The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1780-12-23 00:00:00, page 4

5100 For the PENNSYLVANIA PACKET.
THE following depositions anti certificates are sub
mitted to the consideration of the freemen of the
United States. „ .
InJanuary 1780, doctor William Shippen, junior,
diredor general, applied indirectly to me to fettle his
books. The gentleman who made the application in
formed me, that doctor Shippen made particular enqui
ry refpefiing my ability in fettling accompts, my cha
racter, &c. asked him if 1 was a person in whom he
might confide ; remarked that he had neglected taking
receipts, &c. and finally said, that the purpose for
which he wanted me was to transcribe his books, for
which service he, doctor Shippen, would give a Hun
dred guineas, if I would undertake the task. Phe
gentleman told me he was flruck with aftoniftiment at
the proposals, yet was determined to inform me of it.
I told him I detefled Shippen and his money, and
would have nothing to do with him. The gentleman
expressed his fatisfadion at my determination, remar
ked that Shippen was an infamous character, corrupt
beyond description, &c.— but that there was no possi
bility of bringing him to punifliment, owing to the
Dumber of his friends and dependants in office.
PATRICK GARVEY.
Philadelphia, ff.
Personally appeared Mr. Patrick Garvey before me
the subscriber, one of the justice of peace, &c. and be
ing duly sworn on the Holy Evangerifts, doth depose
and fay, that what is contained in the above declara
tion is the truth, and nothing but the truth.
December 15th, 1780.
Sworn before
WILLIAM RUSH.
Sometime in the summer of 1780, bring then filing
the apothecary general's accompts a receipt came un
der my notice for a number of indruments, for which I
found no order: the receipt expressed that they were
delivered by doctor William Shippen, junior, the di
reftor general's order. I supposed then it was only a
verbal one.* I applied to doctor Shippen on the oc
casion, delivered him an order in my hand writing, of •
equal t nor, and I believe of equal date, with the re
ceipt above alluded to, and requested him to sign it.
He said he would sign no order. I urged the neceffty
of it, as I could not fettle our accompts without orders -
to correspond with the issues. He seemed under force
embarrafment, said he received the instruments for his
own use but remarked, if his perfecutois knew it, it
would be t e cause of more clamor from that quarter.
Doffor Shippen fa d he would sign an order for the m
ftruments, provided it expressed they were tor the ge
neral hospital, and I wouh transcribe the receipt agree
ably: I told him I really thought the instruments
were drawn for the general hospital, and that it was
in consequence of this huppofition I drew the order I
had presented, worded in the manner he wished ; at the
fame time I told him I could not comply with his re
quest. He asked my reasons and if it made any dif
ference to me: I told him I had many reasons, but one
might fuffice, viz. that doftor Craigee had repeatedly
given me orders not to erase or alter a single word in
his books, which order (I remarked) I was in duty
bound to obey.
PATRICK GARVEY.
Pecember tq 17S0.
Sworn as above, before
WILLIAM RUSH.
This Mr. Garvey is now confined in the goal of this
city, for a charge of trading to New York. I know
not from whom the act ufation against him comes, but
I beg leave to inform the public, that I once knew an
jnftance of do&or Shippen taking pains to collet char
ges, and secretly d taining a witness to procure the
banishment of a gentleman in this city, whom he ex
pefled to appear against him before his court mar
tial.
I can fay nothing of Mr. Garvey's charter from
my knowledge, having never seen him till he lent for
me to inform me of the faffs contained in the above
depositions : but the following certificate and letter
from dodor Craigee, the apothecary general of the
United States, a gentleman whose character cannot be
encreafed by any thing I can fay in favour of his me
rits asa man, as a public officer, and as a whig, will
shew in what light Mr. Garvey and his depositions de
serve to be viewed by the public.
CERTIFICATE.
