorted them to assist
him in his efforts for the defence of the city, and
solemnly swore, in the enthusiastic style peculiar to him, that, if it were taken by the vessels,
he would perish in the endeavour to repel the
assault.  The meeting adopted, unanimously,
some spirited and patriotic resolutions. A considerable sum was subscribed to be distributed as
bounty among such sailors as might engage to
* Martin's History of Louisiana.




BLENNERHASSETT RETURNS HOME.       83
serve on board the ships.  Many of the guns of
the city were placed upon the merchantmen in
the river; and a respectable fleet was suddenly
formed, to oppose that of the British, which was
expected from the West Indies.
In the meanwhile,  Blennerhassett, having received information from his wife, (who despatched
to him a special messenger for that purpose,) that
his affairs were in danger, and required his immediate attention, left Kentucky, about the first
of October, for home.  NTear Point Pleasant, he
again met with Mr. Mercer, at the house of Col.
Andrew Lewis, a veteran in the revolutionary
and various Indian wars.
In conversation, he adverted, with much sensibility, to the reports in circulation, relevant to
Aaron Burr and himself, which were daily becoming more exaggerated, all of which he declared were utterly false.  He was the last man
in the world, lie said, who would disturb the
peace and impair the prosperity of the United
States. Weary of political situations, in his native country, he had sought and found an asylum
in America, the tranquillity of which he could
never violate.  He had, indeed, he admitted,
united with Col. Burr, (whom  public rumour
had injured as much as himself,) in the plan of
colonizing and improving a large tract of country,




84         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
on the Red river, originally granted by the King
of Spain, to Baron Bastrop, and lately purchased
by Burr, of a gentleman in Kentucky. The
tract contained eight hundred thousand acres;
and the consideration which Col. Burr and himself were to pay for it, was forty thousand dollars; but, by distributing a part of it in hunclredacre farms, among a number of emigrants, they
had no doubt, on the most moderate estimate, of
being able to raise the value of the remainder to
more than one million of dollars.
Shortly after his arrival at the island, Blennerhassett was joined by Burr, who had also
returned from Kentucky and his journey through
Ohio. He did not remain long, however, at the
scene of' preparations on  the  Muskingum.
Having completed  his arrangements, he left
Blennerhassett to superintend the construction
of the boats; to make the necessary preparation';
and to follow him, as soon as practicable, to the
mouth of the Cumberland, with the men, provisions and boats.
Burr proceeded down the Ohio to Kentucky,
where he had hardly landed, before he was arrested, and carried before the United States'
Court, on a charge of " treasonable -practices, and
a design to attack the Spanish domains, and
thereby endanger the peace of the United States."




BLENNERHASSETT'S CONFERENCE WITH GRAHAM. 85
The arrest was premature, and Burr was discharged for want of evidence.
Near the middle of November, Graham, the
government's confidential agent, proceeded to
Marietta, where extensive  preparations were
going on. Here he met, and held an interview
with Blennerhassett.  After discoursing upon
the subject of the expedition, with a frankness
which was only warranted by a well-founded
belief, (from what Burr had previously intimated,) that Graham was considered as one of
the recruits, Blennerhassett read to him some
communications he had just received, by the
hand of Capt. Elliot, and also one from Burr, in
relation to his arrest and trial at Frankfort, upon
which Blennerhassett animadverted with great
severity.  Graham, finding Blennerhassett was
labouring under a delusion, in regard to the part
that he was to perform in the transaction, informed him that Burr's representations, as to
him (Graham) being with or favouring the expedition, were groundless. With no little surprise, he asked Graham  whether he had not
heard of an association, in New Orleans, for the
invasion of Mexico.  Upon Graham venturing
to assure him that there was no such an association there, Blennerhassett stated that he had
been informed, by Bradford, the printer of the
8




86         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
"Gazette d'Orleans," that about three hundred
men had already joined the expedition.
Considering Blennerhassett most cruelly deceived, Graham endeavoured to draw him off
from the undertaking, in which he was engaged;
and conceiving it the policy of the government
to prevent, rather than to punish such effterprises, he informed Blennerhassett that, so far
from being concerned in the plan, he was the
government's authorized agent to inquire into
the facts relative to the enterprise, in the western
country, and to take such steps as might be necessary for repressing it. Hle then stated to Mr.
Blennerhassett, from reasons drawn from Burr's
visit to New Orleans, during the preceding sumnmner-from the information which the government had received-and from the nature of the
preparations which Blennerhassett himself was
then making, wly he believed the object of Burr
was either to attack the territories of Spain or
those of the United States; —and added, that
any collection of armed men on the Ohio river,
would, under the circumstances, be considered a
violation of the laws, and repressed accordingly.
The object and extent of the preparations at
Marietta having been fully ascertained, by Graham, according to instructions, he visited the
Governor of Ohio, at Chillicothe, to procure the




OHIO MILITIA ORDERED OUT.        87
aid of the State authorities, in suppressing the
suspected formidable measures. Governor Tiffin
communicated the matter to the Legislaturethen in session, whereupon an act was immediately passed, entitled "An Act to prevent certain acts hostile to the peace and tranquillity of
the United States, within the jurisdiction of the
State of Ohio.'"*
Under this act, Governor Tiffin ordered out
the militia of the adjacent neighbourhood, under
command of Major-general Buell, of Marietta,
with instructions, to that officer, to take forcible
possession of the boats and stores, not only upon
the Muskingum, but also of all others of a suspicious character descending the Ohio.
A warlike array of undisciplined militia, with
cannon, necessary equipage and arms, stationed
themselves along the banks of the river, to cut
off the forces expected from above. Many amusing jokes were played off at the expense of the
raw recruits during this campaign;-such as setting an empty tar-barrel on fire, and placing it
in an old boat or raft of logs, to float by in the
darkness of the night. The sentries, after duly
hailing, and receiving no answer, would fire a
shot to enforce their command; but still 1" dread
* Chase's Statutes of Ohio, vol. i. p. 553.




88          LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
silence reigned," and calmly the phantom vessel,
with her stolid crew, floated onward and downward, in utter recklessness-as if the crowing of
a farm-house cock only had disturbed the night's
calm silence. Irritated at such manifest contempt of their high authority, they plunged into
the stream to seize the boat and capture its
luckless navigators; when, "confusion utterly
confounded!" naught appeared but the remains
of a log and a barrel, which some laughter-loving
wag had freighted for their mischance and his
amusement.
On another occasion, they had learned that
Tyler* and his men had passed down the river
as far as Blennerhassett's island, from whence he
was expected to return, to recapture the boats
and provisions. To cut off all possible communication with Marietta, where the boats were
tied, particular instructions were given, in the
evening, to bring away all the water-crafts from
the lower side of the Muskingumn. Several sailors,
who boarded on the opposite shore, considered
the opportunity for sport too favourable to pass
unimproved. The plan first proposed, for the
accomplishment of this end, was to raise an
armed party, with blank cartridges, and fire at
* Comfort Tyler was one of Burr's principal captains.




ANECDOTES.               89
the sentinels. Upon strict search, however, they
found that all the muskets, blunderbusses, rifles,
and shot-guns, had been previously appropriated
by the militia.  The cannon was then thouglht
of, when this, also, it was ascertained, had been
called to the aid of the State authorities.  Determined not to be defeated, in the laugh they had
promised themselves, they resorted to the expedient of emptying' a half-keg of powder into a
canvas sack, wrapping it closely with twine.
This they deposited under ground, care being
taken to leave a communication with the contents by means of a priming-hole and slow-match.
At midnight,  when all, save the faithful and
lonely sentinels, were enjoying that repose so
necessary to the refreshment of the wearied soldier, after a destructive attack
" On whisky and peach-brandy,"*
A confused and foreboding sound, from the opposite shore, grated unmusically on the ear of the
guards.  Although appearances were somewhat
ominous, yet they concluded not to disturb the
slumbers of their brothers in arms until a more satisfactory demonstration had been made. For this
opportunity they were not kept long in suspense.
Suddenly the earth began to heave and throe,
* See Appendix, No. 3.
8*




90          LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
as if drunk with the heel-taps of the soldier's
glasses, and, following in quick succession, a
report, that many mistook for the summoning
trump of the end of time.  The scene which
succeeded is more easily imagined than described.
Those less confused, did, indeed, take time to
adjust their out-side garments, but much the
greater number started with nothing but their
nether vestments, without regard to uniform or
military parade.  Here stood one, vainly struggling to thrust his feet through the arm-holes
and sleeves of his linsey wtctairmuns, while, at his
side, a companion had drawn his pants over his
shoulders, illustrating, most ludicrously, but literally, the lines of doggerel:
"Put on his shirt outside his coat,
And tied his breeches round his throat."
Shivering, in the chill winds of December,
they "Uhurried in hot haste" to the tanta-ran-ta
of the trumpeter, and the rub-a-dub-dub of the
"drum-major-general."  Whether any had taken
the precaution to "load" or "prime" is a question which tilme and reflection have never settled.
The major, who was a tailor, is said to have
charged the cannon with his goose; —the State
having made no provision for ammunition. The
deputy, as he mounted his horse, was heard to




MERCER'S VISIT.            91
say, that, " as great men were scarce, he thought
it best to flee from danger."  Hlad Tyler and his
men been the real cause of their alarm, he would
doubtless have met with a stern resistance, but,
fortunately for him, he was unconsciously asleep
at the island.*
On Saturday evening, the 6th of December,
Mr. Mercer, in the course Of his journey east of
the mountains, stopped at the island, with the
view of purchasing this'"most elegant seat in
Virginia."  Finding, however, that Blennerhassett estimated it at fifty thousand dollars, which
(he remarked) was ten thousand less than it
had cost him, Mr. Mercer abandoned the idea of
purchasing; and the rest of his time, during the
visit, was spent in conversation with Blennerhassett and his accomplished lady.  It turned upon
his removal to the cc Washita"-the name of' his
new purchase. With great earnestness, he pressed
Mr. Mercer to become a participant;-suggesting
how -much it would augment his fortune, and
enforcing the inducement by an assurance that
the society he invited him  to join would soon
become the most agreeable and select in America.
He spoke of Burr as the moral head of it; and
when Mr. Mercer expressed a doubt of the per* See the description, by General Tupper, in the Appendix, No. 3.




92          LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
manency and happiness of a union formed under
such auspices, and dwelt upon such traits of
Burr's general character as he deemed exceptionable, Blennerhassett vindicated  him, with the
enthusiasm of an ardent admirer.
Blennerhassett, having  intended to visit Marietta on Sunday evening, Mr. Mercer proposed
accompanying, him, as that was directly on his
route.  As a tribute of merited gratitude, he
relnmarks, that he left Jthe mansion in perfect good
will to all its inhabitants; regrettinga tlhat the
engagements of its proprietor and his own dreary
journey, but just begun in the commencement of
winter, forbadLe him  to prolonll  a  visit which,
althlough so transient, lhtvad afvforded him so much
pleasure.  All that lhe had seen or heard colresponclded so little with te crimlin-al designs imputed to Biennerhase-tt, tl, at, if he could have
visited him with  mnfvvourable sentimnents, they
would have vanished before the light of a species
of evidence whicl, if not reducible to the strictest
rules of legal testimony, had, nevertheless, a
potent influence over all sensitive hearts; and
which, though it do not possess the formal sanction of an oath, hath often in it a great deal
more truth than statements thus verified.
L; What!" remarks Mar. Mercer, "will a man
who, weary of the agitations of the world-of its




MERCER'S VISIT.           93
noise and vanity, has unambitiously retired to a
solitary island in the heart of a desert, and created a terrestrial paradise, the very flowers, and
shrubs, and vines of which he had planted and
nurtured with his own hands; a man whose soul
is accustomed to toil in the depths of literature;
whose ear is framed to the harmony of sound,
and whose touch and breath daily awaken it
from a variety of melodious instruments; will
such a man start up, in the decline of life, from
the pleasing dream of seven years' slumber, to
carry fire and sword to the peaceful habitations
of men who have never done him wrong? Are
his musical instruments and his library to become
the equipage of a camp? Will he expose a lovely
and accomplished woman, and two little children,
to whom he seems so tenderly attached, to the
guilt of treason, and to the horrors of war; —a
treason so desperate?-a war so unequal? Were
not all his preparations better adapted to the
innocent and useful purpose which he avowed,
rather than to the criminal and hazardous enterprise which was imputed to him? Whence arose
those imputations? From his union with Col.
Burr. But, it is evident he has been led to this
union from his admiration of the genius, and
confidence in the virtue and honour of the person with whom it has connected him. That




94         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
which, with a harsh-judging world, is the fobundation of a belief of his guilt, when thoroughly
and candidly examined, carries on its face, therefore, the stamp of his innocence."
On the same day of the arrival of Mr. Mercer
at the island, also landed Comfort Tyler, of New
York, and a small party of men under his command. He found Blennerhassett much disheartened as to the enterprise, and nearly resolved to
abandon it altogether. Through the pursuasive
eloquence of Mrs. Blennerhassett, however, who
had now enlisted in the undertaking with her
whole soul, and the arrival of Tyler's men, "' the
lord of the isle," as if some demon of evil haunted
his footsteps, and urged him on to an unknown
destiny, yielding rather to the wishes of others
than to the sounder dictates of his own better
judgment-again embarked his fortune and fame
in the enterprise of Burr.
On the eighth of December, 1806, favoured by
the darkness of the night, a company of young
men from Belpre attempted, secretly, to bring
away the boats and stores ready for embarkation. They had nearly succeeded, when their
movements were observed by the militia, and all
of the boats but one were captured. This, with
its party, successfully reached the island, notwithstanding the efforts of the guards to prevent it.




LETTER TO GEN. WILKINSON.                    95
CHAPTER VII.
Burr despatches Swartwout to Wilkinson-Letter-Wilkinson communicates its substance to the President-Proclamation of the
President-Virginia militia called out under command of Col.
Hugh Phelps-Blennerhassett escapes with Tyler and his forces
down the Ohio-Phelps proceeds to the island-Finds it deserted
— Ineffectual attempt to arrest Blennerhassett at Point PleasantEffect of the President's Proclamation trusted to for some time in
the State of Tennessee-But similar instructions sent to that State
also-Graham leaves Frankfort for Nashville-The movements of
Burr-Kentucky militia ordered out-Burr's Flotilla-Burr leaves
the Cumberland-Lands at Fort Massac-Is visited by the commander, Captain Bissell-Supplies Burr with a messenger to convey a letter to the Lead Mines in Missouri-His wife presents Burr
with provisions-Burr and his party proceed to Chickasaw Bluffs
-Has an interview with the commander, Lieutenant Jacob Jackson-Fails in his designs-Communication of the President to
Wilkinson-Burr supplies himself with lead,tomahawks, &c., and
proceeds to Palmyra, and thence to Bayou Pierre.
ON the twenty-ninth of July, 1806, Burr had
despatched, by the hands of Swartwout, to Gen.
Wilkinson, the following  communication, in  cy-.pher, from Philadelphia.
"I have obtained funds and have actually
commenced the enterprise.... detachments from
different  points, and  under different pretences,




98          LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
will rendezvous on the Ohio, 1st Nov.  Every
thing, internal and external favours views. Protection of England is secured.  T —-- is going to
Jamaica to arrange with the admiral on that
station: it will meet on the Mississippi.  England.... navy of the United States are ready to
join, and final orders are given to my friends
and followers.... it will be a host of choice spirits.... Wilkinson shall be second to Burr only.Wilkinson shall dictate the rank and promotions
of his officers. —Balrr will proceed westward, 1st
August.... never to return.... with him go his
daughter.... the husband will follow, in October,
with a cotps of worthies, and.... send forth.... with
an intelligent and confidential friend, with whom
Burr may confer.  lie shall return immlediately,
with further interesting details-this is essential
to concert and harmony of movement.  Send a
list of all persons known to Wilkinson west of the
mountains, who may be useful, with a note delineating their character.  By your messenger,
send me four or five of the commissions of your
officers, which you can borrow under any pretence you please. —They shall be returned faithfully. Already are orders given to the contractor to forward six months' provision to points
Wilkinson may name; this shall not be used
until the last moment, and then under proper




LETTER TO GEN. WILKINSON.      97
injunctions; the project is brought to a point so
long desired.  Burr guarantees the result with
his life and honour-with the lives, and honour,
and the fortunes of hundreds, the best blood of
our country. Burr's plan of operation is to move
down rapidly, from the falls, on the 15th of November, with the first five hundred or one thousand men, in light boats now constructing for
that purpose, to be at Natchez between the 5th
and 15th of December-there to meet Wilkinson
-there to determine whether it will be expedient. in the first instance, to seize on, or pass
by, Baton Rouge.... on receipt of this, send Burr
an answer,.... draw on Burr for all expenses, &c.
The people of the country to which we are going
are prepared to receive us; their agents, now
with Burr, say that if we will protect their religion, and will not subject them to a foreign
power, that, in three weeks, all will be settled.
The gods invite to glory and fortune-it remains
to be seen whether we deserve the boon.  The
bearer of this goes express to you; he will hand
a formal letter of introduction to you, from Burr,
he is a man of inviolable honour and perfect discretion, formed to execute rather than projectcapable of relating facts with fidelity, and incapable of relating them  otherwise.  He is
thoroughly informed of the plans and intentions
9




98          LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
of     and will disclose to you, as far as you
inquire and no farther; he has imbibed a reverence for your character, and may be embarrassed
in your presence; put him at ease, and he will
satisfy you."
Wilkinson, having received this despatch some
time in November, communicated its substance
to the President, who, on the twenty-seventh of
the same month issued the following
PROCLAMATION.
Whereas, information has been received, that
sundry persons, citizens of the United States or
residents within the same, are conspiring and
confederating together, to begin and set on foot,
provide and prepare, the means for a military
expedition, or enterprise, against the dominions
of Spain; that, for this purpose, they are fitting
out and arming vessels, in the Western waters
of the United States; collecting provisions, arms,
military stores and other means; are deceiving
and seducing honest and well-meaning citizens,
under various pretences, to engage in their criminal enterprises; are organizing officers, and arming themselves, for the same, contrary to the
laws in such case made and provided: —I have
thought fit, therefore, to issue this my proclamation, warning and enjoining all faithful citizens,




PROCLAMATION OF THE PRESIDENT.     99
who have been led, without due knowledge or
consideration, to participate in the said unlawful
enterprises, to withdraw from the same without
delay: and commanding all persons whatsoever,
engaged or concerned in the same, to cease all
further proceedings therein, as they will answer
the contrary at their peril, and incur prosecution
with all the rigours of the law.  And I hereby
enjoin and require all officers, civil and military,
of the United States or of any of the States or
territories, and especially all governors and other
executive authorities; all judges, justices and
other officers of the peace; all military officers
of the army and navy of the United States, and
officers of the militia; to be vigilant, each within
his respective department, and according to his
functions, in searching out and bringing to condign punishment, all persons engaged or concerned in such enterprise, in seizing and retaining,
subject to the disposition of the law, all vessels,
arms, military stores or other means, provided or
providing for the same, and, in general, in preventing the carrying on such expedition or enterprise, by all the  lawful means within their
power; and I require all good and faithful citizens, and others, within the United States, to be
aiding and assisting herein, and especially in the
discovery, apprehension and bringing to justice




100         LIFE OF BLENNERHIIASSETT.
of all such offenders, in preventing the execution
of their unlawful designs, and in giving information against them to the proper authorities.
In testimony, &c.
THOMAS JEFFERSON.
By the President:
JAMES MADISON,
Secretary of State.
Under the authority, and by virtue of this proclamation, the Virginia militia, of Wood county,
were called out, by command of Col. Hugh Phelps,
of Parkersburg,* as soon as he had received intelligence of the same, which was not until the
eighth or ninth of December.
On the tenth of the month, Blennerhassett,
having received information of the preparations
making by Col. Phelps, (who, it was expected,
would march to the island on the following day,)
to take possession of his person, boats, and stores,
departed, under cover of night, with Tyler and
his forces, leaving Mrs. Blennerhassett, with the
two little boys, to follow.
In thus abandoning the tender partner of his
bosom, and those lesser lights of his affectionate
regard, Blennerhassett had not mistaken the
X A town in Virginia, two miles above Blennerhassett's island.




