Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1807-02-10
VIRGINIA ARGUS,
r I C H NJ o N d:
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1907.


public in very great degree. The loss of
a worthy and most respectable citizen is e.
nouSh, OF itself, to awaken sorrow in the
bosoms of all good men, who knew him and
his virtues. On the present occasion, the
grief of a disconsolate widow and children
excites peculiar sympathy which is in
creased by rejecting that a sudden and
unexpected event, has cut short, in the
prime of his life, in the midst of his career
OF utility to them and others, the DAYS OF
their friend and father. Considerations of
this nature have necessarily produced a
powerful effect on the friends and acQuaint-
aace OF tho decreased; and we may with
truth observe with respect to him, that his
acquaintance were almost universally his
friends. Yet the motives we have mem
toned, however powerful they may he, are
not sufficient to account for the uncommon
nneasiness at present pervading the public
!nind. n cause mere generally interesting
than the late OF any one individual appears
to disturb and agitate the bosoms of the
inhabitants Of this city. This is no less
than an opinion that the public guard, which
Was instituted for the protection and safety
or the people, has by bad enlargement been
perverted to their destruction that in this
land OF liberty, in time ofprofound peace,
orders have been given, BY which the lives
ot tile citizens have been put in jeopardy,
and to which one OF the best among us has
fallen a sacrifice !-Ifthis were actually the.
case, it is certain our Indignation against
those who were guilty of giving such orders,
could scarcely be excessive. But il should
he remembered that all our passions ought
to be kept under the control of reason
that the evil, which las happened and can
he
ed by giving way to untounded prciudces,
or hastily condemning any person before a
fair and impartial investigation Of his con-
duct shall have taken place. This we a.e
assured is commenced, and win be prose
cnted with diligence, by a committee of
the Executive, appointed for that purpose
on Friday list being rs soon as the Coun-
Gil assembled after the mournful incident
was known. We cannot entertain the
smallest doubt, from our knowledge of the
mid and benevolent character of eur pre-
sent Governor, that not only the deplorable
death of MIR. M'Creiie is regretted by no
one more sincerely than by him; but tn at
he was altogether incapable of issuing any
orders which would manifest the least de-
gree of inattention 10 the security of any hu-
man being. The settlement inserted in our
LAST per Of the rules relative TO the duty
o. cen5inels, established by the successive
Governors, Monroe, Page and CabelI, is
confirmed b. the Official publication in the
present ArguS.. II, therefore, any orders
ut 4 dangerous tendency were given 10 the
ccntinel in the. case now in question, or If
any neglect existed in communicating to
him those orders which the G0ytrnor di-
rected, the blame must fall, not on the CO.
werner, but on some officer of tic guard
who was guilty OF disobedience.-
As usual on such occasions, fame is busy
in publishing many reports on the subject:
but we think il most consistent with de-
cent respect to tie feelings OF all the parties
WIS NAV be imE!ic atcd, not to mention a.
ny of those reports until the enquiry now
progressing has been completed the result
OF which will be Immediately published
We trust that that enquiry will be made
with stI'ictness and impartiality; and that
if any officer of the yJlblic guard shall be
found to have disobeyed his orders or ne
elected his duty, ana thereby to have &C.
asioned the late melancholy event, the pa
trietism and virtue W the Executive will
induce them to remove him without hcsi-
taton from Office. The power of making
such removals was wisely vested in the Co.
werner with the advice of Council, by an
act of the last session of Assembly, and
surely, If such was the case, no occasion
could occur in which il could be exercise
cd with more propriety.
In the meanwhile, We may be permitted
to exhort our felIow-citizcns not to indulge
too fur those emotions, which are bonora-
bic to our national character when re-
strained within proper bounds, but by de-
generating into intempcrance and violence
may do ourselves an essential injury. Par
ticulurly, let us endeavor TO prevent the
folly or atrocity Of one of the guard from
producing disposition to have the guard
itself disbandcd, from a mistaken idea that
il would endanger instead of preserving the
lives of the people. If abuses have existed
IN the manner of conducting that institute
on, we hope they will be corrected, and
precautions taken to prevent their recur-
ring again: but God forbid that, in a mo-
ment of indignation, or Of thoughtless indis-
erection, it should be abolished.
Whoever considers the valuable public
property constantly kept al this place the
large number of domestic foes who are con-
stantly medItating conspiracies and insur-
rectlons as we'll as of other disorderlv
characters who frequent the city and its
neighborhood together with the necessity
Of retaining in safe custody the desperate
villains crouded together in a huge Pen-
tertiary house ; must be convinced that the
continuance of the public guard is essenti-
al TO the safety of the citizens Of Richmond
60 q.