I do hereby certify: That Mr. Patrick Garvey has
been employed in the continental medicinal laboratory
from the firft o' January lad, from whic time to the
latter end of July he paid the drifted attention to bu
finef, and gave entire fati faftion : when, being seized
with a violent fit of sickness, he obtained my confint,
in consequence of a recommendation from doctor Gleut
worth, who attended him, to his going to the country
for the recovery of his health.
* The order has been since found. The following is
a copy of it, taken from the original, indoftor Ship
pen's hand writing.
“ Or. CRAIGEE:
ocr• r,
Pleak to put up for M e and fend to M f, the follow
ing inflruments: 2 razors, 1 case of trepanning inftru
mepts I ditto of amputating ditto, 6 cases of did^c
fing knives, 4 male catheters, 2 female ditto, 1 case of
vouch:-: infiruments, 1 fpriog lancet, 1 06 Pott's fe
ton c- lies for hydrocell, 4 fteeLpointed pins for bare
lip, r polypus forceps, 1 tonsil needle, 3 bronchotomy
cannulas, 6 lancets.
D. A. CRAIGEE, A. G.
Your very humble fervent,
WILLIAM SHIPPEN, junior."
July 7th, 1779.
PHILADELPHIA. .Printed and Sold by JOHN DUNLAP and DAVID C. CLAYPOOLE.
Imuft add, that Mr. Garvey has behaved himfelf as
a ftrift friend to his country, and maintained the cha
r^fter of an honed man.
AND. CRAIGEE, apothecary general.
To Mrs, GARVE Y,
Nothing ever furprized me more than the transacti
on of this morning: I was so uneasy and anxious to
know the cause of it, that I went out with tie gentle
men without speaking to you as I intended. I have
not been able to learn the particulars of the affair, but
only that it is on account, of some, commercial busi
ness which Mr Garvey is thought to have some con
cern in. As I have ever had a good opinion of Mr.
Garvey, believing him to be a friend to his country
and an honed man: I cannot entertain any doubts of
his being acquitted of having acted an unworthy part.
Fueling myfelf somewhat interefled in the event of this
affair, from the public connection I have had with him ;
and being sincerely of opinion that he is innocent ; I
informed Mr. Matlack' of my wishes, that a drift
(crutiny might be made into his conduct; for I am
confident the more the truth appears the less he will
fuffer. Do not fuffer yourfelf to be too uneasy ; for a
little time must unravel the myflery, and redore Mr.
Garvey to his friends, without prejudice to his cha
racter.
Your friend and humble servant,
AND. CRAIGEE.
If, after this publication, doßor Shippen is conti
nued in < ffice, or if he is permitted to resign, or if he
is dismissed without feme new and extraordinary mark
of inf my, to defeend with him to poderity, then let
the sons and daughters of freedom lament over the
blood and treasure they have waded in our glorious
cause let the devout patriot, and minister of the
°N?el. cease to pray for the fuccefsful issue of the war.
Let Virtue hi le her head, and let Liberty, (cdefiial
maid) wave her hand, and tell, in her flight from this
new world, that a reding place could not be found for
her on the furface of the g'obe. If Shippen triumphs
one day longer, then is virtue a shadow, and liberty
only a name in the United States.
BENJAMIN RUSH.
December 16th.
For the PENNSYLVANIA PACKET.
JN order to underhand more fully the nature and
contradiction of doßor Otto's evidence in favour of
doctor Shippen, it will be proper to lay before the pub
lic the following faffs : „
In the latter end of August, or beginning of Sep
tember, 1777, I visited the hospital at Trenton, then
under the care of dodor Otto. I found the rooms
clean, and every thing, as far as it related to dodor..
