The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-04-28
4ODe G0qutrer.
RICHMOND, 2sib APRIL.
kxtra9 from a letter ~qprittrn By a rsfAeut Of
Richmond Hill, to hi, friend in the country.

kxtraa from a LETTER ~qprittsn By a rsfAeut of
Richmond Hi, to b, friend in the country.
As yon Unfit, my dear F. that I ihould fay
fomething upon the fuhje6t of Burr's trial, and
is iupres'Cns upon the mind of Richmond {:
you muf pardon me, it / am in fome measure
unavoidabiy forced into the teainna of repetiti-
on. This fubjea has been prefeEted to the
public in fuch a variety of attitudes, and every
Incident 70 fully and minutely Tanned, that /
fear it is a!not impofiibIe to give tan air of
novelty. The Of the day TEEN
with fuch a MATS of oontrariant evidence, that
ingeuNity is fooled in extracting the truth, and
creduli,y is put to the tet in its belief.
To Gay that Burr is guilty would be to tranf-
Cend the rules of juNice and TO iuPply An Hid
fns of evidence by conjecture. To FAY that he
is innocent would require the infatuation of a
bigct, and the aGurance of inipiration. Hence
we muft remain in a Rate of reciprocal fcepti-
cifm unit the obfcur;ty is removed f.r as yet
W. have but i c%onfufed view Of tie outward
form, without being acquainted with the ia.
ty- hue aud figure of The deiign. You cannot
conceive, dear f. the fate Of anxiety and agita-
tion which the arrival OF Burr excited in cur
metropolis, together with the many trivial and
ludicrous little circumCtances. Every fubjett,
both of foreign and domeaic concern was dif
carded, for the fake Of hazdrdi0g fome couiec-
ture about Burr's confoiracy all tongues
fpoke of him, and the b!eared gifts were fpec-
tacled TO fee him" Amidh tais ccnfuGon ]
could BIZ, remark the cunning fp;it of federal
i'm, which we thought - quietly inurnec, %
pesr;ng above its " Garment" TO catch al the
dim g!impfe Of mis- po!;tica! comet. | could
but fancy that foine of lhe purity remarkable for
tErir. iri jicrce, expected that the orb of Te-
pullicanifm was about to- be continued. / was
aHonihrd at the celebrity Of tbeiS ancmblage,
and the re g%u'arity with which they were mar
I,gl.g nd Il if~i-ifusl IN the yDipit,p md r,,
~vIttion, that Burr was the e%uitIets victim Of an
cry cover, and that he had been hurried by 4
TDthlefs e.cort from the guilelefs tenor Of his
WY, under cirr uTtances The mof difgraceful
and over a diitrili Of country OF iufdferab.e IA.
tiguc.
They contended that he ought TO have been
tried al a place, whore the iE1pU'ed ,~reaion
was not committed nor evidence adducable.
rhcIe ~cirCumfiances IN their mind, formed thu
roit c%ouclu6ve and damning evidence ~gainl
me Executive department.
You my be inclined to pafs the encomium
Of Cta'ity upon the char3Ger of Richmond,
that her inhabitants hOuld thus fervently tep
forward Sta S41nIs, IL c~xtr;cate 4 =, pnted trail
iog from tie i.Dss Of criminal law. II 70, there
j. more charity in the Thought, than The deed.
There are few pcri9ns / imagine of fuch grofs
creduiity, rs 10 believe that they were animal
cd by a fynle of fympaliIy, friendhip, or com.
tn'itration, but more from n fpitit Of oppofi d.
ton and a ftnercd hatred againt the ruling adj
min'Dratiun. They furs;y cannot be 10 insio-
riOuHy ftithleis ais! GdlTanily ioconfacnt
as al one time TO wot.hip the maa.5 OF
murdered Hamilton, 10 5ewsii his lois, as that,
of agenuiCe patriot, ard GiAinguifhed falef-
mas, to eXecrate ard exile the author of his
doom from his native Rate F, and at another to
fcoft the memory OF their SAINT, by ecu ting
the crelt OF treaion and bsnque t hg At the fei-
tive board with the preparation, unlrfs they
give an axiom'S truth to- the poePs fancy" thar
one murder makes d villain, but miiiGns 4 he
TO-" For the hrG aG which they deemed a
crime I've was bitterly condemned, but for the
fscond be is honored ard atiolved. Is this cha
f,ty, bypcc.ify, or feders!iim or is the arc.