COL. PHELPS TAKES POSSESSION OF THE ISLAND. 101
character of the individual who, he rightly presumed, was soon to take charge of his mansion.
From  intimate association with the man, he
knew that innocence and feebleness would ever
be sacredly regarded by Col. Phelps; that, while
duty to the calls of his country compelled him to
exercise the functions of his office, and that, too,
in defeating the plans of his most intimate friend
and associate, that power would be exerted with
the strictest adherence to the laws of humanity
and the highest sentiments of honour; that while
no menaces would deter him from the disagreeable duty imposed, no act of wanton violence
should stain the honour of the friend.
On the succeeding morning, Col. Phelps, with
a small body of men, proceeded to the island.
They found it deserted by its proprietor. Inquiries were made, among the servants, who
informed them of the circumstances of the preceding evening; adcing, that Mrs. Blennerhassett was then on her way to Marietta, to secure,
if possible, the boat originally constructed for the
conveyance of Blennerhassett and his family to
the Washita.
Leaving the greater portion of his men in possession of the premises, Col: Phelps started across
the country to intercept the descending boats, at
the mouth of the Great Kanawha. None having
9*




102         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
passed, during the previous day, answering to
the description of those of which he was in pursuit, Col. Phelps informed the citizens of his
designs, and procured a party to watch the river
that night. Accordingly, a large fire was built
upon the bank of the river, around which the
watch attempted to keep their midnight vigils.
Following that ancient custom of "; keeping the
spirits up by pouring spirits down"-like the
model " officer," who was enamoured of the
"landlady of France"-their revels propitiated
the sleepy god, and a sweet forgetfulness of
earthly cares and earthly duties soon gave evidence of quiet consciences.  Taking advantage
of the darkness of the night, Blennerhassett
glided silently by, without disturbing the slumbers of the guard, and, before the early dawn,
was many miles beyond his discomfited pursuers.  At the mouth of the Cumberland, he
joined the flotilla of Burr, which was then
awaiting accessions both front that and the Ohio
river.
Not apprized, till late, that boats were being
constructed on the Cumberland, the effect of the
President's proclamation had been trusted to, for
solne time, in the State of Tennessee; but, on
the 19th of December, similar communications
and instructions with those of the neighbouring




BURR'S FLOTILLA.          103
States, were despatched, by express, to the governor, and a general officer of the western division of the State; and, on the 23d, Graham, the
agent, left Frankfort for Nashville, to put into
activity the means of that State also. Burr,
however, had been too prompt, in his movements, for the agents of the government. On
the 22d of the same month, he had descended
the Cumberlan(d, with two boats, laden with provision and a few additional forces.
The Governor of Kentucky, after the arrest
and discharge of Burr, hearing- of his arrival at
the mouth of the Cumberland, with a flotilla of
numerous vessels; and that he was there congregating his forces, ordered out the militia for
his arrest, but Burr, anticipating the movement,
slipped his moorings, and proceeded further down
the river.
The flotilla now consisted of four boats under
command of Tyler, two under Burr, two under
Floyd, one under Ellis, one under Blennerhassett, and a commissary boat, under Dean.
On the evening of the twenty-ninth, Burr
stopped a short distance below Fort Massac, then
under the command of Capt. Bissell. The following morning, he was visited, at his boats, by
that officer, who gave him a polite invitation to
visit the fort and partake of its hospitalities. It




104        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
is due to Capt. Bissell tostate, (although the evidence on this point is coflicting,) that he was,
at that time, without any instructions from the
government.  He remarks, that he had learned,
unofficially, of Burr's arrest and acquittal in Kentucky; hence, he concluded, that his mission
was one of peace, and for the purpose, ostensibly
held out, " of colonizing the Bastrop lands." IHe
furnished Burr with a messenger, to convey a
communication to the lead mines in Missouri, as
well as one or two men for his enterprise, and a
small quantity of provision; the latter, however,
Bissell asserts, was sent by his wife, who was an
early acquaintance of Burr, and who returned it,
in compliment for a barrel of apples, which Burr
had forwarded to her.
On the evening of the third of January, 1807,
Burr, with one boat, landed at Chickasaw Bluffs,
a military station at that time commanded by
Lieut. Jacob Jackson. Hie immediately despatched a messenger to the commander of the fort, to
inquire if quarters could be furnished him during
the night, who shortly returned with an affirmative answer. The following morning, he had an
interview with Jackson, on the subject of the
expedition, in which he stated that he was going
on a project of which many wished to know, but,
from their inquisitiveness, he was not disposed




BURR AT CHICKASAW BLUFFS.     105
to gratify them, but assured him that it was an
enterprise which would be honourable to himi
(Jackson,) and would be the making of those
who should follow him, provided they survived
the undertaking. Every argu ment was resorted
to, to shake the fidelity of that young officer to
his country, and prevail on him  to join the expedition, with the whole of the forces under his
command. To the ardent and enthusiastic mind
of youth, panting for scenes of glory.and distinction, his offers of fame and emolumlent were
truly tempting; particularly as they were enforced by the sophistical reasoning of that astute
and experienced diplomatist. But, to his honour,
and to the honour of American youths-particularly to American  officers —he  foiled  the
attempts of the seducer, and came off moral
victor in the attack. WXhile in the service of his
country, no offer of wealth, or place, or power,
could decoy him  from  the path of rectitude.
The government had confided the command of
that fort to his youthful hands, and so long as
he retained that trust, his best energies should be
exerted to preserve it with fidelity and honour.
On the third of January, 1807, the President
despatched the following communication to Gen.
Wilkinson:-1-I had yesterday intended to recommend, to Gen. Dearborn, the writing to you,




106         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
weekly, by post, to convey information of our
afIairs, in the west, as long as they are interesting; because it is possible, though not probable,
you might sometimes get the information quicker,
this way, than down the river; but the general
received, yesterday, information of the death of
his son, in the East Indies, and, of course, cannot
now attend to business.  I therefore, write you
a hasty line, for the present week, and send it,
in duplicate, by the Athens and Nashville route.
"1 The information, in the enclosed paper, as to
proceedings in the State of Ohio, is correct.
Blennerhassett's flotilla, of fifteen boats and two
hundred barrels of provisions, is seized, and there
can be no doubt that Tyler's flotilla is also
taken; because, on the 17th December, we know
there was a sufficient force assembled at Cincinnati, to intercept it there, and another party was
in pursuit of it on the river above. We are
assured that these two flotillas composed the
whole of the boats provided.  Blennerhassett
and Tyler had fled down the river.  I do not
believe that the number of persons engaged for
Burr has ever amounted to five hundred; though
some have carried them to one thousand or fifteen hundred. A part of these were engaged as
settlers of Bastrop's land, but the greater part
were engaged under the express assurance that




JEFFERSON'S LETTER TO GEN. WILKINSON.  107
the projected enterprise was against Mexico, and
secretly authorized by this government.  Many
expressly enlisted in the name of the United
States.  The proclamation, which reached Pittsburgh, December second, and other parts of the
river successively, undeceived both these classes;
and, of course, drew theml off; and I have never
seen any proof of their having assembled more
than forty men, in two boats, from Beaver, fifty
in Tyler's flotilla, and the boatmen of Blennerhassett. I believe, therefore, that the enterprise
may be considered as crushed; but we are not to
relax, in our attentions, until we hear what has
passed at Louisville.  If every thing, from  that
place upwards, be successfully arrested, there is
nothing from  below that [is] to be feared.  Be
assured that Tennessee, and, particularly, General Jackson, are fahitful.  The orders lodged at
Massac and the Chickasaw Bluffs will probably
secure the interception of such fugitives from
justice as may escape at Louisville; so that I
think you will never see one of them.  Still, I
would not wish, till we hear from  Louisville,
that this information should relax your preparations in the least, except as far as to dispense
with the militia of Mississippi and Orleans, leaving their homes, under our orders of November
twenty-fifth. Only let them consider themselves




108       LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
under requisition; and be in a state of readiness,
should any force, too great for your regulars,
escape down the river. You will have been sensible that those orders were given while we supposed you were on the Sabine, and the supposed
crisis did not admit the formality of their being
passed by you. We considered Fort Adams as
the place to make a stand, because it covered
the mouth of Red River. You have preferred
New Orleans, on the apprehension of a fleet from
the West Indies. Be assured, there is not any
foundation for such an expectation; but the
lying exaggerations of these traitors to impose
on others and swell their pretended means. The
very man whom they reported to you as having
gone to Jamaica and to bring the fleet, has never
been from home, and has regularly communicated to me every thing which  had passed
between Burr and him. France or Spain would
not send a fleet to take Vera Cruz; and, though
one of the expeditions, now near arriving from
England, is probably for Vera Cruz, and perhaps
already there, yet the state of things between us
renders it impossible they should countenance
an enterprise unauthorized by us. Still, I repeat,
that these grounds of security must not stop our
proceedings or preparations until they are further confirmed. Go on, therefore, with your




PROGRESS OF BURR'S FLOTILLA.   109
works for the defence of New Orleans, because
they will always be useful, only looking, to what
should be permanent rather than means merely
temporary. You may expect further information as we receive it; and, though I expect it
will be such as will place us at our ease, yet we
must not place ourselves so, until we be certain,
but act on the possibility that the resources of
our enemy may be greater and deeper than we
are yet informed.'" Your two confidential messengers delivered
their charges safely.  One arrived yesterday,
only, with your letter of November 12th.  The
oral communications he made me are truly important. I beseech you, take the most special
care of the two letters which he mentioned to
me —the one in cipher, the other from another
conspirator of high standing —and send them to
me by the first conveyance you can trust. It is
necessary that all important testimony should be
brought to one centre, in order that the guilty
may be convicted and the innocent left untroubled."
On the fifth of January, having supplied him.
self with thirty pounds of lead and three dozen
tomahawks, together with other articles, Burr
proceeded down to Palmyra, and thence to
Bayou Pierre.
10




110             LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
CHAPTER VIII.
Morgan Neville, and William Robinson, Junior-Embark from Pittsburgh in a fiat-boat-Espied by the Wood county militia and
arrested-Escorted to the island to await the return of Col. Phelps
-Difficulties with the militia-Trial of the young men-Conduct
of the militia on the island-sIrs. Blennerhassett's return from
Marietta —Her fortitude on the occasion-Embarrassed situation
-Accepts the offer of the young men to convey her to her husband-Col. Phelps's return to the island-Young men embarrassed at the announcement of his arrival-Character and description of Col. Phelps-Rebukes the militia for their riotous conduct
-His politeness to the young men-Proffers his services in accelerating Mrs. Blennerhassett's arrangement to go to her husband
-Apologizes for the misbehaviour of his men —Mrs. Blennerhassett prepares to depart-Leaves the island in company with the
young men-Passes the mouth of the Cumberland-Disappointed in
not finding her husband —Arrives at Bayou Pierre, and is restored
to Blennerhassett-Painful situation of Burr and Blennerhassett
-Burr sinks the arms, for the expedition, in the Mississippi.
MORGAN NEVILLE and William Robinson, jun.,
with  a party  of fourteen  young  men, early  in
December, embarkedcl,  from   Pittsburgh, in a flatboat.   Most of these were  sons of gentlemen  of
affluence  and  ease, who  knew  but little  of the
realities of life, further than was learned within
the walls of an academy.




CAPTURE OF NEVILLE'S PARTY.    111
They had proceeded down the river, as far as
Parkersburg, when their boat having been driven
on the shore, by the ice, during the night, they
were espied by the Wood county militia, and
the whole party arrested as accomplices of Burr.
With'"savage magnificence," they were escorted to the island, to await the return of Col.
Phelps, who was then absent, at Point Pleasant,
in an ineffectual attempt to arrest Blennerhassett.  Somewhat chagrined at their luckless
adventure, so far, the young men endeavoured
to pass their time as pleasantly as possible, by
ridiculing the militia, and threatening them with
the strong arm of the law.
But the intrepid captors were not to be deterred from duty. They parried the sarcasm of
their adversaries, and occasionally retorted with
considerable effect.  The impertinence of the
captives, at length, becoming insupportable, three
justices of the peace were sent for, to institute
an examination into the fucts-to commit, for
further trial, or acquit, the young men, as the
evidence might warrant.
They were accordingly arraigned, and, after a
full investigation of the facts, mostly upon the
evidence of the young men themselves, the court
acquitted them of all hostile designs against the
United States.




112        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
c During the trial, the mob spirit of the militia
began to run riot, and, by the time it was ended,
all was confusion. The well-stored cellars of the
mansion began to pour forth their riches; drunkenness ensued; fences were torn down, to pile
upon the blazing fire of the sentinels; the shrubbery was trampled under foot."
In the midst of this scene of confusion, Mrs.
Blennerhassett returned, firom her unsuccessful
visit to Marietta, to which she had gone to procure the family boat of Blennerhassett. A scene
of such desolation, and ruin of all that was fair
and beautiful, and around which her young affections had clung owith fond associations, was
calculated to crush a heart whose native character was remarkable for its strong attachments
to the objects of its love; but she had long
since resigned her beautiful abode, for the more
tempting lands, which her imagination had
dressed in fancy's brightest colours, where serener
skies and gayer flowers "shed their mingled
delights" over the perennial green of nature's
bosom. The successful issue of the expedition
was, to her, a matter of weightier moment than
all other considerations; and, thus it was, she
remained unmoved amid the general wreck of
her fair possessions, by the ruthless mob.
Her situation, however, was one of painful




COL. PHELPS.            113
embarrassment. Blennerhassett, having departed
in haste, without making arrangements for her
voyage, and the refusal of the authorities, at
Maarietta, to deliver her the boat, constructed for
that especial purpose, left her, for a time, in
almost hopeless despair of joining her husband,
at the appointed place. The weather had been
intensely cold, and the fast accumulating ice, in
the Ohio, appeared to forbid a reunion with
Blennerhassett until the following spring, when,
in all probability, she could only find him in the
Spanish  dominions.  It was, therefore, with
feelings of mingled gratitude and pleasure, that
she accepted the proffer of a room, in the boat
of the young men, who promised to make the
accommodations as conmfortable, to herself and
children, as the circumstances of her situation
would permit.
During the course of the evening, Col. Phelps
returned from his tour across the country. In
this unexpected arrival, the young men had
new cause of anxiety and alarm. They had
congratulated themselves upon their successful
defeat of the functionaries of the law, which they
attributed mainly to their superior tact in mystifying their judges, and intimidating their accusers; but here was one who could not be
duped by sophistical reasoning, or swerved from
10*




114              LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
his duty by the fear of consequences.   Although
dressed in the usual style of the backwoodsmen
of that day, the careless manner in which he
wore his garb added gracefulness to a form  both
attracting and commanding. They recognised
in him, an individual of physical as well as
intellectual superiority, and, therefore, wisely
concluded to assume a different bearing from
that they before had observed towards their
captors and judges.*
In a thoughtful and classic attitude, he surveyed the destruction of the premises, and the
evident  marks  of  bacchanalian  revelry  with
which the party under his command had disgraced themselves; then, turning upon them a
look of withering rebuke, he spoke in such terms
of indignation  as caused  them   to  shrink  with
* The following anecdote of him, related by General Cass, in his
work styled " France, its King, Court and Government," is perfectly
characteristic. He says:" I recollect a similar incident, which took place in a small village upon the banks of the Ohio. The Court was in session, and the
presiding officer was a Colonel P., a man of great resolution,
and of herculean frame. A person entered the Court cabin, and, by
his noise, put a stop to the proceedings. He was ordered out, and
the sheriff attempted to remove him; but he put himself upon his
reserved rights, and made such a vigorous resistance that the officer
retired from the contest.  Colonel P., thereupon, descended
from the bench, coolly took off his coat, gave the brawler a severe
beating, and, after putting him out of the house, resumed his garment and his seat, and continued his judicial functions."




MRS. BLENNERHASSETT LEAVES THE ISLAND. 115
fear and trepidation.  1"Shame! men," he exclaimed, "shame on such conduct! You have
disgraced your district, and the cause in which
you are concerned!"
To the party of strangers, however, he was
courteous and attentive. They soon ascertained
that they had no cause to apprehend the frustration of their plans, by Colonel Phelps; indeed,
so far from that, he willingly acceded to their
wishes, in permitting the departure of Mrs. Blennerhassett, and proffered his services, in accelerating her arrangements to go to her husband,
who, he said, he knew could never return to her.
To Mrs. Blennerhassett, he expressed his deep
sense of mortification, for the riotous acts of his
misguided men, and assured her, of what she
was already aware, had he been present the
shameful act would not have occurred.
"Early  next morning, Mrs. Blennerhassett
commenced her preparations for a final farewell
of the island Eden, where, for eight years, she
had been the presiding genius. Her energy and
zeal were such, that, in a few hours, she took
possession of the humble chamber prepared for
her in the boat, and, by the assistance of Colonel
Phelps, who rivalled the young men in courtesy,
the necessary stores and furniture were embarked. On the seventeenth day of December,




116         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
the boat swung from the shore, lashed to another
of the same class, belonging to A. W. Putnam,
of Belpre."
In the latter part of December, they passed
the mouth of the Cumberland, where, it was expected she would join her husband; but, as we
before have shown, he had passed out of the
Ohio, into the waters of the rapid Mississippi,
and moored at the entrance of Bayou Pierre.
Early in January, she was restored, with her
children, to Blennerhassett, who received them
with that deep-felt affection which a parent and
husband can only appreciate.
The situation of Burr and Blennerhassett had
now become one of painful anxiety.  It was
evident, from  surrounding circumstances, that
the strong hands of the general and State governments had became too powerful for the
small forces under their command. Burr saw
that he was the s" victim of bad faith."  Those
who had favoured the enterprise, at first, and
gave him  to understand that their aid could
be relied on, abandoned their designs, upon the
issuing of the President's proclamation.  The
authorities of the States and Territories bordering on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers had
ordered out the militia, for the apprehension of
the parties; and, from Pittsburgh to the Gulf




ARMS CAST OVERBOARD.        117
the most rigid measures had been adopted, to
give an effectual check to the further progress
of the expedition.
As for Blennerhassett, his situation was cheerless in the extreme. For Burr, had he abandoned his home with all its endearments-his
books-his studies, his property, and, withal, was
deeply involved, for debts contracted for the enterprise. As if the furies were not yet satiated,
in their revenge, he was hunted and pursued, as
a malefactor, and momentarily expected the
chilling touch of the officer of the law, to summon him to justice.
On a dark and dreary night, in the month of
January, as the flotilla pushed slowly from the
landing at Petit Gulf, might have been observed
the master-spirit of the expedition, seated on a
rough stool, in the inclement cabin of a flat-boat,
lighted only by the cheerless rays of a solitary
candle, and the decaying embers of a rudely-constructed fire-place.  With his face buried in his
hands, while his elbows rested on a table of unplaned boards, he who had heretofore braved the
disappointments which had attended his undertaking, with a fortitude that astonished, while it
gave confidence to his followers, now sat gloomy
and dejected. Upon what he mused is beyond
the ken of human prescience; but, starting sud



118         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
denly from his revery, he caught up an axe, and
directed his attendant to make an opening in
the side of the boat.  Through this, in the
silence of the night, when he supposed there
was none to witness, the chests of arms for the
expedition were silently sunk beneath the waters
of the Mississippi.




PROCLAMATION  OF GOV. MEAD.                119
CHAPTER IX.
Proclamation of Cowles Mead acting as Governor of the Mississippi
Territory-Burr's reply-The boats are visited by George Poindexter, Attorney-General for the Territory-Object of the visitA letter from the acting Governor-Burr's avowals-Poincdexter
requests his peaceable surrender-Burr declares his willingness
-An interview with the acting Governor the next day is agreed
upon-Terms of the agreement-Burr accordingly surrenders
himself-Terms of his final surrender-He is conveyed to the
town of Washington-Examination before Judge Rodney-Poindexter called on for his opinion-It is given-Judge Rodney dissents-A grand jury is required to be summoned to an adjourned
session of the Supreme Court of the Mississippi Territory-Grand
jury assembled-Motion to discharge-Overruled-Presentments
by the grand jury-Acquitting Burr-Present the calling out of
the militia of the Territory as a grievance-Also late military
arrests-Astonishment of the Attorney-General-Leaves the co'ut
room-Judge Rodney displeased-Burr asks to be discharged
from his recognisance-Is refused-Disguises himself and escapes
-Reward offered-Suspicious circumstance-Burr's men are
placed under guard-Arrests at Fort Adams and New OrleansConduct of Wilkinson-Treatment of General Adair-Attempt to
suspend the writ of " Itabeas Corpus"-Wilkinson's contempt of
the writs of Habeas Corpus-Judge Workman's recommendation
to the Governor-Workman becomes dissatisfied with the Governor
-Resigns his office-Return of Burling from Mexico-Object of
his visit-Reception of Burling by the Viceroy of Mexico-Leaves
Mexico in haste-Lieutenant Swan returns from Jamaica with
letter from Admiral Drake-Conveyance of.prisoners to Washington and Baltimore-Their discharge.
COWLES MEAD, Secretary of the Mississippi
Territory, performing the duties of governor,




120         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
had, on the third day of December, 1806, issued
his proclamation for the arrest of " the Burr conspirators;" and, at the same time, calling on the
officers of the government to take the oath of
fidelity to the United States.  To this proclamation, Burr, on the twelfth of January, 1807,
replied in a letter of some length, in which he
disavowed any designs hostile to the tranquillity
of the country, stating that his only object was a
peaceable settlement of the lands of his new
purchase.  "If the alarm  which has been excited," he remarks, "should not be appeased by
this declaration, I invite my fellow-citizens to
visit me at this place, (Bayou Pierre,) and to
receive from me, in person, such further explanations as may be necessary to their satisfaction,
presuming that when my views are understood,
they will receive the countenance of all good
men."  This letter, he requested, might be read
to the militia, who, he understood, were assembled for his arrest.
Having moved his boats to the western margin
of the Mississippi river, a short distance below
Bayou Pierre, he was visited by George Poindexter, Esq., the Attorney-general of the Territory, who had been appointed by Mead as an
honorary aid-de-camp for the arrest of the parties.
The object of this visit was to gain correct




BURR'S AVOWALS.            121
information as to the situation of Burr; to
ascertain his views, so far as they might be communicated; and to procure his peaceful surrender
to the civil authorities.
Major Shields, who accompanied Poindexter,
delivered to Burr a letter from  the acting governor.  In it was a sentence relating to the
restoration of tranquillity in the territory, which
sentence Burr repeated with a sneer; adding
that he had no intention to injure the citizens
of the United States. ~"As to any projects or
plans," he continued, "'which may have been
formed between General Wilkinson and myself,
heretofore, they are now completely frustrated
by the perfidious conduct of Wilkinson; and the
world must pronounce him a perfidious villain.
If I am sacrificed, my portfolio will prove him
to be such." Ile stated further, that, so far from
having any designs hostile to the citizens of the
United States, he intended to have met Mr.
Mead, at Port Gibson, on the day of the general
muster, which happened at that place about the
time of his arrival at  Bayou Pierre; but was
deterred from  so doing, by the belief that he
would be assassinated, if seen passing through
the territory.
Mr. Poiidexter then requested hin to surrender himself, peaceably, to the civil auth-orities;
11




122         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
stating that, unless he did, the governor would
certainly arrest him by force. Burr declared his
willingness, at all times, to submit, and proposed
that an interview should take place, between
himself and the acting governor, at some convenient place, on the next day; claiming protection
from personal violence in the mean time.
Stipulations were entered into, by which it
was agreed that Burr should be returned to his
boats, if Mead should not accept of his surrender;
that his flotilla should remain in the position it
then occupied, until after the proposed interview
should have taken place; and that, in the meanwhile, his men should commit no breach of the
peace, or violate any law of the United States or
Mississippi territory. The place designated for
the conference was the house of Thomas Calvert,
a respectable citizen of the Territory who resided
near the mouth of Coles Creek, where the detachment of militia which descended the river
was stationed.
Burr, accordingly, on the seventeenth day of
January, dropped down the river as far as Thomas Calvert's, accompanied by Col. Fitzpatrick,
who directed him to be taken in charge by Captain Davidson's company of dragoons. Here he
was joined, according to appointment, by Mead;
when further stipulations were required as to the




