Show i ARREST OF AARON BURR I 1 I 1 t IN ALABAMA I 1 it became evident early in the summer of that burr had some designs on fo foot at and the silence andl secrecy which attended all of his movements failed not to excite the suspicions of the government through their secret agents president jefferson in hiar bis special message of january 23 1807 says davs that he had two distinct objects in in diw view one of these by the si severance verance of the I 1 union of the states by the mountains the other an attack on mexico a third object was provided provided merely ostensible to vit A it the settlement settlement of a pretended purchase f of a tract of country on the washita claim ed by bf a baron bastress Bas Ba trosa stross in id the latter part of the year 1806 a party of kentuckians Kentuck ians s induced by the proclamation i a t ion of president jefferson arrested burr B a and brought him to trial trealy henry C clay lav whom burr had previously and fr frequently e met appeared ar his counsel and lie he wai was acquitted upon the ground of insufficiency of evidence to convict thus released he h continued down the mississippi with a few boats and men but judt above nat he was again arrested by col claiborne att at the be instance of the governor of mississippi amin again a prisoner elsoner of the united states public sympathy in that section was strong strongly lv excited and lie he f found no difficulty in giving the necessary bond for his app appearance at court when brought before court he denied that his of fences came within the jurisdiction of mississippi the attorney genral general took sides with him and insisted that he should be released from his big bail and sent to a competent tribunal the judges however refusing to grant the application for discharge it was ascertained at the opening of the court the prisoner had departed parted ge officers were at once dispatched in in pursuit and large rewards offered for his apprehension and this brings us as to the circumstances of bis arrest in alabama about a month after nf ter his failure to appear I 1 at court burr found himself with one companion 1 anion in the vicinity of the village of wakefield A afield washington county ala fetra fearful of defection he entered the town under cover of the night with the determination of passing through and gaining if possible the house of col hinson a gentleman whom he had met at natchez and who bad invited him to his hia house riding up to the door of a cabin burr inquired of two young men seated within first for the tavern and then for directions to col heinsons hinsons Hin sons perkins perking one of the young men replied that it was severa several mi miles les to heinsons hinsons Hin sons thai the w way ay was difficult ti t find and that dangerous creeks intervened intervene d the travellers trav ellers thanked them for their information and rode off As they passed the door the light ahone abone f fully ul ly upon the face of theelder the elder gentleman perkins was a close observer and the richly caparisoned caparison ed horse the fine saddle and holsters bolsters the noble and dignified mien of the tranver observable despite his coarse dress and the bright sparkling ey eye q which flashed bashed from beneath his slouched hat seemed to thrust conviction upon lim bm and he at once exclaimed aaron burb satisfied as to the correctness of his conclusion cl perkins at once sought Bright brightwell the she sheriff riffi and in a very short time ibe two were vote following closely upon the tracks of the travelers Arrivi arriving ug at ool col heinsons hinsons Hin sons burr found that his friend was absent and his for a nights entertainment was tacitly cef refused probably through fear by mrs hinson who quietly closed the window in reply making their way through the kitchen they seated themselves by the ibe fire intending to pass pas the night were there but the sheriff hoaas who was a relation to mrs mra hin boa appearing ppe aring soon after she hastily prepared supper for them during daring upper supper burr charmed th thac hostess with his elegant I 1 conversation thong though h evidently dise disconcerted ted by bv the keen glances of the sheriff who remained e in the room As the former left the table before the others mrs hinson at the instance of the sheriff turned to the other traveller and said have I 1 not the pleasure of entertaining col burr bari the gent gentleman lebian who has just walked oufa much confused he be made no ho answer but rising walked off of brightwell was naw satisfied that it was really burr barr but the fascinating address of the latter had bad won his heart and he did not mot return retarn to perkins perking whom he had left shivering with eold cold in the adjoining woods perkins in the meantime becoming impatient patient ut and still believing he was right I 1 made his way J Y in haste to io fort fork stoddard and reported to capt E P gaines aines 3 A file was at once put in motion under the command of capt gaines direct ed by perkins