Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1807-02-13

a misrepresentation of facts on an occasion
Of this nature is peculiarly reprehensible.
How extravagant and absurd is it to say
to the citizens of Richmond at this time,
6 your town is belcaguer'd martial law
6 is proclaimed; and your lives are sport
F" ed with there is troop of Banditti in
" this town called "the Public Guard -
If martial law is proclaimed in this city,
We confess that we never heard OF the pro-
Clamation. The very circumstance that a
of the Executive has been APP
pointed to investigate the conduct of the
Captain and his subalterns for the express
purpose OF enabling the Governor with the
advice ct Council to punish rhc offence
at the Barracks, " which even
tuated in the death of Mr.. M'Credie," is
enough TO satisfy every rational man that
martial law is not proclaimed but that
the utmost pains will be taken to restrain
and prevent the repetition of similar out
RACES in future. Considering the inirmi-
ties of human nature, all institutions under
the sun are liable to abuses. 1t is therefore
the part of the friends of their country RAJ
Their TO lend their aid to correct such abuses
asmay be discovered in such as are useful
institutions, than to attempt to abolish those
institutions altogether. With that impor-
tant object in view, the committee Of the
Executive, as we are informed, have been
for several days diligently engaged in col
lecting all the testimony which could be
procured, with respect to this unfortunate
affair; and we doubt not that their report
TO the Council, together with the full result
OF the investigation, will be made known 10
the public with all possible dispatch.
The examination of William Nash before
a called court on Tuesday last, aitho' con-
Quoted with great attention and care, dis
covered nothing in confirmation of the as
sertions in the Enquirer, GO that MIR. John
Guy was shot at by centinel, when has
" tening to aid in extinguishinga fire; and
4" that. il report said true, this identical
William Nash received forty lashcs,
" week or ten days ago, because he did not
" fire upon some unoifending citizen. p
Those allegations appear 70 have been to-
tally Apocryrhal yet it sto be hoped, were
not invented by the author of the comnu-
nication. He seems indeed to have been
dealer in poetry, and therefore, probably,
in fiction but, for the honor of humanna-
ture, on such melancholy and important
occasion as the present, we hope ne did not
indulge his talent in that way. The cruelty
of unjustly and unnecessarily wounding the
feelings of man already severely distress
sed by the alarming situation, in which he
stands, responsible to the laws of his coun-
try, on a charge OF being a principal or
accessory to the horrible crime of murder,
or of having been guilty of a shameful nc
glect of duty, which occasiened the death
of worthy and unoRending fellow-citizen,
is surely so evident, that we suppose the c.
loquent writer of the communication would
not designedly have been entity of it. His
passions, indeed, are evidently warm, and
rather Incorporate but, for that very rea-
son, he ought to be n little more merciful
to others neither ought ne, on the ground
that one act of violence has been commit
ted by soldier of thc guard, aad that the
officers, as we admit. have neglected their
duty, to take it for granted, (as he seems
TO insinuatc) that the guard consists entire
| ly OF ruffians and murderers, any more
( than he would be disposed to acknowledge
/ that every man who has killed another in
duel, has no regard whatever to the
safety of human life ; but would from
" curb'd licence pluck the muzzle of re-
" straint, and, like Wit dog, flesh his
tooth in every innocent"
We again exhort our fellcw-citizens no,
( to suffer themselves to lie irritated beyond
the limits Of sound reason and discretion
bv inhammatory publications of the nature
of that on which these few remarks have
been made but to wait the event with pa,
ticnce, permitting the laws of the land t.
take their course and, VIC doubt not, they
will soon find that justice will be executed
upon all the persons whose sins Of commits
sion or omission may have led to the la
mentable event of the death of Mr. Mere
die; that Richmond isnot 'beeaguer'd >
that martial law is not proclaimed ant
that the Public Guard VIII not continue
whatever it may have been heretofore, tt
be c. pubiic pest"
| I'm giving place 70 the following article, re
latlng to BoNAPARTE, we do no moro