SURRENDER OF BURR.          123
terms of his surrender. These were, first, that
the agreement entered into, for the purpose of
procuring that interview, should be declared
void. Secondly, that Burr should give himself
up, unconditionally, to the civil authority. And,
thirdly, that his boats should be searched, and
all military stores and apparatus found on board,
be disposed of, as the Executive should think fit.
To these terms, the acting governor required
Burr's unequivocal reply, in fifteen minutes; and,
if not agreed to, he was to be instantly returned
to his boats, and the militia ordered to seize the
whole party, by force.
As there was no chance of escape, the conditions were accepted of and carried into effect.
Burr declared his unwillingness to fall into the
hands of Wilkinson, and requested, if any attempt should be made to arrest him by a military
force from New Orleans, that it might be opposed.
He was conducted to the town of Washington,
where he was delivered over to the custody of
the law, and the examination of the witnesses
immediately commenced before Judge Rodney.
Mr. Poindexter was called on, in his official
capacity, as attorney-general, to give his written
opinion as to the course which ought to be pursued. He, accordingly, furnished an able argument against any attempt to try the accused in




124        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
the courts of the territory. He stated that they
had no evidence to convict him of any offence
committed in Mississippi; that the Supreme
Court of the territory, to which a jury was about
to be summoned, had no original jurisdiction of
any prosecution, and could only take cognisance
of law reserved at the trial in the Circuit Court.
It was his opinion, therefore, that Burr should
be sent to the city of Washington, where the
Supreme Court of the United States would be in
session; and the judges, attending from every
part of the Union, could direct him to be tried in
the District, where, from the evidence, it might
appear that an overt act of treason had been
committed.
But Judge Rodney thought differently; and a
venire facias was issued, requiring the attendance
of seventy-six jurors, at an adjourned session
of the Supreme Court of the Mississippi Territory, to be held in February. From the number
attending, at the appointed time, a grand jury of
twenty-three persons was selected, who received
a charge from the judge and were adjourned
until the next day.
The following morning, a motion was made,
by the attorney-general, to discharge the grand
jury:-first, because the court did not possess
original jurisdiction in any case.  ecodly~, be



PRESENTMENT OF THE GRAND JURY.     125
cause the depositions, submitted to his inspection, did not furnish sufficient evidence, to convict Burr of the offences with which he was
charged, so as to bring them within the Mississippi territory; and, thirdly, that a warrant
might issue, transmitting the accused to a court
having competent jurisdiction, to try and punish
him, if guilty of the crime alleged against him.
The court being divided on this motion, it was,
in consequence, overruled, and the grand jury
retired.  The attorney-general, thereupon, determined to prefer no indictment, and left the courtroom.
In the afternoon the jury returned with the
following presentments:1" The grand jury of the Mississippi Territory,
on a due investigation of the evidence brought
before them, are of opinion that Aaron Burr has
not been guilty of any crime or misdemeanor
against the laws of the United States, or of this
Territory: or given any just cause of alarm or
inquietude to the good people of the same.
"The grand jurors present, as a grievance,
the late military expedition, unnecessarily, as
they conceive, fitted out against the person and
property of the said Aaron Burr7 when no
resistance had been made to the civil authorities.
"The grand jurors also present, as a griev11*4




126         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
ance, destructive of personal liberty, the late
military arrests,* made without warrant, and,
as they conceive, without other lawful authority;
and they do sincerely regret that so much cause
has been given to the enemies of our glorious
Constitution, to rejoice at such measures being
adopted, in a neighbouring territory, as, if sanctioned by the Executive of our country, must
sap the vitals of our political existence, and
crumble this glorious fabric in the dust."
The attorney-general declared his astonishment at such unwarrantable presentments by
the grand jury, and, informing the Court that he
should take no notice of them, retired.  Judge
Rodney strongly reprobated such conduct on the
part of the jury, and, after rating them in no
very mild terms, dismissed them without day.
In the evening of the day on which the court
sat, Burr visited the house of Colonel Osborne.
He had asked to be discharged from his recognisance; as he had fully complied with its terms;
but, learning that it was the intention of Gov.
Williams to seize on his person the moment
he was discharged by judicial authority, he requested John Dana, one of his force from Belpre,
with two others, to convey him, in a boat, to a
* The arrests of Bollman, Swartwout, Ogden and others, at New
Orleans, on suspicion of being engaged in the expedition.




BURR ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE.       127
point about twenty miles from Bayou Pierre,
whence he could escape across the country.
Procuring a boatman's dress, in which to disguise himself, he proceeded on his tour. U- pon
hearing of his escape, Williams issued a proclamation, offering two thousand dollars for his
apprehension and safe delivery to the proper
authorities. A few days afterwards, a negro boy
was discovered near the mouth of Cole's Creek,
opposite which the boats were stationed, riding
on a horse which belonged to Burr, and having
on his surtout coat. These circumstances created
a suspicion; the boy was searched, and, sewed
up in the cape of his coat, was found a note to
the following effect:
1" If you are yet together, keep so, and I will
join you to-morrow night.  In the meanwhile,
put all your arms in perfect order. Ask no
questions of the bearer, but tell him all you may
think I wishl to know.  He does not know that
this is from me, nor where I am."
To C. T. and D. F.*
In consequence of this discovery, Burr's men
were arrested and placed under guard, where
they were detained until the alarm was over.
* Comfort Tyler and Davis Floyd.




128          LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
Many, if not all of them  were permitted, occasionally, to walk about, free of restraint, on their
parole of honour.
In the meanwhile, several arrests of the supposed accomplices of Burr had been made at
Fort Adams and  New  Orleans.   Among  the
number were Bo0llnan, Ogden, Swartwout, Adair,
Dayton, Smith  and Alexander, against whom
the most rigid and unjustifiable authority had
been exercised, by General Wilkinson; in many
cases upon bare suspicion, and without resistance,
at any time, to civil authority.  General Adair,
who had arrived at New Orleans on the tenth
of January, was besieged by one hundred and
twenty men, under command of Lieutenant-colonel Kingsbury, accompanied by one of Wilkinson's aids.   They seized  upon  him  while at
dinner, in a public house, dragged him from the
table, and conducted him to head-quarters, where
he was placed in confinement, and secreted, until
an opportunity offered to convey him  away.*  It
* An Irish gentleman of wit and humour, happened to be confined
in prison for debt, when it was announced to him, by one of the
officials, that Gen. Adair was in the' adjoining room. He immediately struck up, in a full, musical voice, to the tune of Robin Adair:
"Ye are welcome to Orleans,
Johnny Adair,Ye are welcome to Orleans,
Johnny Adair!




ARBITRARY CONDUCT OF WILKINSON.    129
was even attempted, in the legislature of Louisiana, at the suggestion of the governor, to suspend the writ of habeas corpts —that inestimable
guarantee to the liberties of every American
citizen, more effectually to aid the harsher application of military law and military dictation.
Towards the writs of hactbeas corputs, issued by
the courts, to bring the accused parties before
them, Wilkinson observed the most profound
contempt. So ineffectual was the process of the
courts, in bringing either the prisoners or Wilkinson before them, that Judge Workman recommended to the governor, that Wilkinson should
be opposed by force of arms. He stated that the
violent measures of that officer had produced
great discontent, alarm and agitation, in the
public mind; and unless such proceedings were
effectually opposed, all confidence in government
would be at an end. He urged the governor to
revoke the order, by which he had placed the
Orleans volunteers under Wilkinson's command,
and to call out and arm the rest of the militia assoon as possible. He stated it as his opinion,
that an army would not oppose the civil power,
How does little Aaron do?And Irish Blanny, too?Why did'nt they come with you,
Johnny Adair?"'




130         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
when constitutionally brought forth, or that if
they did, the governor might soon have men
enough to render the opposition ineffectual.
No satisfactory answer having been made to
Workman, by the governor, he again addressed
him on the subject.  It was notorious, he remarked, that the  commander-in-chief of the
military forces had, by his own authority, arrested several citizens for civil offences, and
avowed on record, that he had adopted means to
send them out of the Territory, openly declaring
his determination to usurp the functions of the
judiciary, by making himself the only judge of
the guilt of the persons he. suspected, and asserting, in the same manner, and without contradiction, that his measures were taken after several
consultations with the governor.
Although a common case would not require
the step he was taking, yet, he deemed it his
duty, before any decisive measure was pursued
against him, who had all the regular force, and,
in pursuance of the governor's public orders, a
great part of the Territory at his disposal, to ask
whether the Executive had the ability to enforce
the decrees of the court of the county; and if he
had, whether he would deem it expedient to do
* Martin's.IH'story of Louisiana.




JUDGE WORKMAN'S LETTER.       131
it in the present instance; or whether the allegations, by which Wilkinson supported the violent
measures, were well founded.
"Not only the conduct and power of Wilkinson," he continued, " but various other circumstances peculiar to our present situation; the
alarm excited in the public mind; the description and character of a large part of the population of the country, might render it dangerous,
in the highest degree, to adopt the measure,
usual in ordinary cases, of calling to the aid of
the sheriff the _posse comitattus, unless it was done
with the assurance of being supported by the
governor in an efficient manner."
The letter concluded, by requesting a precise
and speedy answer to the preceding inquiries;
and an assurance that if certain of the governor's
support, the judge would forthwith punish, as
the law directed, the contempt offered to the
court. On the other hand, should the governor
think it impracticable to afford the required aid,
the court and its officers would no longer
remain exposed to the contempt or insults of
a man whom they were unable to punish or
resist.
The same silence and indifference having been
observed by the governor towards the last, as
towards his former communication, Workman




132          LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
resigned his office as he had before indicated.*
Burling, who had been sent to Mexico, returned, without having accomplished the object
of his mission. It appears that, instead of his
being sent "to penetrate the veil which concealed the topographical route to the city of
Mexico, and the military defences which intervened," as alleged by Wilkinson, he was, on the
contrary, commissioned to display to the viceroy
the great _pecuniary sacrifices made by that general, to frustrate the plan of invasion meditated
by the Ex-Vice-President against the kingdom
of Mexico, and to solicit, in consideration of such
important services, a pretty round sum  of at
least two huncred thlozusand clollars.-t
Don Joseph de Yturrigaray received this communication with due contempt and indignation,
bidding his interpreter to tell Mr. Burling that
General Wilkinson, in counteracting any treasonable plan of Mr. Burr, did no more than comply with his duty; that he (the viceroy) would
take good care to defend the kingdom of Mexico
against any attack or invasion; and that he did
* Martin's History of Louisiana.
t Correspondence of Maria Ines Jauregui de Yturrigaray, Vicequeen. Davis's Life of Burr, vol. ii. p. 401.




WILKINSON'S LETTER TO ADMIRAL DRAKE.  133
not think himself authorized to give one farthing
to Gen. Wilkinson, in compensation for his pretended services. He, thereupon, ordered Burling
to leave the city of Mexico, and had him safely
escorted to the port of Vera Cruz, where he embarked for New Orleans.
On the seventh of December, previous, Wilkinson had despatched Lieutenant Swann, of the
army, to Jamaica, with a letter to the officer
commanding the naval force on that station, informing him of Burr's plans, and that a report
was afloat that the aid of a British naval armament had been either promised or applied for.
He therefore warned him, and all other British
military and naval officers, that their interference, or any co-operation on their part, would
be considered as highly injurious to the United
States, and affecting the then present amicable
relations between the two nations.  The communication concluded with a hope, that the
British government would refrain from any interference, and prevent individuals from affording
aid to the enterprise; assuring him that the
writer would, with all the force under his command, resist any effort of a foreign power to
favour Burr's projects.
To this Admiral Drake replied, that, from the
style and manner in which the communication
12




134         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
was written, he was at a loss how to answer it;
but begged him, (Wilkinson,) to be assured, that
British ships of war would never be employed in
any improper service, and that he should ever
be ready most cheerfully to obey the orders of
his sovereign. Sir Eyre Coote trusted, and sincerely believed, the representations made to
Wilkinson were totally groundless, as his letter
contained the only intelligence received on the
subject.*
Bollman and Swartwout were conducted to
the city of Washington for trial. After having
been imprisoned, for some time, on the charge
of treason, as joint-conspirators with Burr, they
were discharged from confinement, by order of
the Supreme Court, as the evidence was not sufficient to retain them longer in custody.
Ogden and Alexander were transported to
Baltimore, as accomplices in the same crime.
The former of these was taken before a magistrate, in the city, and set at liberty for want of
sufficient proof. The latter was shortly after
released, in Washington, whither he had been
recently conducted, because of the improper
averment of the offence.
* Martin's History of Louisiana.




BURR IN ALABAMA.                      135
CHAPTER X.
Burr's arrival in the village of Wakefield, Alabama-Inquires for
Colonel Hinson's-His conduct excites suspicion-He is pursued
by Nicholas Perkins and Brightwell, the Sheriff-Is found at
Hinson's-His agreeableness-Suspicions of the Sheriff-Mrs. Hinson's inquisitiveness-His departure from Hinson's-Delinquency
of Brightwell-Perkins sets out for Fort Stoddard to procure assistance of Lieutenant Edmund P. Gaines-They start in pursuit
-Burr is arrested —Ils imprisonment at the Fort-Kindness to
George S. Gaines-Amusements at the Fort-Burr's travelling
companion, Major Ashley, arrested, and escapes-Difficulties in
procuring a guard to convey Burr to Richmond-Burr leaves the
Fort under guard-Sympathy of the ladies-Guard-Perkins
fears the influence of Burr-Particulars of the journey-Burr attempts to escape at Chester-Is unsuccessful-Arrives at Richmond, Virginia.
LATE at night, about the last of February,
Burr, with a companion, arrived at a small log
tavern, in what is now  the village of Wakefield,
in  Washington county, Alabama.   Without
alighting, he called at the door, and inquired of
the inmates if Colonel Hinson resided in the
neighbourhood. Receiving for answer that he
did, they further informed him that the house
was  seven  miles  distant;  the  road  to  be  tra



136        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
velled, obscure and difficult; and a deep and
turbid creek lay in the route. Nothing daunted,
he eagerly sought information as to the forks,
and directions as to crossing the stream.  This
having been communicated, he put spurs to his
horse, leaving the observers involved in astonishment.
Near midnight, the glimmering of a light,
through the distant trees, directed the travellers
to the rude but comfortable quarters of Colonel
Ilinson.  Having hailed and received no answer,
they dismounted, and entered the kitchen, where
the remaining embers in the fire-place were soon
kindled into a comfortable blaze. Seating himself before it, Burr left his companion to take
charge of the horses, and had but just begun to
feel comfortable, when he was interrupted by a
stranger, who, he concluded, had ridden till late
to reach desirable lodgings. But in this he was
mistaken.  The real cause of his appearance, at
this unseasonable hour, originated in Burr's mysterious departure from the inn. As it afterwards
appeared, Colonel Nicholas Perkins observed, by
the light of the fire, as Burr sat upon his horse,
that, although he was coarsely dressed, yet he
possessed a countenance of unusual intelligence;
an eye of sparkling brilliancy; and a demeanor
wholly unsuited to the garb he wore. The tidy




BURR PURSUED.           137
boot, in particular, which his vanity could not
surrender, with his other articles of finer clothing,
attracted Perkins's attention, and led him to conclude that the gentleman before him was none
other than the famous Colonel Burr, described in
the proclamation of the governor.
Perkins immediately started after Theodore
Brightwell, the sheriff, who occupied an adjacent
cabin; and, awakening him from his slumbers,
hurriedly communicated the circumstances of
the traveller's appearance, conversation and departure, and requested him to join him in the
pursuit of the parties.  Brightwell consented;
and the two, mounting their horses, took the
road to Hinson's. The night was cold and windy,
and the moanings of the lofty pines, along the
solitary road, rendered their journey gloomy and
unpropitious.  Still they pressed on; for the
object of their pursuit was of no small importance, at that particular time, to the minions of
the government. As they arrived in sight of
the illuminated dwelling, Perkins, recollecting
that the travellers had seen him at the tavern,
declined entering, but sent Brightwell, whom he
requested to return to him, at a certain place in
the woods, after he had ascertained whether or
not the suspicious individual was Aaron Burr.
As Brightwell called at the door, his voice
12*




138        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
was recognised by Mrs. Hinson, who was his
relative, and who until now had remained silent
in another room, through fear of the strangers,
in the absence of her husband. $he soon prepared something to eat for her unknown guests.
As Burr seated himself at the table, he thanked
her, in the most courteous terms, for her kindness, and apologized for the trouble he had imposed upon her. His conversation was sprightly
and agreeable, so much so, indeed, that Mrs.
Hinson soon discovered that the gentleman and
his attire did not correspond. His attention was
often directed to Brightwell, who stood before
the fire, and at whom  he cast the keenest
glances, evidently endeavouring to read his
thoughts.  A  momentary  separation  having
taken place, during the night, between Burr and
his companion, at the suggestion of Brightwell,
the latter was asked by Mrs. Hinson if she had
the honour of entertaining, as her guest, the
celebrated Col. Burr. Fearing to make the disclosure, the man remained silent, and shortly
after left the room.
Early in the morning, Burr privately communicated to Mrs. Hinson his real name, and
regretted the absence of her husband, whom he
had seen at Natchez, and with whom he had
promised himself to remain a week; but that, as




DELINQUENCY OF BRIGHTWELL.    139
he was now discovered, he should prosecute his
Journey.
After inquiring the route to Pensacola, and
Mrs. Carson's ferry on the Tombigbee, he called
for writing materials, and indited several letters.
His companion, who had been despatched on the
back route, for some purpose, returned about
nine o'clock, and the two again set out for the
" cut off," not very far distant.
For some unaccountable reason, which has
never yet been explained, Brightwell neglected
to return to Perkins, whom he left highly excited and shivering in the cold. Having remained
at his post until his patience was exhausted, and
supposing that Brightwell, probably on account
of the fascinations of Burr, or the pity which had
seized him, in his behalf, had betrayed their
plans, Perkins mounted his horse, and rode
rapidly to the house of Joseph Bates, at Nannanhubby Bluff, to avoid the creek, which intervened on the main route to Fort Stoddart. Here
he was furnished with a canoe, and a negro to
navigate it; and, descending the Tombigbee, arrived at the military station early in the morning.
The late General Edmund P. Gaines was then
the lieutenant in command. Perkins briefly acquainted him with the particulars of the preceding
night's adventure, and of his suspicions; which,




140        LIFE OF BLENNERIHASSETT.
although of slight foundation, had nevertheless
impressed him with solid convictions of truth.
Placing himself at the head of a file of mounted
soldiers, the lieutenant started in pursuit, accompanied by Perkins. They shortly encountered
the object of their search, with his travelling
companion, and the sheriff, Brightwell.  The
parties having met, Lieutenant Gaines accosted
one of the strangers, remarking, that he presumed
he had the honour of addressing Colonel Burr.'I am a traveller," answered Burr, "and in a
strange land, and do not recognise your right to
ask such a question."
"'I arrest you, at the instance of the United
States," replied Gaines.' By what authority do you arrest me, a
stranger, on the highway, on my own private
business?"
The lieutenant then informed Burr that he
was an officer of the United States army, and
held in his hand the proclamation of the President, as well as that of the Governor of the
Mississippi Territory, directing his arrest.
Burr asked him if he was aware of the responsibility of arresting a traveller; to which Gaines
answered, that he was perfectly aware of his
duties, in the premises, and should endeavour to
perform them.




