The Wheeling repository — Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.], 1808-02-11 00:00:00, page 3

plan to change the object of suspicion
from himself to others, Burr on Wednes
day last accused Gen. Wilkinson, Gen.
Jackson, and Judge Toulmin,of robbing
the mails to get evidence against him.
But the public can pay no attention to
such accusations, when made by Burr
against men whose testimony is calculated
to establish his guilt. Such tricks are
marks ot the despair consequent upon
the arrival of Wilkinson.”
And again, in the same paper of the
11 tli August:
14 the call for Gen. Eaton’s letter to
the President yesterday, is now said to
be with a view to find some variation of
phraseology in it, that mav he siezed on,
to be opposed to some other phraze in
his affidavit: in other words, the pur
pose that was pursued in June, appears
not to have been abandoned—ih t of at
tempting to invalidate evidence Inj de
stroying the character of the witness_
1 his course, however, is not such as is
calculated to operate upon men of sense
and honour. 1 he like course is, I un
derstand, to be persisted in against Gen.
Wilkinson ; and strange to tell, it is said
to be intended to justify Col. Burr’s
conduct in 1804—5, and G, by bringing
forward evidence to induce a belief that
W ilkinson was concerned in a Spanish
conspiracy twelve or fourteen years ago.
• • • • I should certainly applaud
any man conscious of his innocence, in
lav ing his evidence, or his reasonings
and vindication before the public tribu
nal , but there is something super-detest
a< .c t/i that species of justification, which
is not to prove indiv i ual innocence,
h it v. hicti virtually grounds a vindica
tion upon a more wide and deep diffu
sion ot guilt.”
J ust as I had read th se paragraphs,
and was gravely condemning the manl
iest inconsistency between those opi
nions, and the grounds now taken hy the
Gi nei al in his address,and hv his friends,
in his aefence, the lust H< pository was
brought to my house. I directly threw
by all other papers, and proceeded to
examine my remarks, published in that
paper, Upon the character of Gen. Wil
kinson. Having been engaged in read
ing and examining his address, the con
siaeration that he was now upon trial,
v as uppermost in my mind. I found,
however, that though upon trial, yet in
this essay he was completely condemned,
and almost executed. I paused. The
idea that he might be found innocent,
rushed into my mind ; but I spurned
the suggestion. I have condemned him,
said I. I have published my condem
nation to the world. If he is innocent,
I have injured him, and my own repu
tation must suffer. “If he is innocent,”
I repeated,—but he is not innocent. I
rvill believe him guilty. I -will shut my
ears against any other belief. I again
paused. I again recollected that he was
now upon trial. I recollected that when
Burr was upon trial, I felt great indig
nation against those who wrere daily pro
nouncing him guilty in the newspapers.
I recollected how a few moments past, I
was engaged in hunting out the incon
sistency ot Wilkinson, and was prepar
ing to point out the impossibility of re
conciling the sentiments contained in
the above paragraphs from the Aurora,
with an article in that paper of the 27th
Jan. 1808, headed “O my left leg!” As
these reflections passed through my
mind, I felt the blood tingle even in my
lingers’ ends, and my own inconsistency
flashed suddenly before me. I threw
the whole files of papers from me, ex
claiming, “ let him who is without sin
among you cast the first stone at her.”
H.
To the Editor of the Wheeling Repository.
Sir,
You will confer a favour upon me,
by printing in the Repository the follow
ing sublime specimens ol rhetoric. I am
persuaded that, if they are made known,
they will supersede the vulgar and ordi
nary terms of reproach in common use.
1 hey are the terms used by a gentleman
Lawyer. Of course, they must be spe
cimens of the language of the politer
circles of society, in the place where he
resides.
Just print them as I have wrote them.
Don't take upon yourself to alter the
spelling or punctuation. I copied diem
exactly from the Steubenville paper; so
that I am sure they must be correct.
■■c< This, Sir, is the true and ge
nuine language of an an insolent, cow
ardly and unprincipled poltron. And to
ihe world I pronounce you-, a
most intamous and degraded liar, a base
Village callumniator a most pitiful cow
ard, a lousy poltron, a murderer, and a
sneaking assassin and paricidtt of pri
vate character.”
-“ In order to convince the world,
Sir, that your soul is, as, black,cowardly
and designing, that is is as void and in
sensible to modesty, propriety, humani
ty and benevolence, as are your very
frame, your manners, your features, St
eyes, awkward, uncouth, contemptible
and guilty.”
" ' 14 But, Sir, Hell hardened as you
are, can you call to mind without feel
ing the burning flames of guilt and
shame pervade your filthy carcase, the
almost innumerable instances of your
having Rallied your band of Royal GlS
diators to plot my destruction.”
bo yo\i-- wish to con
sider yourselh a man, a devil, a robber,
a thief, a fool or a midnight assassin ?”•
—— “ It is very possible that <t may
be read by hundreds, befi it sir H faU
into your fear trembling and palsied
hands—before it shall be degraded and
tarnished by the venom of your guilty
and British uniformed eyes.”
l o those I may add your natural,
overflowing and innate disposition, to
slander and persecute, grouping like a
lizard under those stormy and disgrace
ful passions, which benumbed and
phrenzied your soul, and intoxicated
your weak and torpid brain.”
44 In short, what have I to expect from
a coward, a poltron and a liar? When of
all the works ot creation such a being,
is most pit tiful and truly contemp
The.se, Sir, are a few of the sublime
flights ot fancy, the exquisite beauties,
which grace the columns ox the Steuben
ville paper. Compared with these bold
and masterly effusions of genius, the dt i
veiling pages of the Repository dwind.e
into insignificance. Yet I ttust you will
have too much liberality, to be prevented
by a narrow jealousy of the success of
your editorial brethren, from printing
these valuable extracts. Quiz.
Logic.-A pettifogger once com
i plained, that he had been grievously li
belled in 4k an ambiguous and obscure
hand-bill, containing insinuations from
which by intendment the reader might
possibly draw something prejudicial to
his reputation.” I thought, said an old
gentleman, that to constitute a libel, the
charge must be direct and positive.
True, replied a wag, such is the doc
trine in common cases ; but as it is well
established that every pettifogger is a
knave, it is a clear consequent, that eve
ry insinuation which can possibly preju
dice the character of a knave, must by
legal intendment afjply to a pettifog
ger, and will amount to a libel; for id
certum esty quod cerium reddi potest.
[ Utopian Gazette*