Otto, in good order. The doctor complained much
that his sick fuffered only from the want of medicines
and stores. I examined the shop, and found scarcely a
medicine in it of any use in a military hospital. Not
an ounce of coffee, tea, rice, wine or sugar, could be ob
tained from the commissary's store for the use of the
sick. I asked doctor Otto if he had applied to doftor
Shippen for the above articles : he told me he had, but
that he received them in such small quantities, and so
much out of time, that they did the sick but little
good. I asked him if he would certify these faffs, so
that I might lay them before doctor Shippen. He con
sented cheerfully, for he then complained much of
doctor Shippen's negligence. The certificate was fign
el at the fame time by a junior surgeon and two mates,
who were witnesses of the readiness with which doCtor
Otto fubferibed his name, not only to a certificate
which declared the fufferings of the sick from the want
of medicines and fiores, but to another, which decla
red that he had applied repeatedly to doctor Shippen
for them to no purpose. When I shewed these certifi
cates to doctor Shippen at York-Town, he looked at
them with a sneer, and said in the presence of a com
mittee of Congress, " that he could prevail upon the
“ old fellow at any time to sign a counter certificate."
At that time I thought it impoflible, for I had the high
est opinion of doctor Otto's probity, as well as of his
industry and humanity in his profeffion. In the course
of his evidence before the court, he ihewed that doctor
Shippen was better acquainted with him than myfelf.
He acquitted the doctor of neglecting his duty ; said the
hospital at Trenton was in general plentifully supplied,
with fiores and medicines ; and added, that one of the
certificates he had signed was obtained by persuasion,
and the other he did not remember to have signed at
all: unfortunately for him his own original letter to
me, now lodged with the printers, written three weeks
before I saw him, setting forth the wants of the hospi
tal- the evidence of the gentlemen who saw him sub
scribe both certificates, and his own hand writing, all
concur to prove, that the certificates he gave me con
tained what he then believed and knew to be the truth ;
the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
It may not be improper, in this place, to inform the
public, that by the hospital system, composed by doc
tor Snippen, and afterwards adopted by Congress, he
possessed a power of dimiffing any officer in the depart
ment, not appointed by Congress, at his pleasure. He
possessed, likewise, the power of disposing of the hospi
tal stores : and of creating as many offices and sinecures
as he pleased: this will account for the many eulogi
ums upon his industry and humanity,with which he
has lately filled the papers.
If doctor Otto's venerable age and habits of virtue
could not secure him from yeilding to the terrors or
charms of doctor Shippen's power, what could be ex
pefted from men who had been 10 long steeped in vice,
that they were incapable of receiving a deeper hue,
even from dodor Shippen's company?
B. RUSH.
To William Shippen, jun. efq.
IT is an indifputahlc proportion, clear as any demon.
ftration in euclid, that the fame thingcannot be true
and falfe, or things absolutely c< ntrudi&ory subsist to
gether. Now I have already produced irrefragable tef_
timony, on oath, 'of the most re/pe&able witnesses,
" thaf you fold the hospital fß^ s , purchased with pub
" lie money, whilst the sick fuffered and dyed for want
''of them, and from negi<a of hospital duty; that the
" wounded in the hospitals under your care, bled to
" death, and dyed o filth and vermin, without having
" their wounds dressed for mmy days together; that
" they were denied the hospital wipe, whilst you were
" felling it by pipes and quarter cafk^; that the sick
" in all the hefpitAs were too much crouded, and di
" cd in prsat numbers with putrid fevers, brought on
" by impure air, and the total want or scanty supply
“ of necessaries of ^ kinds for sick people; that by
" these means the army loft above a thousand brave me
" in one campaign, whole lives, it is probable, mights
" have been laved by humanity, industry and justice int
" a director general ; and that you lived in a constant
“ round of phafuie and diffip<tion, altcgether unbe
“ coming the importance of your flat,on, (and fuppo
" fed dignity of office) or the then critical and alarm
" ing fitu^tiun o' your country."