BURR IS ARRESTED.        141
Burr then entered into a brief argument to
show that these proclamations should never have
been issued, and that in following their dictates,
the lieutenant would be subjecting himself to
much damage and blame. His manner was firm;
his air majestic; and his language impressive;
but the'resolute young officer told him his mind
was macde up; —the prisoner must accompany
him to his quarters, where he would be treated
with all the respect due the Ex-Vice-President
of the United States, so long as he made no
attempt to escape.  He was then conducted
towards Fort Stoddart, where the parties arrived
in the evening, and an apartment being assigned
the prisoner, he took his dinner alone.
Late at night, a groaning was heard, in an
adjoining room.  Burr arose, opened the door,
and ascertained that George S. Gaines was suffering from severe indisposition. He approached
the sufferer's bed and kindly offered his services,
as he had travelled much, and had some knowledge of medicine. They soon entered into a
sprightly conversation in regard to the state of
the country, and particularly on the subject of
the Choctaw Indians, among whom Gaines lived,
as United States factor. The next day, being
introduced to the wife of the commandant, who
was a daughter of the late Judge Toulman, Burr




142        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
dined with the family, and enlivened the company with his wit and elegant discourse. In the
evening, he played chess with Mrs. Gaines, with
whom he was often a frequent competitor in that
interesting game. Of nights, he sought the company of the invalid, who became exceedingly
attached to his society. During their midnight
conversations, how often would the good heart
of his auditor grieve over the misfortunes of Burr.
But it was a remarkable fact, that, as often and
long as they were together, this unfortunate man
never once alluded to his arrest, his troubles, or
his future plans. From his early youth, it had
been his custom to conceal things in relation to
himself, and he always endeavoured to throw an
air of mystery over his acts.
After Burr had been secured, as a prisoner at
Fort Stoddart, Perkins departed for Wakefield,
and caused the arrest of his travelling companion,
who proved to be Major Ashley. HIe was placed
under a guard, from whom he escaped and made
his way to Tennessee, where he afterwards made
himself serviceable to his friend, in collecting
evidence in his behalf for the trial at Richmond.
Three weeks had passed away since the arrest
of the distinguished prisoner, and still the lieutenant had been unable to convey him to the
seat of the general government for trial. The




BURR LEAVES THE FORT.        143
difficulties were great, and, for a time, the undertaking appeared impracticable.  In  those
days, there were comparatively no roads, no
ferries, and few men could be found, in that
sparsely settled country, who would undertake
a journey -so long and perilous, over savage
lands. The inclemency of the weather, at that
season of the year, added much to the unpleasantness of the tour, and, with many, formed an
insuperable objection, as they must, necessarily,
for want of houses of accommodation, be exposed,
both night and day, to the vicissitudes of the
month of March. At last, Burr left the fort,
under guard, and proceeded, in a government
boat, up the Alabama river, into the Tensaw
lake, accompanied by Lieutenant Gaines, and
stopped at the house of John Mills.  The ladies
of the house, seeing the strait to which Burr was
reduced, wept, through sympathy for his misfortunes. One of the number, it is said, a Mrs.
Johnson, named her son in honour of this distinguished individual. He is still alive, and is
not the only boy bearing the name of " Aaron
Burr" in the State of Mississippi. The ladies
everywhere espoused his cause, in the southwestern New World. It is a prominent and
noble trait, in female character, to admire a man




144       LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
of daring and generous impulses, and to pity and
defend him in his adversities.
At the boat-yard, in the present county of
Baldwin, in the State of Alabama, the crew disembarked, where William and John Pierce, (who
introduced the first cotton gins into Alabama,)
had a trading establishment. Gaines gave the
command of the guard to Perkins, and directed
him to convey the prisoner to Washington city.
His guard consisted of Thomas Malone, of Alabama, Henry B. Slade of North Carolina, two
McCormacks of Kentucky, and two United
States' soldiers. They were all men whom Perkins selected, and upon whom he could rely
under every circumstance. He took them aside,
and obtained the most solemn pledges, that,
upon the whole route to Washington, they would
hold no interviews with Burr, nor suffer him to
escape alive. Perkins knew the fascinations of
Burr, and he feared his familiarity with his men,
indeed, he feared the same influences upon himself. His character, for making strong impressions upon the human mind, and attaching men
to him by association, was well known to the
world.
When Burr fled from the authorities in the
Mississippi Territory, he had disguised himself
in a boatman's dress. His pantaloons were of




PARTICULARS OF THE JOURNEY.    145
coarse, copperas-dyed cloth, with a roundabout
of inferior drab. His hat, a flapping, -wTide-brim
beaver, had, in times long past, been white, but
now gave evidence of having encountered much
rough weather. Placed upon his fine horse, he
bestrode him  most elegantly, and flashed his
large, dark eyes, as though he were at the head
of his New York regiment. Each man carried
provisions for himself, and some for the prisoner.
They were all well mounted, with no arms except pistols in holsters, and two muskets borne
by the soldiers. On the last of February, they
set out upon their long and perilous journey.
Within a quarter of a mile from the point of
departure, the dreadful massacre at Fort Mimnms
occurred, six years after. Pursuing the Indian
path, which led from the "'Bigby settlement," to
Fort Wilkinson, on the Oconee, they reached a
point thirty miles distant the first day.  At
night, the only tent in the company was pitched
for the prisoner, who reposed himself upon his
blankets.  The country abounded in immense
pine forests.  Here the Ex-Vice-President lay
the first night, before the blazing fire, which
threw a glare over the dismal woods.
To what an extremity had he now been reduced! In the boundless wilds of Alabama,under a small and comfortless tent; amid the
18




146        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
perils of Indian barbarities, with the cry of the
panther, answered by the howl of the hungry
wolf ringing in his ears; while the moaning of
the winds through the tops of the lofty trees
added dreariness to the solitude of the night.
With none with whom to hold converse; surrounded by a guard to whom he dared not
speak; a prisoner of the United States for whose
liberties he had fought, and whose government
he had helped to form; exiled from the State of
his adoption, whose statutes and institutions
bore the impress of his mind; deprived by death
of his devoted wife; his only child then on a
distant coast of Carolina; his professional pursuits abandoned, and his fortune swept away;
the magnificent scheme of the conquest of Mexico
uprooted, and the fragments dispersed; slandered and hunted down, from one end of the
Union to the other; these were considerations
sufficient to weigh down an ordinary individual,
and sink him to an untimely grave. But his
was no common mind; and the characteristic
fortitude and determination which had ever
marked his course, still sustained him in the
darkest hour. In the morning, he arose cheerfully, and pursued his course. Although guarded
with vigilance, his few wants were gratified, as
far as they could be, and he was treated, with




PARTICULARS OF THE JOURNEY.   147
respect and kindness. The trail being narrow
and obscure, Burr- rode in the middle, having a
part of the guard in front, while the rest followed
behind, in single file. The route lay about eight
miles south of the present city of Montgomery,
then an Indian town called Eaconcharte-meaning Red Ground.
In the year 1811, General Wade Hampton cut
out the "Federal Road" along this trail, which
was well known to early settlers as the only
highway in South Alabama. The guard passed
by the site of the present Mount Meigs, and
stopped at the house of "Old Milly," the former
wife of a British soldier, who, with her husband,
in 1770, left the barracks in Savannah and came
to the Creek nation. She had long been a resident of these wild woods, now lying in the county
of Montgomery. Her husband, at this time a
coloured man, named Evans, was employed by
Perkins to pilot the party across the dangerous
creeks, Lime, Dubahatchee and Calabee, all of
which they had to swim. It was a perilous and
fatiguing march; and, for days, the rain descended
in chilling torrents on these unsheltered horsemen, collecting in rivulets and swimming them
at every point. Hundreds of Indians thronged
the trail, and the party could have been shot
down; but the fearless Perkins bore on his dis



148         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
tinguished prisoner, amid angry elements and
human foes. In their journey through Alabama,
they always slept in the woods, near swamps of
reeds, upon which the belled and hobbled horses
fed during the night. After a hastily-prepared
breakfast, it was their custom again to remount,
and march on, in gloomy silence, which was
but occasionally broken by a remark about the
weather, the creeks, or the horses. Burr was a
splendid rider, sitting firmly in the saddle, and
ever on the alert.  He was always a hardy traveller, and although wet for hours, with cold and
drizzling rains, riding forty miles a day, and at
night stretched upon the bare ground, on a thin
pallet, yet, in the whole distance to Richmond,
he was never heard to say that he was sick, or
even fatigued.  At the Chattahoochie, was a
crossing-place, owned by an Indian named Marshall. The effects of the expedition were carried
over in canoes, while the horses swam alongside.
In this manner, they passed the Flint and Ocmulgee. At Fort Wilkinson, on the Oconee, they
entered the first ferry-boat they had seen on the
whole route. A few miles further on, they were
sheltered by the first civilized roof-a house of
entertainment, kept by one Bevin. While breakfast was preparing, and the guard were seated
around a large fire, the host, like all publicans on




PARTICULARS OF THE JOURNEY.    149
the highway, inquired from whence they came.
As they were from the 1"'Bigby settlements," he
immediately fell on the fruitful theme of the
trcaitor, Aaron Burr. He asked if he had been
taken? "Was he not a very bad man?" " Wasn't
everybody afraid of him?"  Perkins and his
party were very much annoyed, and embarrassed, and made no reply. Burr was sitting
in a corner, by the fire, with his head down;
and, after listening to the inquisitiveness of Bevin
until he could endure it no longer, he raised himself up, and, planting his fiery eyes upon him,
said:
"I am Aaron Burr; what is it you want with
me?"
Bevin, struck with his appearance,-the keenness of his look, and the solemnity and dignity
of his manner, stood aghast, and trembled like a
leaf. He uttered not another word, while the
guard remained at his house.
When Perkins reached the confines of South
Carolina, he watched Burr more closely than
ever; for, in this State lived the son-in-law of
Burr, Col. Alston, a gentleman of talents, wealth
and influence; and afterwards governor of the
State. Upon reaching the frontiers of Georgia,
he endeavoured to convey the prisoner in byroads, to avoid the towns, lest he should be
13*




150        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
rescued. The plan was attended with difficulty;
they were lost often; the march impeded; and
the highway was again resumed. Before entering the town of Chester, in South Carolina, the
party halted.  Two men were placed before
Burr; two on either side, and two behind; and,in this manner, they passed near a tavern on the
street, where many persons were standing; while
music and dancing were heard in the house.
Burr conceived it a favourable opportunity for
escape, and, suddenly dismounting, exclaimed,
c" I am Aaron Burr, under military arrest, and
claim protection of the civil authorities!"
Perkins leaped from his horse, with several of
his men, and ordered him to remount.
CI will not!" replied Burr.
Not wishing to shoot him, Perkins threw down
his pistols, and, being a man of prodigious
strength, and the prisoner a small man, seized
him  around the waist and placed him in his
saddle, as though he was a child.  Thomas
Malone caught the reins of the bridle, slipped
them over the horse's head, and led him rapidly
on. The astonished citizens had seen a party
enter their village, with a prisoner; had heard
him  appeal to them  for protection; had witnessed the feat of Perkins; and the party
vanished, before they had time to recover from




BURR ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE.      151
their confusion; for, when Burr dismounted, the
guards cocked their pistols, and the people ran
within the piazza to escape from danger.
Burr was still, to some extent, popular in
South Carolina; and any wavering or timidity,
on the part of Perkins, would have lost him his
prisoner; but the celerity of his movements gave
no time for the people to reflect, before he was
far in the outskirts of the village.  Here, the
guard halted.  Burr was highly excited; he wasp
in tears!  The kind-hearted Malone also wept,
at seeing the uncontrollable despondency of him
who hitherto hLad proven almost iron-hearted.
It was the first time any one had ever seen
Aaron Burr unmanned.
The guard became very much alarmed, on the
subject of Burr's rescue, Malone and Henry advised the purchase of a carriage.  The former
took charge of the guard, while Perkins returned
and purchased a gig. The next day, Burr was
placed in a vehicle, and driven, without further
incident, to Fredericksburg, Virginia. Here Perkins received despatches from the President,
requiring him to convey the prisoner to Richmond.  The guard took the stage, and soon
reached that place. The ladies of the city vied
with each other in contributing to the comfort
of Burr. Some sent him fruit; some clothes;




152             LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
some wine; some one thing; some another.
Perkins and his men went to Washington; were
paid for their services, and returned to Alabama,
by way of Tennessee.*.
* The whole of the incidents related in the foregoing chapter are
taken from Pickett's History of Alabama. With but few exceptions,
I have followed nearly the exact language of that author.




BLENNERHASSETT AT LEXINGTON.               153
CHAPTER XI.
Blennerhassett sets out from Natchez to visit his island-Tarries at
Lexington, Kentucky-Arrested by the authorities-Mrs. Blennerhassett's letter-Defended by the Hon. Henry Clay-Is unsuccessful in procuring his discharge-Is conducted to RichmondPostponement of the trials of Burr and his accused confederatesTrial of Burr commenced-Court and bar-Verdict of acquittal by
the jury-Burr's arraignment on an indictment for a misdemeanor
-Acquittal-Extracts from Blennerhassett's journal kept during
the trial-Extracts from the private memoranda-Chief Justice
Marshall-Luther Martin-William Wirt-Aaron Burr.
BLENNERHASSETT having been arrested and discharged in the Mississippi territory, imagined no
further annoyance from the government. Feeling
desirous to ascertain the situation of his property
at the island, which he had learned from  his wife
and others was much injured by the proceedings
of the Wood county militia, he left Natchez in
June, with the intention of visiting it.
On the route, he stopped at Lexington, Kentucky, where he had many  acquaintances and
friends, to rest himself, for a time, from the
weariness of his journey, and to partake of the
hospitalities of its citizens. In the meanwhile,
on the twenty-fifth of June, indictments had been




154          LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
preferred, at Richmond, both against Burr and
himself; information of which having been received in the village, he was arrested by the
authorities, and confined in prison.
If any thing was calculated to wound a heart
of the most refined feeling and acutest sensibility,
it certainly was this last act of the unrelenting
government. In the presence of those from whom
he had heretofore received the most courteous
attention, and by whom he had been regarded
with unusual respect, dragged to the gloomy
walls of a prison, and treated as a felon, was
humiliating in the most painful degree.
Mrs. Blennerhassett, hearing of his mortifying
situation, and feeling the necessity of sustaining
him, by her consoling counsel, under the increased weight of his misfortunes, addressed him
the following communication:NATCHEZ, August 3d, 1807.*
MY DEAREST LovE. —After having experienced
the greatest disappointment in not hearing from
you for two mails, I, at length, heard of your
arrest, which afflicts me because it was an arrest.
I think that had you, of your own accord, gone
to Richmond and solicited a trial, it would have
accorded better with your pride, and you would
* William Wallace. "American Review," 1845.




LETTER OF MRS. BLENNERHASSETT.    155
have escaped the unhappiness of missing my letters which I wrote every week to Marietta. God
knows what you may feel or suffer, on our account before this reaches you, to inform you of
our health and welfare in every particular; and,
knowing this, I trust and feel your mind will
rise superior to every inconvenience that your
present situation may subject you to. Let no
solicitude whatever, for us, damp your spirits.
We have many friends here, who do the utmost
in their power to counteract any disagreeable
sensation occasioned by your absence. I shall
live in the hope of hearing from you, by the
next mail; and entreat you, by all that is dear
to us, not to let any disagreeable feelings, on account of our separation, enervate your mind at
this time. Remember, that all here will read,
with great interest, any thing concerning you;
but still, do not trust too much to yourself: consider your want of practice at the bar, and spare
not the fee of a lawyer. Apprize Colonel Burr
of my warmest acknowledgments, for his own
and Mrs. Alston's kind remembrance; and tell
him to assure her she has inspired me with a
warmth of attachment which never can diminish.
I wish him to urge her to write to me.
God bless you!-prays your
M. BLENNERHASSETT.




156       LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
Having procured the eminent services of the
Hon. Henry Clay, to aid his release from the
process of the court, Mr. Blennerhassett relied on
his former acquittal; but, notwithstanding the
superior forensic abilities of his counsel, the court
refused his application, and he found himself
constrained to proceed under guard to Richmond,
to be tried for the offence of treason.
For various reasons, which it is not necessary
here to enumerate, the trials of Burr, Blennerhassett, Dayton, John Smith of Ohio, Comfort
Tyler, Israel Smith of New York, and Davis
Floyd, were postponed, from time to time, until
the third of August.  From the fifth until the
seventeenth of the month, the court was engaged
in obtaining a jury for the trial of Burr, and discussing points of law.
Never before, in the history of the country,
was witnessed so grand a display of legal acumen
and forensic talent.  Upon the bench sat the
venerated Marshall-spotless in purity; and, for
soundness of judgment, without an equal. Calm,
dignified and attentive, he analyzed the arguments of counsel, and noted their relevancy with
the nicety of a critic. At the bar, was Wirt,
whose fervid and soul-thrilling eloquence, even
on this very trial, placed him at once among the
first of American orators.  With a brilliancy of




TRIAL OF BURR.          157
imagination which astonished his auditors, he
swayed the minds of the jury with wonderful
effect.  There, too, was Martin, who had been
previously distinguished, in the trial of Judge
Chase, before the United States Senate. Every
word that he uttered, like a two-edged sword,
pierced the arguments of his opponents at every
point. There was Hay; always ready to take
advantage of suspicious circumstances, and wield
them, with tenfold force, against the prisoner.
There was Randolph; slow, calculating and careful; building up the vulnerable points of his case
against the attacks of his adversaries.  There
was Botts; facetious and playful; sometimes
descending to the ludicrous, but often rising,
with convincing argument, to the grand. There
was Wickham;  dignified and commanding,
taking up his subject with a master hand, and
holding it to view, in every conceivable light.
And there, too, was the prisoner; proudly preeminent, in point of intelligence, to his brethren
of the bar. He had been the Vice-President of
the United States. He was accused of the highest
and darkest crime in the criminal code.  He
stood before the supreme tribunal of his country,
with the eyes of the nation gazing upon him. In
the opinion of many, he was already a condemned
criminal. He had the talent and tact, and the
14




158        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
resources of the government, to contend against.
Every faculty of his mind was exerted in his
own defence.  The magnitude of the charge;
the number of persons involved; the former high
standing and extraordinary fortunes of the accused; had excited an interest in the community,
such as never before had been known. The witnesses against him were mostly officers of the
government, with whom, at one time or another,
he had been in some way connected.
For twenty-six days, the court was arduously
engaged in the investigation of the offence. The
evidence of sixty witnesses had to be examined
and noted. Meanwhile, there being no suitable
quarters in the city, Burr was confined in the
Penitentiary, in the suburbs of Richmond. Every
day he was marched into court, on foot, escorted
by a body-guard of two hundred men, which
would have done honour to an eastern prince.
On the first of September, the jury returned a
verdict;-" that Aaron Burr is not proved to be
guilty, under the indictment, by any evidence
submitted to us; we, therefore, find him  not
gu6ilty."  Burr objected to the verdict, as being
incorrect in point of form, and asked that the
same might be given in the usual way-simply,
C" Not Guilty." Mr. Hay answered, that, in fact,




BURR ACQUITTED.           159
it was a verdict of acquittal; and that it should
be entered in the jury's own words.
" There was no precise form of words by which
the jury should be governed."
1" They have no right to return a written verdict at all," replied Burr; 1"they have no right
to depart from the usual form."  He then called
for the recital of the common directions given
the jury by the clerk. They were read, and end
as follows:-'C If you find him guilty, you are to say so: if
not guilty; you are to say so, and no more."
" The jury cannot be indulged," said Burr."They have defaced a paper belonging to the
court, by writing upon it words which they have
no right to write. They ought to be sent back."
After a short consultation, it was agreed that the
simple verdict of "Not Guilty" might be entered
on the records of the court.
On the ninth of September, Burr was again
arraigned, upon an indictment for a misdemeanor,
which consisted of seven counts; the substance
of which were, that Aaron Burr did set on foot a
military enterprise, to be carried on against the
territory of a foreign prince, viz., the province
of Mexico, which was within the territory of the
King of Spain, with whom the United States
were atvpeace.




160        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
After the prosecution had examined some of
their witnesses, and the court had decided that
the testimony of others was not relevant, the
District-attorney made a motion to discharge
the jury. To this motion Burr objected; insisting upon a verdict.  This was on the fifteenth
of the month. The court, being of opinion that
the jury could not, in this stage of the case, be
discharged, without the consent of the accused,
and that they must give a verdict, they accordingly retired, and very soon returned with a verdict of "Not Gu6ilty."
Blennerhassett's journal, kept during these
trials, as given by the biographer of Burr,* shows
his great admiration of the talents of his associate, and Burr's unyielding attachment to his
project.
Extracts from the Journal of Blennerhassett.
" The vivacity of Burr's wits, and the exercise
of his proper talents, now [at Richmond] constantly solicited here, in private and public exhibition, while they display his powers and
address, at the levee and the bar, must engross
more of his time than he can spare from the demands of other gratifications; while they display
* Mathew L. Davis.




COLONEL DUANE'S VISIT.       161
him, to the eager eyes of the multitude, like a
favourite gladiator, measuring over the arena of
his fame, with firm step and manly grace, the
pledges of easy victory.'" August 17thl 1807. This led me to praise
a pamphlet, Agrestis, which Alston yesterday
brought me, being two letters on Wilkinsol's
proceedings at New Orleans, which, for its arrangemnent and strength, as well as imagery of
language, I observed would not be unworthy of
a Curran; at the same time, inquiring who was
the author. Alston said he was not known. I
then repeated the question to Col. McKee, who
said it was a friend of ours; at least Mr. Alston
was suspected.  I mention this trifling occurrence, for the sake of observing, that Alston was
now silent, thereby appropriating to himself the
merit of the book, which his wife, I have no
doubt, might produce. To suppose Alston the
author would be preposterous.
"August 23d, 1807.  My reverie was soon
broken in upon, by the appearance of Mr. Douglas with a stranger.  I should rather have
said, by two apparitions; for it was now near
nightfall, and Douglas no sooner appeared than
he turned on his heel, saying,  Colonel Duane,
sir,' and ran down stairs. The surprise of this
interruption, the stranger, whom I had never
14*




162         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
before seen, did not suffer to endure long enough
to allow me to invoke the c angels and ministers
of grace' for my protection.  I was already within the grasp of this Gabriel of the government.
He seized my hand, and bade mle dismiss my
surprise, however natural it might be, onl his appearance before me.  I handed him a chair, and
said,'I had lived long enough in this country to
be surprised at nothing it could produce or exhibit, but yet desired to learn from what cause I
had the favour of his visit.'  H aving heard Mr.
Douglas observe,' said he,'that you would be
pleased to see me:' — Sir, AMr. Dougulas has made
a mistake; he must have meant somebody else.''No matter,' continued he:'havingq known and
seen your present situation, I could not, as a man,
as an Irishllan,' (here he digressed, to show me
how he both was, and was not, an Irishman,)'I
could not leave this town (Richmond) without
warning you of the sacrifice now preparing, to
appease the government, by your friends, of
which you are destined to be the victim.  You
cannot desire any other key to my meaning than
the course the defence has this week taken. But,
if you thinkl the government will not cease to
pursue that justice they possess the means of
ensuring, and suspect, as you ought, the designs
of those you have too long thought your friends,




COLONEL DUANE'S VISIT.      163
it might yet appear no better, on my part, than
a nominal service to give you these cautions. I
have, therefore, sought you, not to tender you
words, but deeds.  The only return, on your
part, will be that care of yourself which will find
a shield in my h7onour' (here he very awkwardly
struck his breast, and grinned a ghastly smile)
and that confidence I can comvnanid in the government, whose good faith is not misplaced in
the zeal I have testified to serve it.'
s" To this haranglue he added violent protestations of his wishes to serve me; saying, that, for
that purpose, he would put off his journey back
to Philadelphia, which otherwise was irrevocably
fixed for Wednesday, and would, now or at any
time hereafter, go to Washington for me, where
nothing he shouldc ask tcotuld be refitsed him. In
thanking him for the frankness and zeal with
which he cautioned me against my friends, and
a negligence of my safety, I assured him I was
not afraid to meet the prosecution, as I expected
I should, before my arrival here, without counsel
or friends; but, from present appearances, I was
more curious than interested to learn what were
those means the said government possessed of
insuring justice. Finding, by his answer, that
he was now disposed to allure me into a confession, of having written certain papers then in the




164        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
hands of the prosecutors; I told him, the warmth
of his offers to serve me could not make me forget either his situation, or my own, with relation
to the government; that I cared not what writings should be charged upon me; that I should
admit none till fairly proved, which, if any such
should ever appear, I would justify, if necessary,
on the scaffold.  He now summed up the objects
of his mission, (whatever produced it,) with
abuse of Burr, Tyler and Smith, cacnozwlecding
thactt e hacd beet served gractis, by Burr, in the m-ost
haccldsomne ncatner; that the others were more
concerned against the government than I was;
but swearing that he believed, if I did not follow
his advice, they would make a scape-goat sacrifice of me for their deliverance.
"August 25, 1807.  I asked Alston,'Would
you wish to see my notes of what passed between
Duane and me?''Yes,' said he,'very much.' I
then read to him  the minutes I had taken on
Sunday evening, with which he seemed highly
pleased, and said they ought to be published.
To this, I told him, I could not accede..... I
informed him  that Duane had intimated that
government had got possession of one of his letters to me.' One of my letters!' cried he.'I
never wrote to you but two upon private business; and, by G-d! any other letter they can




VISIT TO BURR.           165
have of mine must be a forgery.''To be sure,'
said I;  or, at all events, from the favourable
course things are now likely to take, such a letter could do no harm! But, what did the rascal,'
continued he,'state to be the purport of the letter?''Nothing more,' said I,'than that you
and myself were all equally involved in all Colonel Burr's projects.' He then abused Duane,
and repeated his wish that my notes were published.
"' September 13th, 1807.  I visited Burr this
morning. He is gay as usual, and as busy in
speculations on re-organizing  his projects for
action, as if he had never suffered the least
interruption. He observed to Major Smith and
me, that, in six months, our schemes could be
all remounted; that we could now new-model
them, in a better mould than formerly, having a
better view of the ground, and a more perfect
knowledge of our men.  We were silent. It
should yet be granted, that, if Burr possessed
sensibility of the right sort, with one hundredth
part of the energies for which, with many, he
has obtained such ill-grounded credit, his first
and last determination, with the morning and
the night, should be the destruction of those
enemies who have, so long and so cruelly,
wreaked their malicious vengeance upon him.




