The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-02-10

|
Revel the night rob Murnsa>? and commit
The oldeh fins the newell kind Of waysl
Be happy he will trouble you no more
RietaTsnd ihall give him Office, honour, might
| ror ------ from curb'd licenee plucks
The muzz!e of refrainr, and tlic rvaa dog
ShaH j91Ss Bis tooth every INNOCENT.
| SHAKESPEARE.
airy the fourth, was MURDERED John M'Cre,
die
Humanity weeps at the recital: party ami
notify; private prejudice ; individual bicker-
hes-Nept that night, with the cold remains OF
M'Credie. Innocent as the babe unborn, he
met his death almot unconfcious of the villain
hand that directed it. The alarm bell is rune
the cry of fire is heard; the blue vault of hca
ven is fhook with iuvocatious for aida citizen
advance breaihleiS with ill-fated fpeed--ap-
proacheS the tccne of danger--and is ihot dead !
by wh"m centuel, belonging to the gar
riioa OF Richmond.
| Yes. cirizens! yonr town is beieaeured ;
martial law is proclaimed and your lives arr
iported with There is troop of handitti in
this town, called g The Public guard" A
| communication from the Executive, publiihed
III the lat rquirer, Rates "that the condue,
OF the centnel was in dired obboftiou 10 the
"orders given by the governor, to The officers
"and folders of the public guard" YET, not
w'thitandng thefe orders, The captain of this
bandtti, in exprefs violation of the commands
OF his tuperiors, puniihes the deipicable rabies
ever whom he prefdes, if they do not fire up
on any perfon who may approach within their
precincts. 1t is not long ago that Mr.. John
Guy, was fhot at by centinel, when hafteninp
to aid in extinguiihing fire: and, if report
Fays true, this identical William Na(l, now in
Jail for the murder of M'Credic, received forty
laihes, week ortendays ago, becauie he did not
fire upon iome unoffending citizen. 1t is faid
that the executive have appointed a committee
To enquire into the conduct of the commander
OF the public guard more properly denomi-
mated public peft-and are only waiting for
the return of lieutenant Underwood in order to
afcertan, the nature of the orders given to the
folders; if it Mould appear that they have re-
ceived the orders which rumour announces, it
is the duty of the Executive to difpace the
commander of the guard, and tits the duty of
the maeittrates OF the corporation TO arref him
and try him for the murder of M'Crecie.
| The orders given by the Executive, fhould
have been diftin6tly read aud ncuicated to every
new folder that entitled, and generally 70 them
all, at the head of the troop at leaf once =
month initead of this it is mott likely that no,
a private III the guard knew what were the or.
ders of the governor they only knew that il
they did not obey their commander they would
be logged. In fate of actual warfare, when
two armies are encamped in hottie attitudes
If an individual approaches the centinel, he
will arrcit him, until guard is relieved, and il
| he cannot give good account of himfelf, carry
him 10 his officer, to be dca,t with according to
the laws of war; or, if the emergency calls tnl
it, he will fire his muket in the air, in order tc
igive the alarm to the army but in no cafe, ex
lcept periona attack upon the centinel is h,
authorized to kill the man whom he has hailed
1t ihou'd certainly fcem that not lefs cautio,
ought to be Pref:rved, in country at peace
no army within thoufand leagues in an in
land town, without even the apprehension o.
danger, but from the elements loud cal
upon the general population for individual aid
1.-THE luminous is heard the inhabitants obey
and the foremoft in the caufe of humanity il
dropped by the hand OF legal aGafiin Th,
diabolical atrocty of this deed mutt rife to hiet
Heaven. Imagine, reader, a fhip at fca, with
colours half matt high, firing Ggnal guns o
dittrefs friendly boat puts off arrives with
in gun ihot ihouting loud rejoicings that the,
fhould arrive in time to fave the crew --wher
10 broadfide is fired, and the boat and III
humane tenants are funk into endiefs lleep e
was it with this haplefs man he came to fuc
cour and he met his doom. Who is the cr
minai ? Not the mufSet--tbat obeyed the i'm
pufe of the director; not the centinel-h,
obeyed his hyperion who then is the murder
| er hat man who gave the centinel the or
ders which he but too punttually obeyed-and
that man is the commander of the guard. In
Family ihonld he be arrefted by a magiftate o
the corporation, and Immediately undergo
trial which he has 70 long fought, and 70 am
ply merits. fpeak not the voice of an ndiyi
dual F; l fpeak the voice of all Richmond thi
is no pcrtonal affair it is common caufe, II
which we are all equally interehed we hols
our lives by fral tenure Indeed, if they are a
the mercy of a lawlels band of mercenaries, tina
the Ailenbly have Quartered upon us no maj
knows, in this cafe, whole fate it may next be
before the end of this week, like Mc'Credie, t.
be " lettering in his ihroud." The maeiffrate
of this city will I've guilty of fhameful derelic
ton of duty, if they fuffer the criminal To ef
cape nnnoticed the juaice of his country, anc
its violated laws demand his arraignment-anc
he mHR be arraIgned. The executive can onl,
difmiis him /; the Judiciary mutt try him. Go
vernon Wall was hanged in England, few year
ago, for whipping to death private folder, il
Alta or Africa, belonging to the Bfitfh fore.
es, many years after the offence was commit
ted although he was related to the firil fami
lies in the kingdom, aud was interceded for
by many of the mott influential men i'm tn,
country. How much more deferVing then, o
punilhment is this man-the deputy of depu
ties, poiIefiing fcarcely the fhadow Of authori
lty-a foreigner in the land, interceded far b,
none, but execrated by all-without one "a,
of light in his mind, or philanthropy in hi
heart-inllicting punilhment of MANY nrine