perk ins the party barty met burr and his companion about in the morning when the following conversation ensued gaines aines 5 I 1 presume sir sir I 1 have the honor of addressing col burr s stranger I 1 am a traveller in the country and do not recognize your right to ask such inch question luel tion gaines I 1 arrest vou von at the instance of the federal government governing Go vernin ent i stranger by what authority do you yon A sr rest u traveller tra vellor on the highway on his private business I 1 gaines I 1 sw am an officer of the army 1 I hold bold in my hands the proclamations of the president and governor directing your arrest stranger you are a young man and 4 may not be aware of the responsibilities which result from arresting arrest i travelers tra ers quinea gaines I 1 am aware 0 of if the responsibilities out but I 1 know my duty burr still persisted in deaoun denouncing the arrest unjust and unwarranted and attempted to frighten gaines gaiba from the dia L I 1 charge of his hia duty but the latter sternly replied 1 you ou aro are my iny prisoner sir and toast m nat accompany me to fort stoddard finding resistance of no avail burr yielded and soon fo found and himself a prisoner in fort stoddard I 1 during his stay in the fort his kind attentions tent ions to george S gaines brothe the captain whom he be foud dangerously ill his gentlemanly deportment and akie bable address address towards all made him many friends he spent much of his time in the company of the accomplished mrs gaines who enjoyed much of bis big brilliant conversation i that lady sympathized sympathised deeply with the unhappy position of burr lind and in common I 1 with the other ladies of the fort shed tears when she saw him depart for washington guarded by a file of soldiers the escort was placed under command of perkins at whose instance burr had been arrested ar with a party of ten men perkins perkina I 1 set out on his big arduous journey bis big route lying iving upon the alabama river to the present city of ef montgomery thence northeastward north eastward through georgia south and north carolina into virginia we do not propose following tle th pirth through their many adventures the on one time winding their way through almost impenetrable forest at another swimming i swollen streams riding day by day wet tp to cheskin the akin by the driving pelting elti ing rain and lying at night upon piles i es of knots and I 1 chunks to above the water which cov ered the swamps continually alarmed by the bowlines of wolves and other wild beasts and their paths infested by sav abes not less leis ferocious fero blous lete etc etc through all al these and similar trials perkins led his prisoner safely and strange to say during daring inythe the whole route ho bo word of complaint escaped the lips of the latter amid all these adversities versi ties in the powers ef cf nature as well as a of man seemed conspiring to crush h him un his spirit 6 sunk not truly his situation was one to depress an ordinary spirit there was be who had been alike distinguished in the field and the cabinet who had eti enjoyed joyed the highest favors of a 61 country whose institutions stilt still bear the he impress of his genius there was he be ye reposing posing be neath ath a rude tent in the wilds of alabama a of the united states surrounded by a group rif nf soldiers whose only business was to 0 watch him and without one friend one congenial spirit to oton sole and befriend he heffi friend end him apart from froin thi this ebis bis wife had lately di died edio his only child was afar of off ignorant of his sad condition bis professional affairs disarranged and he himself ostracised ostracized by that state with ahns his history tiry his hir name was indissolubly connected and branded wherever he went as murderer murder er and traitor 1 yet did aaron burr rise rise st superior erk 1 I r to his fallen for fortunes and during the thle whole journey bestrode hs horse with a dignity of mien not unbecoming the position he had lately filled with w ith his keen eye flashed with the light of conscious liscious upon the rude guard auard which adverse circumstances had placed ver over him W while bile there was of the su aviter in mo modo in burrs address ere was a dignity of manner about him which never failed to ta rebuke the officious and idly curious carious just afler passing the oconee river the party passed the night f for nt the first time under the roof 0 of f a house bevin the landlord was officious and his hia loquacity soon brought upon him a merited rebuke unacquainted with the persons or the objects of the part party he yet discovered that they were from the west and began asking many questions touching burra conspiracy ached I 1 i if f R hp hadnot been arrested and made many encoring er ia 9 remarks upon ilia his present fallen condition ns and his co a h embarrassed tried to change th the n subject and elude cis in quirina by bv seeming inattention attentions in but he still persisted when burr rising