166        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
"' September 16th, 1807. I was glad to find
Burr had, at least, thought of asking us to dine
with him, as I was rather curious to see him
shine in a partie quaarrie, consisting of new characters.  We, therefore, walked with him, from
court.  Luther Martin, who lives with him, accompanying us.....  The dinner was neat, and
followed by three or four sorts of wine. Splendid
poverty! During the chit-chat, after the cloth
was removed, a letter was handed to Burr, next
to whom I sat. I immediately smelt musk,
Burr broke the seal, put the cover to his nose,
and then handed it to me, saying, I This amounts
to a disclosure.' I smelt the paper, and said,' I
think so.' The whole physiognomy of the man
now assumed an alteration, and vivacity that, to
a stranger, who had never seen him before,
would have sunk full fifty years of his age.'This,' said he,' reminds me of a detection once
very neatly practised upon me at New York.
One day, a lady stepped into my library, while I
was reading, came softly behind my chair,;and,
giving me a slap on the cheek, said,'Come, tell
me directly what little French girl, pray, have
you had here?' The abruptness of the question
and surprise left me little room to doubt the discovery had been completely made. So, I thought
best to confess the whole fact; upon which the




BLERNERHASSETT'S JOURNAL.      167
inquisitress burst out into a loud laugh, on the
success of her artifice, which she was led to play
off upon me, from the mere circumstance of having smelt musk in the room.' I have given this
anecdote a place here, only to convey an idea of
that temperament and address which enables
this character to uphold his ascendency over the
sex. After some time, Martin and Provost withdrew, and we passed to the topics of our adventures on the Mississippi, in which Burr said
little, but declared he did not know of any reason to blame General Jackson, of Tennessee, for
any thing he had done or omitted. But, he declares, he will not lose a day, after the favourable
issue at the Capitol, (his acquittal,) of which he
has no doubt, to direct his entire attention to
setting up his projects, (which have only been
suspended,) on a better model,'in which work,' he
says,' he has even here made some progress.'
"September 20th, 1807. I found Burr, just
after a consultation with his counsel, secretly
writhing under much irritation at the conduct
of Judge Marshall, but affecting an air of contempt for his alleged inconsistencies, as Burr
asserted he (the judge) did not, for the last two
days, understand either the questions or himself;
that he had wavered in his opinions, before yesterday's adjournment, and should, in future, be




168          LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
put right by strong language.  I ant afraid to say
abuse, though I think I could swear he used that
word.  I learned from  Major Smith, to-day, a
confirmation of what Colonel de Pestere had also
mentioned to me: —that Burr sets off immediately for England, after his liberation, to collect
money for re-organizing his projects.
"September 22d, 1807.  I have seen a complete file of all the depositions, made before the
grand jury, in  Burr's possession.  It must be
confessed, that few  other men, in his circumstances, could have procured these documents,
out of the custody of offices filled by his inveterate enemies. Burr asserted, to-day, in court,
that he expected  documents that would disqualify Eaton as a witness.
4"September 26th, 1807.  Wilkinson, in his
examination, confessed, that he had altered the
cipher letter, and  sworn that there were no
alterations.                        I
"C Of Dudley Woodbridge,* it must not be concealed from  those who may have access to these
notes, that although he is reported to have given
a fair, candid, and, to us, an advantageous testimony, he has not yet told the Wuhole truth, lbeaing
* Former mercantile partner of Blenterhassett, and contractor
for building Burr's boats on the Muskingum. The respectability of
Mr. Woodbridge is undoubted by all who know him. —AuTHOR.




BLENNERHASSETT'S JOURNAL.      169
suppressed my commnaunicati;on to hinm, of our desicqns being'unequivocally: acjai.stt lfexico; which,
I suppose, he kept back because he embraced
and embarked in the plan, on the first mention
of it to him, though he afterwards receded from
it, upon his own reflection, or counsel of others.
Such is the address, with which ingratitude and
dishonesty are made to pass in the garb of integrity, like tow-cloth under fine muslin.
"October 8th, 1807. I called on Burr this
morning, when he, at last, mentioned to me,
during a short tete-a'-tete, that he was preparing
to go to England; that the time was now auspicious for him; and he wished to know whether
I could give him letters. I answered that I
supposed, when he mentioned England, he meant
London, as his business would probably be with
people in office; that I knew none of the present
ministry, nor did I believe I had a single acquaintance in London.  He replied, that he
meant to visit every part of the country, and
would be glad to get letters to any one. I said
I would think of it, that I might discover whether I had any friends there, whom it would be
an object worth his attention to know, and took
leave. We can only conjecture his designs. For
my part, I am disposed to suspect he has no serious intent of reviving any of his speculations
15




170          LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
in America, or even of returning from Europe if
he can get there."
Extracts from the "Private Memoranda" of BlennerhZassett, kept while confined at Richoncld.*
Chief Justice Marshall.
"From whence Burr did not infer that Chief
J., will on the present occasion shrink from his
duty, as an able judge or a virtuous patriot, to
avert the revenge of an unprincipled government, or avoid other trials menaced and preparing for himself, by its wretched partisans.... I
am certain, whatever insects may have sought
the judge's robes, whilst off his back, none will
venture to appear upon the ermine which bedecks his person."
Luther Martin.
"As we were chatting, after dinner, in staggered the whole rear-guard of Burr's forensic
army-I mean, the celebrated Luther Martin,
who yesterday concluded his fourteen hours'
speech. His visit was to Major Smith, but he
took me by the hand, saying, there was no need
of an introduction. I was too much interested,
by the little I had seen, and the great things I
* Win. Wallace. "American Review," 1845.




LUTHER MARTIN.            171
had heard, of this man's powers and passions,
not to improve the present opportunity, to survey him, in every light the length of his visit
would permit. I accordingly recommended our
brandy as superior, placing a pint-tumbler before
him.  No ceremonies retarded the libation-no
inquiries solicited him upon any subject, till apprehensions of his withdrawing suggested some
topic to quiet him on his seat.  Were I now to
mention only the subjects of law, politics, news,
et cetera, on which he descanted, I should not
be believed, when I said his visit did not exceed
thirty-five minutes.  Imagine a man capable, in
that space of time, to deliver some account of an
entire week's proceedings in the trial, with extracts from memory of several speeches on both
sides, including long ones from his own:-to recite half columns verbatim of a series of papers,
of which he said he is the author; —to caricature
Jefferson; —to give a history of his acquaintance
with Burr;-expatiate on his virtues and sufferings, maintain his credit, embellish his fame,
and intersperse the whole with sententious reprobations and praises of several other characters;
some estimate, with these preparations, may be
formed of this man's powers, which are yet
shackled by a preternatural secretion or excretion of saliva which embarrasses his delivery.




172        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
In this, his manner is rude, and his language
ungrammatical; which  is cruelly aggravated
upon his hearers, by the verbosity and repetition
of his style.  With the warmest passions, that
hurry him, like a torrent, over those characters
or topics that lie most in the way of their course,
he has, by practice, acquired the faculty of curbing his feelings, which he never suffers to charge
the enemy till broken by the superior numbers
of his arguments and authorities, by which he
always out-flanks him, when he lets loose the
reserve upon the centre, with redoubled impetuosity.  Yet fancy has been denied to his mind,
or grace to his person or habits. These are gross,
and incapable of restraint, even upon the most
solemn public occasions.  This is, at all times,
awkward and disgusting.  IHence, his invectives
are rather coarse than pointed; his eulogiums
more fulsome than pathetic. In short, every trait
of his portrait may be given in one word: —he is'the Thersites of the law.' "
William Wirt.
"Wirt spoke very much to engage the fancy
of his hearers, to-day, without affecting their understanding.  For he cannot reason upon the
facts before him, and can no more conduct a law
argument than I could raise a temple; as Junius




AARON BURR.             1.73
says of the king: I The feather that adorns him
supports his flight; strip him of his plumage,
and you fix him to earth!'"
Aaron Burr.
" Recurring, with Mr. Smith, to some incidents that happened soon after our first arrival
at Natchez, and speaking of Cowles Alead, I was
much surprised to learn, what I had never heard
before, that Mead had seriously taken up the
idea of Col. Burr's being then deranged-alleging
that he could not be mistaken, as he (Mead) had
very long known him.  Be this as it may, Burr,
yesterday, looked fifty per cent. better than I
have ever seen him; and displayed a command
of tone and firmness of manner he did not appear to possess before the verdict of Tuesday."
Burr, having been discharged on both indictments, those against Blennerhassett and the
others were never prosecuted. Burr and Blennerhassett were required to enter into a recognisance in the sum of three thousand dollars each,
for their appearance at Chillicothe, Ohio, to
answer to a charge of misdemeanor; " for, that
whereas, they prepared an armed force whose
destination was the Spanish Territory."  Of this,
however, no notice was ever taken; thus ended
the conspiracy of Burr!
15*




174              LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
CHAPTER XII.
Origin of the Burr expedition-Miranda's visit in 1797-8-His object
-Propositions favourably  received-Visits England-RIeceives
encouragement from  the British Ministry —M:ode of arranging
forces for the subjugation of the South American colonies-His
plans are defeated by the elder Adams-Burr conceives the plan
of the subjugation of Mexico-Auspicious circumstances-Encouragement received from distinguished characters-Wilkinson's aid
proffered —His counsel-Daniel Clark-General Jackson-Effect
of the adjustment of the Spanish difficulties upon those who at
first favoured the expedition-Burr's indomitable perseverance
-Treacherous conduct of Wilkinson-Effect of Burr's acquittal
upon the public mind-Character of Burr-Belief that Jefferson
tacitly assented to the expedition-Circumnstances which induce
that belief.
MOST, if not all, of the characters involved in the
enterprise of Burr, have passed from  the theatre
of life!  Their acts are left to the anxious  scrutiny of an  impartial posterity.   Far be it from
us  to  approach  the  sanctity  of the  sepulchre,
wilfully to offer an indignity to their remains.
But an account of the origin, and an explanation
of the circumstances attending that noted event,
may  not be unacceptable  to  the  readers of the




MIIRANDA'S PROPOSITIONS.       175
present, while it will doubtless prove a theme of
historical interest to those who shall follow us.
The provinces of South America had long felt
a desire to resist the authority of Spain. Miranda,
a bold and energetic leader, with other of his
fellow-patriots, had conceived the design of overthrowing the Spanish dynasty, and establishing,
on its ruins, an independent republic. He hoped
to procure, as allies, in this herculean undertakinu,  both the United States and Great Britain.
W ith that view, he visited this country, in 1797
-'8 and souguht the accquaintance of the most
distinguished Ai ericans.  Knox and Hamilton,
who stood higlh in influence and official station,
favoured his Lproject.  HIe afterwards proceeded
to England, and presented himself to the British
ministry.  They entered into his views.  The
proposition was that the United States should
furnish ten thousand troops, and, in that event,
the British government agreed to supply the
necessary funds and ships to carry on the expedition.  From several communications addressed
by Miranda to General Hamilton, it appears that
the auxiliary land forces were to be exclusively
American, and that of the navy, English. The
enterprise would, doubtless, have proceeded, had
not the elder Adams, who was at that time President, declined entering into the arrangement.




176         LIFE OF BLENNERHIIASSETT.
Burr's attention having been drawn to the
subject, he determined to raise anl armly for the
subjugation of Mexico.  HIe had fiequent conversations with Jay, who assured him  that the
boldness of the enterprise would contribute to its
success.'; From this period," remarks his biographer, c" until 180 5, Burr's mind seemed constantly
engaged in reflecting on the feasibility of the
measure, and the proper time for carrying it into
effect."
At the period of the commencement of the
expedition, various favourable circumstances rendered the undertakiing apparently auspicious.
The difficulties with  Spain, mentioned in a
former chapter; the restlessness and disaffection
of many of the officers and soldiers of the regular
army in the west, who had become tired of a life
of inactivity and ease, where there were no
amusements to while away their vacant hours,
nor fields of battle from  whence to pluck the
never-fading laurels of conquest; a lack of harmony, not only between the civil and military
authorities, but in the ranks of the military
themselves; all these considerations might well
have flattered Burr that the fates were favourable to the adventurer. c" Indeed, I fear treachery
has become the order of the day," writes General
Jackson to Claiborne. " There is something




CO-OPERATION OF GEN. WILKINSON.   177
rotten in the state of Denmark."  The facetious
McKee, in a communication to Wilkinson, re-'marks:-" Your letter found me far gone in the
blue devils, doubting whether I had better expatriate myself; and try my fortunes amidst the
storm  now gathering in Europe; however, nil
clisperandnum  Teucro cduce aucspice Teucro.  I'll
remain here till X'mas."
An  extensive correspondence with various
distinguished characters of the country, assured
Burr of their countenance and co-operation, in
the event of a war with Spain. Wilkinson, the
commander-in-chief of the forces in the West,
writes him, under date of October, 1805:_-' I
fear Miranda has taken the bread out of your
mouth." Wilkinson's regular force consisted only
of about six hundred men, around which the
followers of Burr were to form. These, in fact,
were the only disciplined corps relied on. It is
said the commander had pledged himself to strike
the blow, whenever it should be deemed expedient. All that was wanting, with him, was a
pretext for the commencement of hostilities
against Spain. He detailed to Burr all the information he possessed, respecting Mexico, and
pointed out the facilities which would probably
be offered by the inhabitants in effecting a revolution: " On his suggestion, Daniel Clark twice




178        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
visited the country. He held conferences, and
effected arrangements, with many of the principal
military officers, who engaged to favour the
revolution.  The Catholic Bishop, resident at
New Orleans, was also consulted; and prepared
to promote the enterprise.  Hie designated the
priests of the order of Jesuits as suitable agents,
and they were, accordingly, employed.  The
bishop was an intelligent and social man.  He
had been in Mexico, and spoke with great freedom of the disaffection of the clergy in South
America.  The religious establishments of the
country were not to be molested. Madam Xavier
Tarjcon, superior of the Ursuline nuns at New
Orleans, was in the secret.  Some of the sisterhood were also employed in Mexico.  So far as
any decision had been formed, the landing was
to have been effected at Tampico."*
Daniel Clark engaged to advance, for the purposes of the expedition, fifty thousand dollars;
but, being disappointed, was unable to furnish it.
Murray, the British Plenipotentiary resident in
the United States, was consulted on the subject.
He communicated to his government the project
of Burr. Col. Williamson, the brother of Lord
Balgray, was despatched to England, on the
* Davis's Memoirs of Burr, vol. ii. p. 382.




BURR'S PLANS.            179
business. From the manner of his reception,
and the encouragement he received, it was expected that a British naval squadron would have
been furnished for the enterprise. General Jackson had also been consulted, and funds for defraying the expenses of his division were placed in
his hands by Burr.  The disaffection of the inhabitants of the South and West was thouglht
favourable to a separation of the trans-Alleghany
territory, and this, it is said, was among the
earlier schemes of Burr,  although but seldom
revealed, except to those whom  lie supposed
would favour it.
Such were the preparations:- a plan wellmatured, and auguring success, in the event of a
war with Spain:-for upon this event alone, let
it be remembered, had his principal force consented to join the expedition. As soon, however,
as intelligence had been received, that such satisfaction had been rendered, on the part of the
Spanish government, as to obviate the necessity
of a resort to arms, many of the warmest advocates of the plan abandoned their former designs,
and turned their attention to scenes less dazzling
but more productive of substantial enjoyment.'c I had written a great deal," says McKee, " about
recruiting in Tennessee —about cutting and slashing and packing dollars, and enjoying otium cume




180         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
dlinitate, but'all our difcrereoes being settled with
Spain' knocks all my Utopia to the devil!"
Burr had dreamed too long of the wealth and
splendour of the halls of the Montezumas, to
resign their captivating pleasures for the tamer
scenes of a government in which he was becoming daily more unpopular; and which, he now
conceived, viewed his actions with ungrateful
suspicions. For years, had he cherished the hope
of investing himself with the regal power of that
ancient kingdom, and transmitting its crown to
his latest posterity. For the realization of this,
had he sacrificed the comforts of home; traversed
the States to the extremes of Florida; often travelling through pathless wildernesses, sometimes
without shelter, and occasionally without food,
alluring to his standard men of every grade,
prompted by every motive of action.
Confident of the aid of Wilkinson, and the
forces under his command, he continued his exertions, after every prospect of a war with Spain
had ceased. Whatever motive may have influenced the subsequent conduct of that officer, there
is but little doubt that he had given Burr the
most indubitable assurance of his firm adhesion
to the undertaking. In the vagueness of conjecture, charity would, indeed, suggest such reasons
for the change, as usually actuates the soldier




TREACHERY OF WILKINSON.       181
and the patriot; but, unfortunately opposed to
this conclusion, is his demand of the Spanish
viceroy, of the sum of two hundred thousand
dollars, "for great pecuniary sacrifices, in defeating Burr's plans, and, Leonidas-like, throwing
himself in the pass of Thermopylae."
Notwithstanding the suspicions with which
his movements were observed by the government, the acts of the Ohio legislature, and his
arrest in Kentucky, Burr still persisted in his
measures; giving confidence to his followers by
his unflinching determination. Even the proclamation of the President, and of the several
Governors within the respective States and Territories along his route, could not deter him.
But, when he was informed that the measures
adopted by the government for his arrest were
through the advice and at the instance of Wilkinson; that he had not only proved treacherous
by exposing the scheme and magnifying its object, but was the chosen instrument for his
arrest; that courage, which had before characterized his actions, completely abandoned him;
then, and not till then, did he sink under the
accumulated difficulties which beset his path.
He was arrested, tried and acquitted, "but his
country refused to believe him innocent. Though
stout old Truxton had testified in his favour;
16




182        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
though Jackson had seen nothing wrong in
Burr's project, but agreed to favour it; the
popular voice continued to regard him as a traitor, whom  accident alone had prevented from
dismembering the Union. That a man of sense
and ability should entertain such a notion; relying for aid on associates whom he knew would
countenance no treason, is a preposterous and
insane supposition.  As he said, on his deathbed, he might as well have attempted to seize
the moon and parcel it out among his followers.
As The real secret of the popular belief is to be
found in the character of Burr.  In him, the
elements which make great and good men were
strangely mixed up with those which we may
suppose the spirits of evil to pride themselves.
lie was brave, affable, munificent, of indomitable
energy, of signal perseverance.  In his own person, he combined two opposite natures.  He was
studious, but insinuating; dignified, yet seductive. Success did not intoxicate, nor reverse dismay him. Turning to the other aspect of his
character, these great qualities sunk to insignificance, beside his evil ones. He was profligate
in morals, public and private; selfish and artful;
a master in  dissimulation, treacherous, coldhearted. Subtle, intriguing, full of promise; he
shot upwards in popularity, with astonishing




CONNIVANCE OF JEFFERSON.     183
velocity; but a skeptic in honesty, a scorner of
all things noble and good, he failed to secure the
public confidence, and fell headlong from his
dizzy eminence. Here lies the secret of his ruin.
There was nothing in his character to which the
great heart of the people could attach itself in
love; but they shrank from him, in mistrust, as
from a cold and glittering serpent.  The public
rarely errs in an estimate like this."
It has been alleged of Mr. Jefferson, thatkhe
was privy to Burr's arrangements; and that they
were tacitly assented to by him. In viewing the
various circumstances-particularly the conduct
of the President himself-it would appear that
such an allegation was not altogether groundless.
Burr had been a formidable rival, in his masterstruggle, for the Presidency. It had required
thirty ballotings to decide the question between
them, and Jefferson's final success was owing to
a compromise of the members of the Senate, by
which the votes of Vermont, Delaware and Maryland were withdrawn from the opposition, through
no particular preferences for the latter, but to
conciliate parties and silence the exciting topic.
If Burr's political aspirations could  receive
another direction, it is presumed that his ambitious opponent would offer no objections, provided
success would place him beyond the circle of his




184             LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
own operations.   Indeed, it had  been suggested
that he should  be offered a foreigrn  mission, that
his  influence  at home  might not cripple  the
affairs of the administration.
The  subject of the  conquest of Mexico was
daily conversed upon by the officers of the
various Departments, as is clearly established by
the evidence on the trial.   The Spanish war was
a theme of universal interest, and had that event
happened,  what  cared  the  President whether
the American forces paused on  the banks of the
Sabine, or carried  their arms into the heart of
Mexico. Already had arrangements been effected
between the government and the Spanish officers
of Louisiana and Florida, by which those officers
were  to favour the Americans, in case of a war,
and rally under the standard of the forces of the
Union.*   And, such would, doubtless, have been
* " John Smith, a member of the United States Senate from Ohio,
who was arrested as an accomplice of Burr, in a conversation with
his friends, stated that, before the movements of Burr had attracted
general notice, Mr. Jefferson requested a confidential interview with
him, (Smith,) at which he inquired if he was not personally acquainted with the Spanish officers of Louisiana and Florida. On
being answered in the affirmative, he went on to state, that a war
with Spain seemed to be inevitable; and that it was very desirable
to know the feelings of those men towards the United States, and
whether reliance could be placed on their friendship, if a war should
take place between the two countries. At the same time, he requested him to visit the country, with reference to that object. Mr.
Smith stated that he did visit the country, as requested; and that,




CONNIVANCE OF JEFFERSON.                   185
the case, had a declaration of war been proclaimed; but an intimation from the French
ambassador, that the measure would call Napoleon to the aid of Spain, induced the government
to abandon its designs, and arrest the operations
of Burr.
And again; it was a notorious fact that the
most of those who favoured the project before
the President's proclamation, were Republicans
-the  friends  of Jefferson, who  had  but little
sympathy with Burr. Party spirit ran high,
and  measures  inimical  to  the   administration
would have teen instantly checked by its
friends. Until the difficulties with Spain had
been adjusted, in the opinion of Jefferson's more
intelligent adherents, there  was nothing  frightful in the preparations of Burr. Indeed, it has
on his return, he reported to MIr. Jefferson, that the governor, the
inferior officers, and the inhabitants generally, were not only friendly
but were desirous of attaching themselves to the United States.
This was in the summer preceding the' war message' against Spain,
which was sent to the two Houses of Congress, in December, 1805.
Although the message was confidential, it soon became known to the
diplomatic corps at Washington; and the French Ambassador was
ordered, by his master, (Napoleon,) to inform the American Government that France would take a part with Spain, in any contest
she might have with the United States. It is a matter of history,
that, after that notice, the project against Spain, communicated in
the confidential message and referred to in the conversation with
Mr. Smith, was abandoned; and about the same time, measures
were taken to stop the movements of Burr.-Burnet's Notes, p. 294.
16*




186        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
been charged upon the President, that he approved of the project of Miranda; if so, why not
also that of Burr? as they both stood upon the
same platform, and were equally criminal under
the law of nations.