To thib powerful evidence you o^pofe your own affec
tion, that ]oo exerted every nerve, devoted every hour
and sacrificed every private intcreft,'' to relieve their dif
treffrs; or if you did not, that yen were unworthy cf
axifUnce.” This latter part is a juff conclusion ex
torted from you by the force of truth, and fully fup
porud the verdi& of dG&or Birney, already quoted#
You have been compePeh to acknowledge, that there
were many (offerings in the hospital:, which you af
firm arof? in part, from want of cloathifig and cover
ing necessary to keep the foldier# clean and warm, &c.
why then did you cruelly and av-ritioufly appropriate
to your own use the brittanias that were purchaied for
bandaget, as well as a compleat aff^tment es expensive
furg'ons instruments of all kinds, belonging to the
ho pitals, as appears in 'he hospital books, which yoa
would not fuffer to be produced at your trial, altho"
repeatedly celled for? the lecret is now oat. Fhcde
pofitmn of Mr Garvey fuews the plain itafon why
you chofz to car r y a load o' hospital dores to your
trial, in preference to yrur book 9. It likewise (hews
the reason why you concealed yourfrif with loose of your
fele& v.it 1/ffti at Dr. Bond junior's country feat, feur
miles horn town, and fp nt several weeks there previ
ous to ycur trial, with your new advocate and book
makers to alter your beuks for the inlpeß^n of the
auditors o' a counts, till the houfe:ouk fire, and brought
you all to light. Not having it in your power to com
pleat your plan there you applied to Mr. Garvey for
assistance, whose spirited answer drove you to look out
for other help. By what means you worked through
this fnameful business, it is probable time will loon
discover and the dirt corns out.
When I firft impeached you for trial by a court mar
tial, I eunefty demanded of Congress to secure your
books to prevent erasures and falfe entries: my ap
plication for that purpose was then in vain. But I
once more give notice, that if Congress will direct you
to be delivered up and prosecuted by civil law, and
will immediately secure your bocks, and direct a com
mittee to attend the bulinefs, as they did in a former
similar case, and by means of the books thus fecureci,
proved the charge ; I am willing to give them my as
sistance, and have no doubt, you will be convicted of
other frauds and embezzlements (not yet known to the
public) on new end frefh evidence providentially of
fering. Will Congress, then, fuffer you to remain at
hrge, to repeat your crimes of office with impunity,
and to disgrace the rank and dignity of direst r general
any longer? or will that honourable body permit you
to resign as you meditate, in order to escape the justice
th^t pursues you ? er wil they still retain you in office?
I deem otherwise of that honourable body ; and I here
cad H aven to witness that I have no wish to cast un
merited reflections on that honourable house as a body,
amongst whom are mary members that would do ho
nour to Roman virtue or Spanish honour t ray earned
desire is, that the public may be disabused, and that
my country may not be saddled with wicked and unde
serving men in office whilst other and better men, are
to be facrificed to cover the criminality of such un
faithful servants of the public as you.
I mean to pursue with my remarks every part of your
pretended vindications; to Ihew that you have mis-.
quoted and falfified the testimony you have laid before
the public, as in th* certificate of Peter Miller; de
signedly concealed elates, and perverted the relation of
witneff.#, as in the evidence of doctor Brown ; and at
tempted to impose on the ignorant with certificate# roa
ntdaaured by yomfelf, to invalidate testimony on oath,
as the original certificate of Samuel Finley, which will
be published ; or by some of your principal wimsfll,
“ as the certificate of Peter Ozeas by Thomas Bond,
junior; certificates that are not only incoofittent with
truth, but that never were nor could be admitted in evi
dence before your court-martial; and that altho' your
affections are again and again refuted, you stupidly
repeat ycur bare faced affections, without proof ,
and though brayed like a fool in a mortar, you come
forth nothing the wiftr.
JOHN MORGAN.
T- 0 B~E L~T T,
A convenient House,
READY FURNISHED;
With Stables and Coach-house. Enquire at Mr. RA*
QUETS, Merchant in Feont-ftreet, five dvors below
Walnut-fire&t.