to his full height and fixing upon the landlord his fl flashing ashin q eye said 1 11 I am aaron burr what is it you want of me bevin as if thunderstruck thunder fairly crouched beneath the with withering pring glance and during doring the remainder of their stay could hardly summon courage to wk ask their commands though most obsequious to aw attentions As the party drew near the con confines fineis of south ca carolina rolina perkins caused his pris prisoner to be more closely guarded col alston who had married burrs only hild child I 1 resided in in this state and perkins feared least some attempt at a rescue should be made burr evidently had some hoppe of such an in event and was prepared at iny any time to tate tale advant advantage ape of it as was proved by an inci dent den which we take from mr pickett in pas sing aing though th ough the county town of chester cheser dis triet the party passed near a tavern before which a crowd of men were assembled as 8 e in bl e d seeing the collection of men so near him burr threw himself from his horse and exclaimed in in a loud load voice anice 61 1 ana am aaron burr under mil tary arrest and claim the protection of the civil perkins and several seve rat of 4 his at I 1 once dismounted and the former ordred ordered ord red the prisoner piri to remount birr B irr in in a anost dt fiant manner saih said 1 I bein being 9 unwilling to shoot him perkins threw down his pistols both of which he held in in his hands handi and seizing burr barr around his waist threw him into his saddle thomas melone caught the reins reins of the horse slipped thern them over his head and led the animal rapidly on the astonished citizens cit fzens s saw a party enter their village with a prisoner heard beard him appeal to them for protection in in the most auriole and imploring mannar saw armed men immediately surrounding turn and thrust him into his sad die and ad whole party part vanish from their presence before they could re recover rover froth their confusion I 1 I 1 soon after this thi incident perkins perkina obtained a gig and in this burr passed without further ad venture the remainder of his hia journey to fred ericksburg where w dispatches from the president caused perkins perk ma to take taa the prisoner to richmond I 1 here he was wa arranged I 1 aged ano ann tried first for high treason then for misdemeanor voth both of f which charges he be wag was acquitted the gra vest vea eurge charge proved against barr ban was that hei he had whitted a letter in cypher avowing his design of seizing baton rouge as a preliminary nary mea measure and tb then extending his hia conquests to io the spanish provinces but bu thisbe it remembered was waa proved upon the evidence 1 1 of gen wilkinson whose own skirts were pot entirely Mv free in this ease I 1 we do i not wish to be regarded as an fn advocate or admirer of aaron but burr while we respect his bs genius we w find much in his private character to contemn boutwe but we must believe that the severe censure which kublie liia opinion heaped upon him was to say the least over hasty and has thrown too amnah odium upon his once fair name there is one truth in the saying of a great manaut man that republics at best are ungrateful 5 the evil that men do is to apt ato to live after them while the good is too often interred with their bones boneo 5 in contemplating the traitor 1 and the destroyer of hamilton we have forgotten the man of distinguished talents and abilities the legislator who has left eft upon the laws of the empire state the impress of ef mind the useful U S senator and vice of our union we have carried his virtues with his vices and consigned him to eternal obloquy the historians motto should rather be j artitia as titia caelum ruita the conclusions of mr Pick picket eft as to the causes of burrs burr great rest unpopularity seem to us hii quite ite jai just A and ng impartial we therefore close this this article with ith an extract extrait from his hia interesting nt e etin g W work 1 0 one n of th the e great secrets of his political misfortunes lay in the malevolence malevolency of politicians and somebody heard beard general washington say burr was a dangerous I 1 man therefore the world set him I 1 I 1 down as aa a a ga dan dangerous as mav 2 no H lulled killed hamilton in u a duo duel a or because cause hamilton abu abusi ed hm him thereupon t the e world said he was a murderer he was a formidable rival of jefferson for the pre presidency thereupon the majority of the reau republican 1 lican party artz said he be was a political deou scoundrel drel 1 he le had ad opposed the federal party for that reason on the federal party hated him with encoding bitterness ter ness A blundering extravagant man Blanner hassett sought burr while he be was in in the west eagerly aly in his schemes scheme s and invited him to his bouse thereupon wm wirt said in his prosecuting speech that burr barr was the serpent who entered the garden of eden georgia university INI magazine agazine i |