BLENNERHASSETT'S EMBARRASSMENTS.    187
CHAPTER XIII.
Blennerhassett returns to Natchez after the trial-His pecuniary
embarrassments-Sacrifice and abuse of his property-His complacency-Demands indemnity for his losses from Gov. AlstonPurchases a farm in Mississippi, and commences the culture of
cotton-Mlrs. Blennerhassett's assistance-Flattering prospectsEffects of the embargo-Receives the intelligence of the burning
of his mansion.
AFTER the close of this memorable trial, which
had occupied the public attention for several
months, Blennerhassett returned to Natchez.
The continued anxiety, attendant on a tedious
investigation of the charge of treason in which
character and life were involved; the accumulation of debts; the neglect of domestic interests,
and the rapid decline of his resources, were discouragements, indeed, under which stouter hearts
might well have sunk without the charge of
effeminacy.
The creditors, who had advanced funds upon
his obligations, finding his pecuniary affairs becoming daily more embarrassed, were insolent
and exacting. Liquidation was demanded; and,
when they saw that he neither had the funds to




188          LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
meet them, nor the ability to procure further
credit, they pursued him  with the precepts of
the law, with a rapacity, equalled only by their
uncharitable invectives. A portion of his library
and philosophical apparatus, which had been his
amusement in prosperity, and the solace of his
darker hours; the remaining furniture possessing
value to him, wholly unappreciated by others;
were attached and sold at a criminal sacrifice.
His beautiful mansion, together with its surroundcling shrubbery, had been regarded and used
as public property.  Its fair gardens had been
destroyed, not less by the hlands of the ruthless
freebooter than the negligence of his tenants and
the floods of the Ohio.  Not satisfied with that
which might be removed without injury to the
freehold,  the wvindoe-cllasiins were torn out, to
procure the leaden weights by which the sashes
iwere raised.  Even the beautiful stone roller,
used for levelling  his grounds, was crushed to
pieces, to obtain the iron axles on which it ran.
The island itself was extended,  by a writ of
elef/it,* at the suit of Rtobert Miller of Kentucky,
who commenced the culture of hemp, and the
manufacturing of cordage.
Such is but the every-day lesson of human
* A process by the Virginia statute, which "extends" the lands
of the debtor until the claim is made out of rents and profits.




HIS COMPLACENCY.          189
experience!-Such is the sympathy of unfeeling
man with the misfortune and distress of his fellow man! To-day, he kneels at the shrine of
friendship, as the beastial Caliban at the feet of
Stephano, and calls the object of its worship,
"god;" to-morrow shrinks cowardly from it,
and returns his gratitude, in foul misdeeds and
wanton injuries.
In viewing the complacency with which Blennerhassett had heretofore regarded Burr's actions towards himself, we are at a loss whether
to attribute his silence to the mildness of his
temper, or a lack of courage to vindicate his
honour from the aspersions of his enemies. But,
for his unfortunate alliance with Burr, he might
still have reposed in the shady groves of the isle.
But for Burr, he might havie continued to enjoy
those peaceful pursuits for which he had abandoned Castle Conway, to secure a home in the
secluded forests of America; but for him,lhe
might yet have enjoyed a competency beyond
his wants, and luxuriated in the fields of literature, without the fear of pecuniary distress.
It was not, however, until driven to it by
necessity, that Blennerhassett attempted to show
how much he had really been injured by the
man whom he had regarded and cherished as his
friend; but who had now deserted him in the




190         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
hour of misfortune. Almost bankrupt in purse,
with a large family dependent upon him for support, to whom could he look for indemnity, for
the losses sustained in the enterprise of Burr?
He had contributed largely, if not entirely, to
the procuring of boats, implements and provisions for the expedition, and, as yet, had received
nothing in return.  Both Burr and Alston had
turned a deaf ear to his petitions for relief;
indeed, Burr, had it been his desire, could
afford but poor satisfaction from  the meagre
remains of a once large fortune. Blennerhassett,
accordingly, addressed a letter to Gov. Alston,
demanding of him the sum of thirty-five thousand dollars, stating that, unless he advanced it,
the writer would publish a pamphlet, disclosing
the governor's connection with Burr.  He coneludes by adding,'"My work is ready for the
press. If you do not prevent its publication, you
may rest assured I shall not, to save the trouble
of smelting, abandon the ore, I have, with such
expense of time and labour, extricated from the
mines both dark and deep, not indeed of Mexico,
but of Burr, Jefferson, and Alston. Having mentioned Burr, I wish you to observe, that I have
long since ceased to consider reference to his
honour, resources, or good faith, in any other
light than as a scandal to any man offering it,




BECOMES A COTTON PLANTER.       191
who is not sunk so low as himself."* The pamphlet alluded to did not make its appearance;
and it was afterwards said, that the sum of ten
thousand dollars was forwarded by Alston.
Cotton, at that time, commanded an exorbitant
price. Investments in lands adapted to its culture, and slaves to work it, afforded rich returns
for the amount of capital employed. Many were
turning their attention to it.  Blennerhassett
conceived it a favourable mode of retrieving his
shattered fortune.  IIe therefore concluded a
purchase of a thousand acres of land, in Claiborne
county, at St. Catherine's, near Gibsonport, Mississippi, and placed upon it a small number of
slaves. Here, again, after the varied incidents
of two long years, in which he had been buffeted
about, by the whirlwind of uncourted excitement, he found a HOME.
Individuals who, from early life, have been
accustomed to battle with the vicissitudes of fortune appear to struggle the greater when encountered by opposing difficulties.  Those, on
the contrary, who have been cradled in the lap
of ease, are but poorly prepared to meet adversity, unless endowed by nature with unusual
perseverance.  This latter quality, it was not
* Burr's private Journal, vol. i. p. 157.




192         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
Blennerhassett's fortune to possess. Accustomed
not only to the comforts but the elegancies of
life, he was a stranger to want.  His sleep had
never been disturbed by visions of distress; nor
his energies excited through cupidity or avarice.
It may well be imagined therefore, that he was
but slightly qualified to sustain himself, under
his present embarrassments.  For him, life had
but few attractions, save those that were found
in the pursuits of science; and to deprive him
of these, was to deprive him of the happiness of
existence.
With a full appreciation of her husband's feelings, Mrs. Blennerhassett undertook to aid him
in the management of his farm.  At the early
dawn, she mounted her horse, to convey to the
overseer the instructions committed to her charge.
In this, however, she never neglected the affairs
of her household, or those affectionate attentions
to her family, which render the felicities of home
bright to the recollection of husband and child,
when the memory of all else has perished.
The success of his new undertaking animated
Blennerhassett in the hope of reclaiming his
losses in a very short time. Such, indeed, would
have been the result, had not the war of 1812,
and the embargo which followed, put a decided
check to our commercial transactions. Produce,




HIS MANSION BURNT.           193
of every description, immediately fell in price,
until the commodity would scarce pay the expenses of marketing. A bare subsistence, therefore, was all he could promise himself, until a
termination of hostilities between the contending
nations.
But misfortunes seldom come singly.  It was
but a short time previous, that he had heard of
the fate of his island residence, rented, by him,
to one of his Belpre friends, but who was, afterwards, dispossessed by the Kentucky creditor.
As the beauty of the grounds had been entirely
destroyed, and the mansion itself much injured,
through carelessness and neglect, it had lost its
primitive attractions, and was now regarded as a
mere convenience in farming.  In the year
eighteen hundred and eleven, the tenant raised
an unusual quantity of hemp, which was stored
in one of the wings of the building. On a very
cold night, several of the slaves, who had been
permitted to visit their Virginia friends, overturned the boat in which they were returning,
and one of their number was drowned. Suffering
under intense cold, they proceeded to the cellar
where the spirituous liquors were kept, to obtain
the stimulus for counteracting the ill effects of
their accident. Passing' through the entrance of
the hemp-room, to which the stairway led, by
17




194        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
accident they communicated the flame of the
candle to the hemp, and, in a few moments, the
destroying element was beyond their control.
Stupid with astonishment, at the awfulness of
the spectacle, in the darkness of the night, they
neglected to apprize the inmates, who would all
doubtless have perished, had not some one of
them fortunately awakened in time to give the
alarm. Escaping, with nothing but their nightclothes, and a few articles of furniture, they beheld, with awe, this beautiful mansion, which,
but a few years previous, had been the abode of
peace and happiness-adorned with all that could
embellish or beautify its appearance, rapidly reduced to a mass of ruins.




BLENNERHASSETT'S PROSPECTS DECLINING.   195
CHAPTER XIV.
Blennerhassett's prospects declining-Is offered a judgeship by the
Governor of Canada-Sells his estates-Removes to MontrealMrs. Blennerhassett's poetry, "The Deserted Isle"-Blennerhassett again disappointed-Determines to prosecute a claim subsisting in Ireland-Sails for Ireland-Reflections-Applies to Lord
Anglesey for office-Letter of Mr. Gossett-Is again disappointed
-Removes to the island of Guernsey-Death.
TEN years had passed rapidly away, since the
occurrences of the 1" Burr expedition." The prospect of regaining his fortune became daily less
flattering to Blennerhassett. His numerous debts
had not ceased to be pressed, at the imminent
peril of a total sacrifice of his remaining property.
While thus surrounded with insuperable difficulties, a ray of hope, for a moment, dissipated
the clouds which obscured the future, and thrilled
with joy the desponding bosoms of his household.
The acting Governor of Canada, an old and intimate acquaintance, hearing of his critical situation, addressed him a communication tendering
his  assistance.   Blennerhassett's  legal attainments qualified him  for the duties of the Bench;




196             LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
the Governor knew  it, and offered  him  a seat in
one of the provincial courts.   With the view  of
accepting  so desirable a post, he disposed of his
fee in  the  island, as well as that of the Mississippi estate, and removed to Montreal, in 1819.
While  here, with  prospects  of poverty  and
blighted  hopes  thickening  around  them, Mrs.
Blennerhassett wrote the following lines, descriptive of the island-her once happy home.  They
are  from  the overflowing of a heart which  had
passed through much sorrow, and are an eloquent
lament over the  misfortunes  and  ruin  of the
family and fortune of Blennerhassett.
"THE DESERTED ISLE."
Like mournful echo, from the silent tomb,
That pines away upon the midnight air,
Whilst the pale moon breaks out, with fitful gloom;
Fond memory turns with sad, but welcome care,
To scenes of desolation and despair,
Once bright with all that beauty could bestow,
That peace could shed, or youthful fancy know.
To the fair isle, reverts the pleasing dream;Again thou risest, in thy green attire,
Fresh, as at first, thy blooming graces seem;Thy groves, thy fields, their wonted sweets respire;
Again thou'rt all my heart could e'er desire.
Oh! why, dear isle, art thou not still my own?
Thy charms could then for all my griefs atone.




"'THE DESERTED ISLE."                  197
The stranger that descends Ohio's stream,
Charm'd with the beauteous prospects that arise,
Marks the soft isles that,'neath the glittering beam,
Dance with the wave and mingle with the skies,
Sees, also, one that now in ruin lies,
Which erst, like fairy queen, tower'd o'er the rest,
In every native charm, by culture, dress'd.
There rose the seat, where once, in pride of life,
MIy eye could mark the queenly river's flow,
In summer's calmness, or in winter's strife,Swollen with rains, or battling with the snow.
Never, again, my heart such joy shall know.
Havoc, and ruin, rampant war, have pass'd
Over that isle, with their destroying blast.
The black'ning fire has swept throughout her halls,
The winds fly whistling o'er them, and the wave
No more, in spring-floods, o'er the sand-beach crawls,
But furious drowns in one o'erwhelming grave,
Thy hallow'd haunts it water'd as a slave.
Drive on, destructive flood! and ne'er again,
On that devoted isle let man remain.
Too many blissful moments there I've known;
Too many hopes have there met their decay;
Too many feelings now for ever gone,
To wish that thou couldst e'er again display
The joyful colouring of thy prime array:
Buried with thee, let them remain a blot,
With thee, their sweets, their bitterness forgot.
And, oh! that I could wholly wipe away
The memory of the ills that work'd thy fall;
The memory of that all-eventful day,
When I return'd, and found my own fair hall
Held by the infuriate populace in thrall,My own fireside blockaded by a band
That once found food and shelter of my hand.
17*




198             LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
My children (oh! a mother's pangs forbear;
Nor strike again that arrow to my soul;)
Clasping the ruffians in suppliant prayer,
To free their mother from unjust control,
While with false crimes and imprecations foul,
The wretched, vilest refuse of the earth,
Mock jurisdiction held around my hearth.
Sweet isle! methinks I see thy bosom torn;
Again behold the ruthless rabble throng,
That wrought destruction taste must ever mourn.
Alas! I see thee now-shall see thee long;
But ne'er shall bitter feelings urge the wrong,
That, to a mob, would give the censure, due
To those that arm'd the plunder-greedy crew.
Thy shores are warm'd by bounteous suns in vain,
Columbia!-if spite and envy spring,
To blot the beauty of mild nature's reign:
The European stranger, who would fling,
O'er tangled woods, refinement's polishing,
May find, expended, every plan of taste,
His work by ruffians render'd doubly waste.
"Misfortune having marked him for her own,"
Blennerhassett's anticipated promotion was never
realized.  The capriciousness of the  British  ministry had removed from  office the sympathizing
friend, and he found himself cast hopelessly upon
the world, at an advanced age, without health,
without energy, and almost destitute of the means
of a comfortable subsistence.
As a last resort, he determined to prosecute a
reversionary claim, still existing in Ireland, re



RETURNS TO IRELAND.       199
garded by him with indifference in his more
affluent days, but which, now, in his -destitute
situation, recommended itself strongly to his
attention. Through the influence of friends, he
hoped, also, to obtain an office under the English
government, by which he might the more readily
gain the means for conducting the suit.
Under these considerations, he left the Province of Canadcla, and sailed for Ireland, in 1822.
As the receding shores of the American continent
were dimly shadowed in the distance, he cast a
glance towards the fading scene. A recollection
of the past was no pleasing retrospect. A quarter
of a century had passed since he had hailed those
shores, with buoyant hopes and joyful anticipations of future happiness. To him, it was then
a land wherein was to be realized all that was
lovely, all that was desirable of earth; a land
of freemen, with whom was the abode of peace.
Then, he was in the noontide of manhood;
blessed with health and a competency beyond
his wants. The smile of friendship; the marked
and decorous respect with which he was met;
the welcome greeting; all gave evidence of lasting enjoyment. But, how mysterious are the
dispensations of Providence towards the children
of men! He had lived long enough to see every
one of those bright hopes perish; his fortune had




200         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
been lost; his health most seriously impaired;
and, to fill the measure of unhlappi-ness, he was
branded, by public opinion, with a design of
overthrowing -the liberties of that government
which  had allured  Ihim  across the Atlantic.
These were reflections gloomy in the extreme,
and still the future was not less cheerless.  As
the green fields of his native isle broke upon his
view, how like the Prodigal Son, who had spent
his substance in a foreign shore, did lie return to
his fatherland.  But, for him, alas! there was
no';plenty and to spare;" no fatted calf vwas
killed; no fond embrace of anxious friends.  In
the long space of twenty-five years, how many
changes had served to break the ties which bound
him to his childhood's home! As agfain lhe trod
the fields of his former sports, memllory turned,
with melancholy tenderness, to those boon companions of his earlier years.  Where, alas! were
they-?  Nought now remained to identify him
with the past; and he stood a stranger on his
native land!
Lord Anglesey, one of the heroes of the battle
of Waterloo, was then presiding over the office
of Ordnance at London.  He was the old schoolmate and friend of Blennerhassett.  To him,
therefore, the latter addressed himself, with the
hope of obtaining a situation; and also with a




REFUSED AN APPOINTMENT.       201
view of procuring a patent, for an "invention"
which he deemed of some importance.  The result of his applications will be shown from the
following correspondence: -
OFFICE OF ORDNANCE, 9th of June, 1827.
SIR: —I am directed, by the Marquis of Anglesey, to acknowledge the receipt of your letter
of the 31st ultimo; and to acquaint you that his
lordship will be happy to receive the suggestions
which you may have to offer, and will submit
them to the consideration of the committee,
whose province it is to examine and report upon
the various projects brought before this department. With respect to your request, an appointment, Lord Anglesey regrets extremely that the
long list of pressing claims, received from his
predecessor, and the very limited means of attending to them, will not allow his lordship to
hold out any expectation that it will be in his
power to offer to your acceptance any appointment.
I have the honour to be, sir,
your most obedient servant,
WM. GOSSETT.
H. Blennerhassett, Esq.
* Win. Wallace.




202         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
What the "'invention" was, his papers do not
disclose; it is sufficient to state, however, that it
met with but little favour.
Having resided a sufficient length of time with
a maiden sister in England, to find his plans for
the future prostrated, he removed to the island
of Guernsey. Here, in the year 1831, wearied
with the turmoil of life, he sank to his eternal
rest, in the sixty-third year of his age, with his
head softly pillowed on that bosom which, for
thirty-four years, had throbbed in perfect unison
with his own.




REMARKS.                    203
CHAPTER XV.
Remarks on the life of Blennerhassett-TMrs. Blennerhassett's destitute situation-Resolves to visit the United States to procure
indemnity for spoliations-The reasonableness of such a demand
-Visits New York-Presents her petition to Congress-PetitionRobert Emmett's aid-Letter to Mr. Clay —Mr. Clay presents the
petition-Report of the Hon. William Woodbridge-Death of Mrs.
Blennerhassett-Is buried by Irish females.
THus has it been attempted to portray the life
and character of Blennerhassett. From youth
to age, and finally to the grave, we have followed
his footsteps, with an interest excited more
through our sympathy than our admiration of
the man. In his life, there is really nothing
remarkable.  His scientific acquirements never
gave to mankind one single truth, nor devised a
plan by which to ameliorate the condition of his
race.  His is not that fame which bedecks with
laurels the brow of the hero; or springs from
those actions that the world regards as great and
glorious. Of these, indeed, he was never emulous.
His native country afforded him the finest fields
for military notoriety, and, as for political pre



204        LIFE OF BLENNERHIASSETT.
ferment, the times in which he lived were propitious to the aspirant.  The names of many of
his compeers will descend to posterity in living
colours, as long as down-trodden Ireland shall
retain a place on the page of history. That
celebrity which attended his name was not of
his seeking.  his was the peculiar temperament,
fitted better for the einjoyments of private life,
than the battle-field or the political arena.  For
this, he resigened magnificence and ease, for obscurity in a western wilderness; and it was here
he enjoyed, for a time, that uninterrupted repose
which had so long attracted his fancy. There,
too, he would have doubtless remained but for
the circumstances heretofore narrated.
At the death of her husband, Mrs. Blennerhassett was left with a family of dependent
children, for whom her greatest exertions could
hardly procure subsistence. Long and arduously
she toiled, both mentally and physically, to avoid
impending poverty. It was not only necessary
that they should be fed and clothed, but it was
also important that they should receive such an
education, as would, at least, fit them  for the
business-transactions of life. She had now arrived
at an age when elasticity, both of body and mind,
were nearly destroyed; and this, of itself, was
sufficient to prevent any expectation of future




DESTITUTION OF MRS. BLENNERHASSETT.  205
success. Under such gloomy prospects, she resolved to visit the United States, and petition
the government for relief.
In this, she is not to be regarded as a mendicant asking for alms, but rather as an individual
asserting her rig/hts;-rights most wantonly violated by the officers of a government pledged to
the protection of its citizens. These quasi agents
of the President had not only detained the boats
and stores prepared for the enterprise of Burr,
but had actually destroyed the former, and consumed the latter.  They had invaded the sanctity of her household, had appropriated to themselves and wasted her provisions, broken her
furniture, laid waste the gardens, torn down the
fences, and had done serious injury to the mansion. They had put Blennerhassett to an enormous expense, in defending himself at Richmond;
they, in fact, had reduced him from affluence to
comparative poverty. Was this extraordinary
sacrifice to be justified, and its victims to remain
unsatisfied from the mere fact that Blennerhassett was accused of hostility towards the government? Could such an invasion of private rights
have been legalized, if, indeed, he had been
proved guilty of the acts with which he was
charged?  The American citizen has cause to
rejoice that he lives in a land where his rights
18




206       LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
are protected by law, and when they are invaded,
whether by government or individuals, satisfaction must be equally rendered.
In the year 1842, Mrs. Blennerhassett, with
an invalid son, visited New York, and, through
the hands of her friends, preferred a petition to
Congress.  With a meekness of disposition which
is remarkable, when we recollect her grievances,
she says:
"Your memorialist does not desire to exaggerate the conduct of the said armed men, or the
injuries done by them; but she can truly say,
that, before their visit, the residence of her
family had been noted for its elegance and high
state of improvement; and that they left it in a
comparative state of ruin and waste. And, as
instances of the mischievous and destructive
spirit which appeared to govern them, she would
mention, that, while they occupied as a guardroom one of the best apartments in the house,
(the building of which cost nearly forty thousand
dollars,) a musket or rifle ball was deliberately
fired into the ceiling, by which it was much
defaced and injured; and that they wantonly
destroyed many pieces of valuable furniture.
She would also state that, being apparently
under no restraint, they indulged in continual
drunkenness and riot —offering many indignities




MRS. BLENNERHASSETT'S MEMORIAL.   207
to your memorialist and treating her domestics
with violence.
" These outrages were committed upon an inoffending and defenceless family, in the absence
of their natural protector, your memorialist's
husband being then away from home; and that,
in answer to such remonstrances as she ventured
to make against the consumption, waste, and
destruction of his property, she was told, by those
who assumed to have the command, that they
held the property for the United States, by order
of the President, and were privileged to use it,
and should use it as they pleased. It is with
pain that your memorialist reverts to events,
which, in their consequences, have reduced a
once happy family, from affluence and comfort,
to comparative want and wretchedness; which
blighted the prospects of her children, and made
herself, in the decline of life, a wanderer on the
face of the earth."
Robert Emmett, the son of the celebrated
Irish patriot, interested himself in her behalf.
He had been the intimate friend of Blennerhassett, and sympathized deeply with his afflicted
family. In forwarding her memorial to the Hon.
Henry Clay of the United States Senate, he remarks:-c" Mrs. Blennerhassett is now in this
(New York) city, residing in very humble cir



208        LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
cumstances, bestowing her cares on a son, who,
by long poverty and sickness, is reduced to utter
imbecility, both of body and mind; unable to
assist her, or provide for his own wants.  In
her present destitute situation, the smallest
amount of relief would be thankfully received
by her. Her condition is one of absolute wzant,
and she has but a short time left to enjoy any
better fortune in this world."
Her statement, with regard to the destruction
of her property, and the acts of the officers of
the government, were fully corroborated by William  Robinson, jun., and Morgan Neville, both
of whom were present at the island when the
occurrences took place. An estimate of the property destroyed was made out by Dudley Woodbridge, the former partner of Blennerhassett in
mercantile transactions, which also accompanied
her petition.
It would be presumed that, under such a state
of circumstances, the American Congress would
not long hesitate in granting her full indemnity
for past injuries.  Mr. Clay presented the petition, and eloquently advocated its justice.  He
had known Blennerhassett in the noon-tide of
his prosperity, when not a cloud darkened the
horizon of his effulgent future; he had visited
his rural palace, and regaled himself with the




DEATH OF MRS. BLENNERtIASSETT.    209
luxuries it afforded.  He had partaken of its
hospitalities, and been entertained by the sprightly
conversation of its inmates. He had witnessed
Blennerhassett's arrest, in Kentucky, and manfully exerted himself in his defence. He had
afterwards witnessed his declining fortunes; and,
when destruction had laid waste his possessions,
had wandered over the ruins with feelings of
unsuppressed sympathy.
The memorial having been referred to the appropriate committee, of which the Hon. William
Woodbridge was chairman, he returned a report,
alike honourable to his intelligence and clear
sense of justice.  He advocated the claim  as
legal and proper, and one which ought to be
allowed, notwithstanding it had been thirty-six
years since the events transpired. "c Not to do
so would be unworthy a wise or just nation."
The claim would doubtless have met with the
favour of Congress, had not an event transpired,
in the meanwhile, which rendered further action
unnecessary.  Death had visited the suffering
applicant, and relieved her of earthly wants. In
an humble abode, in the city of New York, her
spirit had silently departed! No soothing hand
of a relative fanned her fevered temples, nor
wiped from her brow the chilly dews of expiring
nature.  Within that lonely chamber, it was
18*




210         LIFE OF BLENNERHASSETT.
reserved to strangers to witness the last sad
scenes.  She, who had been born in affluence;to whom  the world appeared, in early life, as
Paradise before the fall; who had been honoured
by the attentions of the great, and the praises
of the humble; whose heart was ever open to
the cries of distress, and whose hands were ever
ready to relieve the wants of the needy, had, in
her turn, to ask the charities of the world!
Although the kindly ministrations of a society
of Irish females served, in some measure, to assuage the agonies of her parting hours, still it
was hard to die thus destitute and deserted; for
"On some fond breast the parting soul relies,
Some pious drops the closing eye requires."
And now, as the sable hearse moved slowly
along, followed only by those devoted "sisters
of charity," it excited no interest in the passing
crowd. No mock pageant indicated the life or
station of the deceased. In one of the cemeteries
of that city, remains all that is earthly of that
once accomplished lady, separated from the tomb
of her husband by the wide Atlantic. While
on their graves we "1 drop the tribute of a tear,"
may we never forget the lesson that their lives
have taught us.




APPENDIX.
I.
MRS. THEADOSIA BURR ALSTON.
ONE individual alone clung to Burr in his hour of trial:
need we say that it was a woman, the only daughter of the
accused?
If there is a redeeming feature in the character of Burr, it
is to be found in his love for that child.  From  her earliest
years he had educated her with a care to which we look in
vain for a parallel among his contemporaries. She grew up,
in consequence, no ordinary woman. Beautiful beyond most
of her sex; accomplished as few females of that day were accomplished, she displayed to her family and friends a fervour
of affection which not every woman is capable of; the character of Theadosia Burr has long been regarded almost as we
would regard that of a heroine of romance. Her love for her
father partook of the purity of a better world; holy, deep,
unchanging; it reminds us of the affection which a celestial
spirit might be supposed to entertain for a parent, cast down
from heaven, for sharing in the sin of the "' Son of the Morning." No sooner did she hear of the arrest of her father, than
she fled to his side. There is nothing in human history more
touching than the hurried letters, blotted with tears, in which
211




212                    APPENDIX.
she announced her daily progress to Richmond; for she was
too weak to travel with the rapidity of the mail.  Even the
character of Burr borrows a momentary halo from  hers,
when we peruse his replies, in which, forgetting his peril and
relaxing the stern front he assumed towards his enemies, he
laboured only to quiet her fears, and inspire her with confidence in his acquittal.  He even writes from his prison in a
tone of gayety, jestingly regretting that his acconmmodations
are not more elegant for her reception.  Once, and once only,
does he melt, and that is to tell her that in the event of the
worst, he will die worthy of himself.
After his trial, Burr went abroad, virtually a banished man.
He was still full of his schemes against Miexico and the Spanish provinces; but in England he met with no encouragement, the nation being engaged in the Peninsular war. He
afterwards visited France, where his petitions were equally disregarded, the Emperor being engrossed in the continental
wars.  Here his funds failed.  He had no friend to apply to,
and was forced to borrow, on one occasion, a couple of sous
from a cigar woman on the corner of the street.
At last he returned to New York, but in how different a
guise from the days of his glory! No cannon thundered at
his coming, no crowd thronged along the quay.  Men gazed
suspiciously upon him  as he walked along, or crossed the
street to avoid him, as one having the pestilence.  But he
was not, he thought, wholly destitute.  His daughter still
lived, his heart yearned to clasp her to his bosom.  She left
Charleston, South Carolina, accordingly, to meet him.  But
although more than thirty years have elapsed, no tidings of
the pilot boat in which she sailed have ever been received.
Weeks grew into months, and months glided into years. Yet
her father and husband watched in vain for her coming.
Whether the vessel perished by conflagration-whether it




THEADOSIA BURR ALSTON.              213
foundered in a gale, or whether it was taken by pirates, and
all on board murdered, will never be known, until the great
day when the sea shall give up its dead.
It is said that this blow broke the heart of Burr, and that
though in public he maintained a proud equanimity, in private, tears forced themselves down his furrowed cheeks. He
lived thirty years after this event; but in his own words
" felt severed from the human race." He had neither brother,
nor sister, nor lineal descendant. No man called him by the
endearing name of friend.  The weight of fourscore years
was on his brow. He was racked by disease. At last death,
so long desired, came, but it is said in a miserable lodging
and alone. Was there ever such a retribution?
ANONYMOUS.




214                   APPENDIX.
II.
SECRET CORRESPONDENCE.
GENERAL WILKINSON and Burr began their correspondence
in cipher about the years 1800 and 1801, near the period at
which the latter ascended the chair of the Vice-Presidency.
For this purpose they adopted three different ciphers.
The first is called the hieroglyphic
X 1.. _  (K)1  *.. 0-4- I "V,o,, - A))
O President.
o( Vice-President.
-. Secretary of State.
It was invented by General Wilkinson and Captain Campbell Smith as long ago as the year 1794,'95, or'96, for the
purpose of communicating confidentially with the general
officers in the Western country.
Another cipher, of a somewhat similar construction, was
divised by Captain Smith in 1791, in which the hieroglyphics
representing the President and Vice-President are the same
with those used in the cipher of Col. Burr.
The second is denominated the arbitrary alphabet cipher;
and was formed by Burr and Wilkinson in the year 1799 or
1800.
A B C D E F G H.
-  /         A  V  S.
I   2  3  4
T   L  J I
This cipher was nothing more than a substitution of characters in the place of letters which actually compose the
alphabet. It was also used in figures, from one to ten.




SECRET CORRESPONDENCE.                215
The third is styled the dictionary cipher; and was adopted
by them in the year 1800.  The famous letters from Burr to
Wilkinson, of the 22d July, 1806, delivered by Swartwout at
Natchez, and its duplicate of the 29th of the same month, conveyed to Bollman, were written partly in each of these two
ciphers, and partly in English.  The Wilmington edition of
Entick's Pocket Dictionary of 1800 served as the key, by
which such parts of the letters as were written in figures were
to be interpreted. For example, if the figures 3 and 4 were
used, the figure 3 pointed out the page in the book, and 4 the
number of the word intended-counting from the top in the
first or second column on the page, which latter circumstance
was indicated by a slight mark above or below the 4.
General Dayton's letters of the 16th and 24th July, which
were forwarded in company with Burr's by Swartwout and
Bollman, were written partly in hieroglyphics and the arbitrary alphabetical ciphers, above described, partly in English,
but principally in Dayton's own cipher, of which the key-word
is FRANCE.
It is composed in the following manner, the letters of the
alphabet being numbered thus:
1234567890
a b e d e f g h i j
In order to decipher a letter or passage written in cipher,
take the first letter of the key-word F, fix on the letter in the
series of the alphabet; count forward from that letter as
many letters as are equal to the first figure in the ciphered
letter; as 8, for example, which will give I, and I will be the
first letter of the first word; then take the second letter of the
key word R, and in the same manner as in the first instance,
count forward as many letters as are equal to the second
figure; as 2, which will give the second letter T, completing
the first word, I. Continue the same way with the ensuing




216                         APPENDIX.
letters of the key-word, till they are finished; and then begin
again-thus going through the key word again and again until
the letter is completed.
In the ciphered letter the figure, or aggregate of figures
representing words, are separated by commas.
There was another cipher in use among some of the accomplices in this enterprise, the key-word of which was CUBA.
The use of this cipher may be understood from  the following
scheme and explanations:1   C    U    B    A
2.. d.. v.. c.. b
3.. e.. w.o  d.. c
4.. f.... e.. d
5..  g.. y.. f.. e
6.. h.. z.. g.. f
7.. i.. a.. h.. g
8.. j.. b.. i.. h
9..k.. j.. i
10..1..       d..   k.. j
11.. m.. e.. 1.. k
12.. n.. f.. m.. 1
13.. o.. g.. n.. m
15.. q.. i.. o
16.. r.. j.. q.. p
17      s...... r.. 
18      t..  o..  1.. r
19.... m.. t.. s
20.. v.. n.. u.. t
21.. w.. o.. v.. u
22.. x.. p.. w.. v
23.. y.. q.. x.. w
24.... r.. y.. x
25..a.. s.. z..y
26      b.. t.. a.. z
In order to compose a letter in this species of cipher, find
in the column under the first letter in the key-word, the first




SECRET CORRESPONDENCE.                  217
letter of the word which you wish to write, and the figure opposite to this letter represents the first letter of that word.  To
find- the figure expressive of the second letter, look for that
letter in the second column, and the figure opposite to that
letter represents the second letter in the word.  Continue in
the same way with respect to the other two columns, if it be
a word of three or four letters.  But if it contains more than
four letters, you must return to the first column and proceed
in the same manner; that is, the fifth letter of the word is to
be found in the first column under C; the sixth letter in the
second column, and so on.  Thus, if Hope was the first word
in the epistle, look for the letter H in the first column under
C, which is opposite the figure 6 as the representative of the
first letter; the letter 0 is to be sought for in the second
column, and is represented by the number 21; and so on
with the letters P and E.
In the ciphered letters, the figures representing letters are
separated by periods.
The reader will immediately perceive that besides France
and C(zuba, any other words might be used as key-words of
these ciphers, according to the discretion of the writer and
his correspondent. The difficulty of discovering the key to
one of these ciphered letters would be still further augmented
by the writer's shifting his key-word for different epistles,
according to some rule previously agreed on. The difficulty
would be incalculably increased, if the writer not only continues to shift his key-word, but the cipher itself.
Richmond Enquirer Sf 1807.




218                     APPENDIX.
III.
THE BATTLE OF MUSKINGUM, OR DEFEAT OF THE BURRITES.
NOVEMBER 1806, BY GENERAL E. W. TUPPER.
IT has been the province of the bards in all ages, to record
the glorious achievements of their warriors. The heroes of
the Nile, Marengo, and Austerlitz, have had their honours
recounted; and shall not those of Muskingum  live, while
thousands are forgotten? Yes, ye virtuous few i Ye also
shall live! and millions yet unborn, while passing, shall point
to the shores of Muskingum and the plains of Marietta, and
say, "There fought the brave, and there the immortal fell! i"
The following imitation of the " Battle of the Kegs" is offered
to the public, not without its many imperfections.  The
writer has, in several instances, chosen to sacrifice the harmony
of his rhymes to the more essential article-truth.
Ye jovial throng, come join the song
I sing of glorious feats, sirs;
Of bloodless wounds, of laurels, crowns,
Of charges, and retreats, sirs;
Of thundering guns, and honours won,
By men of daring courage;
Of such as dine on beef and wine,
And such as sup their porridge.




THE BATTLE OF MUSKINGUM.                 219
When Blanny's fleet, so snug and neat,
Come floating down the tide, sirs,
Ahead was seen, one-eyed Clark Green,*
To work them, or to guide, sirs.
Our General brave,st the order gave,
"To arms!  To arms! in season!
Old Blanny's boats, most careless float,
Brim-full of death and treason!"
A few young boys, their mother's joys,
And five men there were found, sirs,
Floating at ease-each little sees
Or dreams of death and wound, sirs.
"Fly to the bank! on either flank!
We'll fire from every corner;
We'll stain with blood Muskingum's flood,
And gain immortal honour.
The cannon there shall rend the air,
Loaded with broken spikes, boys,
While our cold lead, hurled by each head,
Shall give the knaves the gripes, boys,
Let not maids sigh, or children cry,
Or mothers drop a tear, boys,
I have the Baront in my head,
Therefore you've nought to fear, boys,
Now to your posts, this numerous host,
Be manly, firm, and steady.
But do not fire, till I retire,
And say when I am ready."
* A bold man, well known in those days.
t Major-general Buell.
t The only system of military tactics then in use in the western
country among the officers, was that of Baron Steuben.




220                        APPENDIX.
The Deputy,* courageously,
Rode forth in power and pride, sirs;
Twitching his reins, the man of brainst
Was posted by his side, sirs.
The men in ranks stand on the banks,
While, distant from its border,
The active aid scours the parade,
And gives the general order.
"First, at command, bid them to stand;
Then, if one rascal gains out,
Or lifts his poll;-G-d d-n his soul,
And blow the traitor's brains out."
The night was dark, silent came Clark
With twelve or fifteen more, sirs;
While Paddy Hill, with voice most shrill
Hooped! as was said before, sirs,
The trembling ranks, along the banks,
Fly into Shipman's manger;
While old Clark Green, with voice serene,
Cried, " Soldiers, there's no danger.
"Our guns, good souls, are setting poles,
Dead hogs I'm sure can't bite you;$
Along each keel is Indian meal;
There's nothing here need fright you."
Out of the barn, still in alarm,
Came fifty men, or more, sirs,
And seized each boat and other float,
And tied them to the shore, sirs.
* Governor Meigs.
t Name withheld.
$ The boats had in them hogs recently slaughtered,




THE BATTLE OF MUSKINGUM.                 221
This plunder rare, they sport and share,
And each a portion grapples.'Twas half a kneel* of Indian meal,
And ten of Putnam's apples.t
The boats they drop to Allen's shop,
Commanded by O'Flannon,
Where, lashed ashore, without an oar,
They lay beneath the cannon.
This band so bold, the night being cold,
And blacksmith's shop being handy;
Around the forge they drink and gorge
On whisky and peach-brandy.
Two honest tars, who had some scars,
Beheld their trepidation;
Cries Tom, "Come, Jack, let's fire a crack;'Twill fright them like damnation.
"Tyler they say, lies at Belpr6,
Snug in old Blanny's quarters;
Yet this pale host, tremble like ghosts,
For fear he'll walk on waters."
No more was said, but off they sped,
To fix what they'd begun on;
At one o'clock, firm as a rock,
They fired the spun-yarn cannon.
Trembling and wan stood every man;
Then bounced and shouted murder,
While Seargant Morse, squealed like a horse,
To get the folks to order.
> A measure of two quarts.
t- There were a few apples in the boats belonging to A. W. Putnam of Belpre.
19*




222                       APPENDIX.
Ten men went out, and looked about;
A hardy set of fellows;
Some hid in holes, behind the coals,
And some behind the bellows.
The Cor'ner* swore, the western shore,
He saw with muskets bristle;
Some stamp'd the ground; —'twas cannon sound,
They heard the grape-shot whistle.
The Deputy, mounted "Old Bay,"
When first he heard the rattle,
Then changed his course, " great men are scarce,
I'd better keep from battle."
The Generalt flew, to meet the crew,
His jacket flying loose, sirs,
Instead of sword, he seized his board;Instead of hat, his goose, sirs.
"Tyler's" he cried, " on'tother side,
Your spikes will never do it,
The cannon's bore will hold some more,"
Then thrust his goose into it.
Sol raised his head, cold spectres fled;
Each man resumed his courage;
Captain O'Flan dismissed each man
To breakfast on cold porridge.
* Joel Bowen.         t Buell was a tailor by trade.




BRIEF OF BLENNERHASSETT.              223
IV.
BRIEF OF BLENNERHASSETT.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)  BRIEF on behalf of Harman
VS.           [ Blennerhassett, confined  in  the
HARMAN BLENNERHASSETT.  Penitentiary at Richmond, Va.,
under an indictment for high treason.
CASE.
Introduction to   Prisoner first became acquainted with Aaron
Burr.     Burr by a voluntary and unsolicited visit made
by A. B. to prisoner at his late residence on the Ohio, in the
spring of 1805. Col. Burr arrived about nightfall. He participated during the visit in the general conversation of the
company; had no private interview or business with the prisoner, and he took leave about eleven o'clock at night, with his
companion, Mrs. Shaw, to pursue his voyage down the river.
2. Some time in the beginning of December following, prisoner, on his return from Baltimore, received a letter from
Col. Burr, couched in polite language, and expressing a regret
at not having had an opportunity of improving personal acquaintance with prisoner, owing to the absence of the latter
from home.
At this time a wish on the part of the priSubstance  of
Sprsoner's  soner to improve his pecuniary affairs, cornfirst letter to bining with a natural desire to cultivate an
acquaintance by which, he justly thought, he




224                     APPENDIX.
might so much improve his own talents and promote the interest of his children, led him, after some reflection, to write
the first letter he ever addressed to the late Vice-President,
expressive of a desire to be honoured with a hope of being
admitted into a participation of any speculation which might,
during his tour through the country, have presented itself to
Col. Burr's judgment as worthy to engage his talents.  In
making this advance, prisoner contemplated not only a commercial enterprise or land purchase, but a military adventure
was distinctly mentioned, in which prisoner would engage.
A reference, however, to the original letter, or its copy in prisoner's letter-book, will show that prisoner then considered
this government alive to every sentinment of indignation and
resentment that he fancied it cherished against the Spanish
Court, for acts of aggression and injustice committed by its
troops against American citizens and the territories of the
United States, and conduct by its minister and immediate
representative* at the seat of government, little short of direct insult upon our Executive.  Under such impressions,
prisoner conceived the inevitable necessity of a speedy war
with Spain, and observed in his letter to Col. Burr, that in
the event of a Spman'ish IT:ra, in which case the government
and country would call upon the talents, &c., of Col. Burr,
the prisoner would engage with him, in any enterprise, to be
undertaken for the subjugation of any of the Spanish dominions.
Burr's second visit to   3. This overture, on the part of the
the island.    prisoner, procured him  a visit from Col.
Burr at prisoner's late residence, on the Ohio, some time in
the month of August, 1806.  Col. Burr spent but one night
* Alluding to Onis, against whom a large portion of the people
of the United States were deeply incensed.




BRIEF OF BLENNERHASSETT.               225
in prisoner's house. Prisoner having next day rode with him
to Marietta, within a mile of which place he, the prisoner,
took leave of the colonel, (then on his way to Chillicothe,)
and returned home.  Col. Burr arrived on the island about
noon, in company with Col. De Pestre and Mr. Dudley Woodbridge, jun., with whom Col. Burr had a private interview in
the library, which was terminated fully an hour and a half
before dinner. Some time after dinner, Col. De Pestre and
Mir. Woodbridge having left the table, the subjects of conversation which had been taken up in the library, and there
at the utmost dwelt upon for twenty-five minutes, were resumed, and further considered, during not more than half an
hour; after which Col. Burr and the prisoner joined the company in the hall, when the conversation became and continued
general till bed-time.
Went with him to Hna-   4. Prisoner remained at Marietta about
rielta, where there twenty-four hours, friom which, deducting
was no time for organizing treason or the part of time devoted to sleep, to the
military expeditions. occupation of Col. Burr in commissioning or contracting with D. Woodbridge, to provide for him
those boats and provisions that have been seized, under the
orders of the government, receiving the visits of various persons that waited him at the tavern, &c., an estimate may be
easily formed of how short a time the prisoner could have
availed himself, to digest the projects or to contrive the means
with A. Burr of executing treason against the United States,
or of founding empires in other countries.
Nature of such com-    5. From such opportunities, however,
munications as op- as the prisoner derived during all the
portnity or inc- private interviews afforded him, at this
nation did permit 
A. B. actually to time, and the disclosures therein made to
mnake.           him with rapidity, but also with reserve,
he was led to conclude, that the sentiments of a respectable




226                         APPENDIX.
Sentiments of the peo- majority of the people in the Orleans and
pile inz Orleans and            T            w      d
Miississippi Territo- MIississppi Territories  were  disaffected
ries. Agitated and  to the present government, to a degree
miqht prodecle re-  thA
sa.7lt,   P'ce  ~e-  that, in Aaron Burr's opinion, would, at
volt, which would
affect the interests of no very distant period, produce a revolt
the Western cocz- which would probably call in the aid of
try, and right induce an examination  some foreign succour to support it.
by the people into    That,h in such an event, the States and
the groutdcls of their
connection scith the  Territories west of the MIountains would
Atlantic States, and  be placed in a dilemlma, out of which
probably produce a*
separation.  A. B.  they should withdraw, as they might be
had no concern with  governed by an Eastern or 1Western asthese things.      cendency of interests: that it was the
colonel's opinion the cliscontents, particularly in the Territory
of Orleans, would induce the Western country to examine the
grounds and interests of its present connection with the Atlantic States, and probably induce a separation; that he, A. B.,
had no further concern with these things than in a speculative way; but that he thought, as well as the prisoner, that
the people should be informed on the subject before they
might be drawn unawares to a crisis for which they might not
be prepared.
That a separation of the Western from  the Eastern States
was an event spoken of and apprehended,
Succh an event sp3oken 
qf, as sooner expect-  at the seat of government, by some of the
ed than desired, by  heads of Department, which the maladsonme members of the
ministration of the country might bring
government. People
of New Orleans dis-  about much sooner than was desired or
gusted to a degree  expected; and finally, the people of New
that mnight induce in
beginning of revolt,  Orleans were so much disgusted with the
a seizure of bank,  conduct of government towards themselves, and on Spanish  affairs, that he
should not be surprised to hear of their beginning a revolt by
seizing the Bank and Custom-house there.




BRIEF OF BLENNERIASSETT.                 227
MexicanSociety wanted    He spoke of a society of young men of
to place A. B. at that city, openly denominated the Mexitheir head; he declined.          can Society, seizing and shipping some
French cannon lying there, for an expedition against Mexico. When at Orleans they had solicited him
to lead, but he had declined to be concerned in.
6. In the course of such private conversation as opportunity
offered the prisoner to have with Aaron Burr, whilst on the
Burr would not tell island and at Marietta in the said month
Blennerhassett his of August, 1806, prisoner naturally enexactplans at all.  deavoured to elicit from him a disclosure
of some specific project, by referring to the letter of the prisoner whereof the substance is set forth in the second paragraph.  But from a reserve and conciseness observable on the
part of Col. Burr on such solicitation, and from entire confidence in the honour and judgment of the Ex-Vice-President,
the prisoner forbore to urge particular inquiries, that seemed
to be displeasing to him, from their tendency to a development of the details of his objects and his means of effecting
them.
7. Your client, however, did not take leave of Col. Burr
without matter of some satisfaction of his curiosity and interest, sufficient to engage his serious reflections on the expediency of adopting or avoiding that concern, which now seemed
to be proffered to the election of the prisoner in his interests.
For, after having made the prisoner the general remarks set
forth in the fifth article, with the contingency of which Col.
Burr declared he had no concern, but which would not be
adverse to his own particular views whether they should precede or follow them, he then signified to your client, "that
Expulsion  of Spa- the expulsion of the Spaniards from  the
niards from Ameri- American territory then violated by them,
can  territory, or
or even an invasion of Mexico, would be




228                     APPENDIX.
even  invasion  of very pleasing to the administration, if
Mexican States by
A. B. to be psro- either or both could be effected without a
bably agreeable to war being declared against Spain, which
government, if either
could be effected would be avoided as long as possible,
wvithouzt  declaring  from  parsimonious motives on the one
warch might offend hand, and dread of France on the other;
France.           although the then existing circumstances
would, to a probable certainty, occasion its commencement
before he should engage in any operation."
But such a war must   Thus led to believe the government
any operations ofore was not adverse to such designs, whilst
his plans.       they were kept secret till their execution
should be legalized by a declaration of war, the prisoner
tendered his services to Col. Burr generally.
8. At this time, your client neither sought nor received from
Col. Burr any information whatever of the use or destination
intended for the boats and provisions mentioned to have been
contracted for with Dudley Woodbridge, jun., Art. 4, with
which the prisoner had no concern, further than as he was a
constituted member of the house of Dudley Woodbridge & Co.,
at Marietta, save that the prisoner informed Mr. Woodbridge,
when the latter seemed doubtful of the sufficiency of Col.
Burr's credit at New York, that the prisoner would indemnify
tihe company for all disbursements made on account of the
boats and provisions, in the event of the bills drawn for the
same on New York being dishonoured.
9. Some time in the month of August or September, 1806,
your client, reflecting on the information and views disclosed
to him, as aforesaid, by Col. Burr, conceived the design of
Design of publishing  publishing in the Ohio Gazette, a series
the Querist.   of short essays, calling the attention of
the people of the Western country to a subject that might
engage their interests. Three or four numbers of these papers




BRIEF OF BLENNERHASSETT.                229
were published, exhibiting succinctly a general and relative
view, in a political aspect, of the Union and the Western
country, and setting forth motives of right and expediency
which should induce the country west of the mountains to
seek a separation from the Atlantic States in a peaceable and
constitutional manner; if they should adopt the sentiments
of the writer, who took the signature of Querist. The author,
To prepare the people in making this essay on the public mind
for contingencies in-  in that quarter, had no view of aggranvolving  their interests,         dizement for himself, or of a political
establishment for Col. Burr in the Western country, who
(Burr) assured him  he neither desired nor would accept any
thing within the United States. Your client was actuated to
make the publication by two motives only, viz., to prepare
the country by a proper direction of its interests and energies
for a crisis sooner or later approaching them, not from  the
views or operations of Col. Burr, but from the state of things
on the Mississippi; at which their espousal of an eastern or
western ascendency would determine their future prosperity,
and to mask designs and to divert public attention from scruagainst   Alexico,  tiny into contingent plans or operations
which whilst kept
secret, wouldproba- against Spain, which, whilst kept secret,
bly not be impeded government would not disapprove, but
by government, as
was the case of when exposed, it would be obliged to
Ogden and Smith.  frustrate, as it had done at New York in
the case of Ogden and Smith.
10. With these views, the prisoner pledged his honour to
Fairlamb the printer, Fairlamb, the printer of the Gazette, that
guarantied safe to he should publish nothing that would
publish.          subject him to legal penalty, and the prisoner would  avow  himself the author whenever it might
become necessary to exonerate the printer from  any responsibility. In the same spirit and for the same purposes, prisoner
20




230                     APPENDIX.
communicated his design, and read the manuscript of one of
the first numbers, to John and Alexander Henderson, who
solemnly pledged their joint honours to the prisoner, under
the sanction of hospitality in the house of said Alexander,
never to disclose the name of the author or the communication
he then made them, to the purport and intent that are set
forth in the fifth and ninth articles.
11. Some time in the month of October, 1806, the prisoner
made a visit to Lexington, Kentucky, with views of further
certifying himself of the permissive progress of Aaron Burr's
speculations, so far as regarded his own exertions or the obVisit for firther in- servation of government.  During prisight into Burr's soner's stay in that country, where he
plans into Kentucky  remained a fortnight' or three weeks, he
where Burr was acquiring much popu- observed Burr's popularity daily increaslarity.          ing; heard of no jealousy or suspicions
of his views or designs on the part of the government or its
agents, nor from any other quarter, till a messenger had been
sent to him express from home, stating to him that the people
of Wood county had entered into communication with the
President or Governor of Virginia, by forwarding to those
authorities memorials or addresses expressive of alarm for the
safety of the country and their liberties, which they probably
represented were likely to be endangered by Col. Burr or the
prisoner, of which documents the latter has never seen originals or copies, or of any answers thereto; that the inhabitants,
at the instance and under the influence of Hugh Phelps, and
Alexander and John Henderson, had organized a volunteer
battalion of three companies, which they had armed with the
arms of the militia, that they had a general muster during
the prisoner's absence from  home, and were expected, by the
report of Peter Taylor and others, on the evening of the day
of the muster, to land on the island where the prisoner's




BRIEF OF BLENNERHASSETT.              231
family then dwelt, and burn his house; that in all probability
the prisoner and Col. Burr would be shot, if either returned
to the island; and that some kiln-dried corn then preparing
at the island, would be seized by the said volunteers as soon
as it was put up; Dr. Joseph Spencer, of said county, having
in the meantime declared that he and others regretted that
they had been obliged, through fear, to sign the resolution
for organizing the said volunteer association, which some
others had persisted to do.
12. Agitated by this intelligence, set out for home from
Lexington, Kentucky, and reached the island between one
and two o'clock on the third of November, 1806. Reflecting
on his way that he should be unprovided at home with any
adequate means of defence to protect his family and property
against the menaced outrages of a lawless multitude with
arms in their hands, he was led to call on Dr. Bennet to learn
such further particulars as he might have been informed of,
since the express left the island for Lexington; and to provide
him (the prisoner) with such aid as the Dr. could enable him
to procure from his county, against any illegal and unwarrantable attack from the people of Wood county. To effect
this latter object, the prisoner freely entered into a statement
of the innocence and legality of every step the prisoner should
take, in virtue of his concern in the speculations of Aaron
Burr, observing, that the latter had completed a large land
purchase of Col. Lynch; offered to the prisoner such participation in the purchase as he might desire; and expected the
prisoner, with such associates as might wish to purchase or
procure donations, would leave home for the country where
the lands lay, on the Washita or the Red River, in the beginning of the ensuing month; that, in a political sense, Col.
Burr, as well as himself, abhorred and abjured all intentions
their enemies were imputing to them, of undertaking enter



232                   APPENDIX.
prises illegal or adverse to the United States; and declaring
that neither of them ever had, or would have, any concern
with the means of effecting a division of the Union, than a
readiness to deliver their opinion in favour of the right of the
people to effect such a measure whenever the time might arrive which should render it expedient.  The prisoner, then
calling the doctor's attention to his alarms for his family and
property on the island, from personal enmity borne him by
the people of Wood, solicited the doctor to hasten any persons
he might know in his neighbourhood, who would wish to
emigrate with the prisoner, to join him as soon as possible on
the island, where he did not know how soon he might need
their assistance to protect him  from  such outrages as are
stated to have been then apprehended in Article 11.  To
these observations, made chiefly during a ride of five miles,
which the doctor was induced to take, for the sake of accompanying the prisoner as far as the ferry, the doctor was
pleased to reply, that if he could dispose of his place without
too great a sacrifice, he should be willing to emigrate himself; that he had no doubt it would suit many persons in his
neighbourhood, to whom he would speak at the muster which
was to be held in a few days; that he would address to me
such as he should find disposed, in the manner prisoner had
directed him, i. e., provided with rifles and blankets.
13. The prisoner took leave of the doctor at the ferry,
about two o'clock, P. M., on Sunday the second of November,
and reached the island on the following day. On his arrival,
as well as on the road between Dr. Bennet's and his own
house, he found the apprehension of an attack on the island
from the point of the Little Kanawha, the head-quarters of
the volunteers, had by no means subsided; and was informed
an attempt would be made on his person that evening. To
meet this contingency, the prisoner prepared some house-arms




BRIEF OF BLENNERHASSETT.            233
he had by him during ten years; and with a view to prevent
it, he condescended to conciliate Mr. Phelps, the commander
of the battalion, by addressing him a letter to thank him for
a message he had sent to prisoner's wife some time during her
husband's absence from home, for the purpose of lulling her
apprehensions from the volunteers. Prisoner also solicited an
interview with him, so that he might remove whatever misconception of the prisoner's conduct or intentions might have
been propagated among his neighbours. But aware of Col.
Phelps's predilection for jobbing and speculation, which is notorious to all who know him, and in order to procure an interview with a person who had not been in prisoner's house for
nearly seven years, by which the prisoner might induce the
influence of said Phelps to moderate the passions and to allay
the jealousies of the ignorant and misguided-the prisoner
thought it necessary to hint to him obscurely a desire to promote his interest, by some proposition which might engage
his attention.
14. The letter might, or might not have had the first effect
designed by it, viz., that of putting off the assault apprehended
that evening on the island; but it occasioned a visit there,
after a lapse of three or four days, from Col. Phelps, with
whom the prisoner had a private interview, which was opened
by the prisoner with a tender of thanks for the colonel's message to Mrs. Blennerhassett, during her husband's absence.
The prisoner then affected to ridicule the reports which he
had heard of the meditated injuries threatened his family and
property from the Point;* suggested to the colonel that he
suspected the other party in the country (under the influence
of the iendersons) was now becoming so strong that its
leaders would probably overturn the colonel's interest, on
* The present site of Parkersburg, Va., used to be called " The
Point."-W. H. S.
20*




234                   APPENDIX.
which alone they had hitherto depended for whatever popularity they had acquired, and cautioned the colonel against
any coalition or co-operation they might seek with him, in
exciting clamour or suspicion against the views or intentions
of Aaron Burr or his friends, which the past conduct of the
Hendersons towards him should induce him to avoid.  Col.
Phelps, in reply, complained much of the ill-treatment he had
received from the said Hendersons.  Prisoner stated his concern with Aaron Burr in a land purchase; informing the
colonel that he, the prisoner, solicited or invited no person to
join in the emigration, though many had voluntarily offered
to do so, but added that if the colonel wished a concern for
himself or his friends, that he might look to the example of
General Jackson, and other characters of distinction, who, the
prisoner understoodcl, were going to join in the settlement with
many associates; that as to the rumours and suspicions that
had been circulated of Col. Burr, or his friends, which accused them of engaging in any thing against the laws of the
United States, such were wholly groundless: but it was not
unlikely that the proximity of the purchase to that part of
the country where an engagement had already taken place, or
might soon be expected, between General Wilkinson and the
Spaniards, would engage Col. Burr and his friends in some
of the earliest adventures of the war. General Jackson being
already prepared to march with 1000 or 1500 of his Tennessee militia, whenever he should think himself authorized
by the orders or euishes of the government to put that body
in motion.  Col. Phelps received this information with declining to embark himself, on account of his family and the
unsettled state of his affairs; but said he had no doubt many
young men from Wood county would be glad to go with the
prisoner, to whom  he (the colonel) would recommend the
speculation, as he might have opportunities. The prisoner




BRIEF OF BLENNERHASSETT.               235
conversed with the colonel on no other topic, except some
general propositions for renting the prisoner's place by the
colonel's son-in-law, Thomas Creel.
15. The prisoner, however, still continuing to receive daily
assurances that the people from the Point were determined to
seize and destroy his corn on the island, as well as the boats
building on the MIuskingum river, which were to convey his
family and friends, with their provisions and necessaries to
the Mississippi, thought it prudent to write to Dr. Bennet,
requesting him to lend him ten or twenty guns for protection.
The object of the prisoner being to resist illegal violence
offered to him and his friends in their legal pursuits, he conceived he might correctly borrow rifles, the private property
of individuals, or even the arms of the militia, whilst they
were not wanted between days of muster, to enable him  to
resist an apprehended outrage on the laws of the country, in
the persons of the prisoner and his friends. The doctor replied,
that the arms of the militia were in the charge and under the
control of the colonel, and he could procure no others.
16. Prisoner was occupied himself with preparations for his
removal with his family and friends from the island, which he
took every public opportunity to declare would take place
from the 8th to the 10th of the next month of December,
1806, generally telling the applicants who were to go with
him, to provide themselves with a rifle and blanket, but accepting the offers of many as associates without either; soliciting no man, nor offering wages or bounties to any; preparing
and providing no military stores, or implements of war whatever-unless corn-meal, flour, whisky, and pork be received
as such-until the latter part of November, when he had an
interview with Mr. Graham at Marietta.
17. Your client, in virtue of a slight acquaintance he had
formed in Kentucky, in 1801, with Mr. G., and under an im



236                    APPENDIX.
pression that he also was concerned in some of the speculations of Aaron Burr, visited him  soon after his arrival, and
was received with much ceremony and coldness.  Mr. G.
described the government as embarrassed by the variety and
contradictory matter of statements which had been forwarded
from various parts of the western country, of the equipments
then providing on the Ohio and MIuskingum, some representing them more, others less extensive, but all conveying a suspicion that they were destined for an attack on New Orleans,
an invasion of MIexico, or for transporting emigrants, with
their effects, to Col. Burr's'Washita purchase; that, however,
their real destination was probably New Orleans or 3Mexico,
rather than the Washita.  Mr. G. then observed, as he said,
in an official character, that he had it in charge to collect such
information as might enable the government to stop any military expedition, if such was intended; and in an official character he added, he would advise prisoner, if he was concerned
in such designs, to withdraw from them.
18. To these observations, IMr. G. was answered by the
prisoner, that the latter could not suppose the government
disposed to molest individuals not offending against any law,
and avowing a lawful object of their pursuits; that the prisoner, although he had no objection to avow and declare to
Mr. G., as he had done to every other person, that he was
concerned with Col. Burr in a land purchase, whither he
should undertake a journey on the 8th or 10th of December,
with such friends, from the number of sixty to one hundred,
as might be ready to accompany him; would not condescend
to answer interrogatories tending to charge him with being
concerned in any illegal enterprise; that the commencement
and progress of this journey should be innocent and peaceful,
unless it were interrupted by illegal insult or violence, which
should be repelled with those rifles with which he had gene



BRIEF OF BLENNERHASSETT.              237
rally directed his friends to provide themselves; and that he
hoped the government, or its agents, had no wish or design
to esmmit a wanton trespass upon men peaceably pursuing
spwe-llations, which, because, forsooth, their details were not
exposed to the world, (owing to the fear of jealousy and malice of individuals who would not be permitted to participate
in them,) had invoked the suspicion of government.
19. Previous to making these observations to Mr. G., your
client showed him a letter, of which he offered him a copy,
from Col. Burr, dated from Lexington or Frankfort in Kentucky, acquainting the prisoner with the institution of a criminal prosecution against him (Burr) by Mr. Davis, the
United States Attorney for the Kentucky District, where Col.
Burr observed the detention he should thereby suffer, would
retard the establishment of the Washita settlement. Mr. G.
dined in company with your client the same day. At table
he was assured, on inquiry made by him, that your client
would take his wife and family with him down the river.
After dinner, your client invited Mr. G. to his room, where
he observed, he had called him up again to offer him a copy
of the aforesaid letter from Col. Burr, and to trouble him to
state over again, in order to prevent any misunderstanding
of the intentions of government, whatever official warnings he
had to give, that prisoner might communicate them to Col.
Burr and his friends, whose duty it would be to regulate their
conduct thereby.  Mr. G. then replied, that the prisoner
might inform Col. Burr "the constituted authorities of the
country would be expected on the part of the general government, to stop his boats, if they carried an unusual number of
men, armed in an unusual manner."  Your client then asked
him whether more or less single men, or married men, accompanying your client, to the number of from sixty to one hundred, in sixteen or seventeen boats-generally taking their




238                   APPENDIX.
rifles with them, but not their families at such a season of
the year, would constitute such a party, and armed in such a
manner, as would expose them to the obstruction he threatened? To this he answered, " Ie supposed not, though it appeared unusual and suspicious for such numbers to go so far
to settle a new country without their families."
20. The prisoner now thought he had taken leave of this
personage, perfectly understanding both himself and the
government. On tile contrary, your client, on his return in
a day or two to MIarietta, learned with surprise that this
envoy-extraordinary of executive vigilance could not delay a
moment to cool the zeal of his mission, by plunging it red-hot
into those intrigues which your client's letter to Phelps, &c.
had lately somewhat stagnated in Wood county.  Laved and
refreshed in these pellucid waters, he follows their meanders
in quest of that fountain from which they issue, which, like
the source of Alcinous, is hid in mystery and darkness. Arrived at the Temple erected to Honour and Hospitality, in
Beech Park,* on the banks of the Little Kanawha, he is received in the vestibule by John and Alexander Henderson,
the consecrated ministers of those divinities.  A libation is
now ordained to ancient friendship and the household gods.
Another is next proposed to the tutelary deities of the place,
"Hold!" cries the envoy of suspicion, "'the rites of Honour
and Hospitality may be administered by their votaries in
these sequestered wilds.  But I will never participate in such
mummery before that altar on which you have sacrificed to
treason and to Burr!"  His brother priests are now dismayed
and almost petrified. "Yes 1" continues the ambassador, "the
safety of the State demands a greater sacrifice to liberty.
* Alluding to the house of Henderson, the chief witness of the
government at the trial of Burr.




BRIEF OF BLENNERHASSETT.               239
Now purge ye of the charge committed to your keeping, of
all the crimes intended to be perpetrated against your country."
In vain the distracted brothers declare, "No secrets of a
dangerous nature were intrusted to their sanctum-they were
innocent and submitted also by him who trusted them, to
sanction in the breast of an aged parent." "Say you parent,
innocent secrets, and submitted for sanction to the breast of a
parent? Why not then disclose them to the parent of the
State. I am his minister and will take charge of them!"
21. Your client hopes the last paragraph may not displease, by its length or obscurity. The style he has there
fallen into was insensibly suggested and protracted by his reflections on the intelligence he received from Morgan Neville,
Esquire,* that it cost Mr. Secretary Graham no little labour
to work the Hendersons up to break the seal of that Honour
and Hospitality which the prisoner imagined they would preserve inviolate, when he made confidential communications to
them, and through them to their father, to the effect set forth
in the 5th and 9th Articles.- Wallace's " Blennerhassett."
* The elegant author of "Mike Fink, or the last of the Boatmen."
THE END.