Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1807-03-03
VIRGINIA ARGUS.
X L c II NJ Q Nd:
TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 1907.

| son, nave very mysterious aspect. The
zeal he apparently manifested against Burr
ana ms adherents, seems quite inconsistent
with his being himself traitor. Yet his
conduct is in some respects unaccountable :.
and certainly liable to suspicious. ,vb;cL
may be permanently injurious TO his renu-
tation. 1t must be admitted that the cir.
cumstance of his arbitrarily seizinr so ma
nyindividuals by military force, and send
ing them tor trial to so great a distance
from the city of New-Orleans, (where pro-
Daoiv their innocence or guilt might have
oeen more easily proved than at Wash
ihStohl IS strange and novel mode of
proceeding. Several questions naturally
! oc1ur W person not present at the scene
OF action and we confess, we should he
happy to see them satisfactor;lv anyyye,ed
viz. '
/. IT Messrs, Bollman, Syartwout and ~
Tiers were really guilty OK treason arai,s,
the United States, why might they not have
oeeh trie9 at the place where they were
arrested
Z. were the Judges ut New Orleans, so
lar concerned with the conspirators, that
no dependence could be placed on their in
tegrlty and impartiality Or,
.. were the people so much Influenced
oy those conspirators, that danger og a res
cue was to be apprehended (; or that i fair
| trial could not be expected ?
The alacrity which the citizens of New
Orleans displayed, in their DreDarations to
oppose Aaron Burr and his expected army.
and the warm affection thcy have ALWAYS
appeared to feel for the Government of the
United States, would induce us to answer
the last question in the negative. With
respect TO the Judges we have no informa-
ton ana, OF course, cannot determine,
Whether they might have been safely trust
ed. we think II best therefore to suspend
our judgments, and not hastily to condemn
the General Tor measures to which he NAV
have been compelled bvnecessitv. or proun.
ted by a sincere, tho misguided attachment
10 the interests ofhis country. Ina rcpub-
! lican government disposition too prone m
suspect the servants Of the public ought to
be avoided, as much as a blind and imDru.
dent confidence in the rcctitude of their
| intentions But if, in fact, the necessity uf
the case justified those bold and violent
measures, 1t was anecessity, the existence
OF which should be forever regretted. az in
voiVing violation OF the first principles of
liberty. '' iN' "a
! 'EXa~ples of this sort are always DANCE
rous IN free country. If those, whose in
tentIons are good, resort to expedieDts hos
tile to the rights of man the precedent i
sure to be followed and greatly improved
upon by their successors, who DESIGN tbe
total destruction of freedom. The 0rono-
sed suspension of the habeas corpns net
which we took the liberty of reprobatine.
N atormcr number of the Argus, was ST.
nhdr IN principle W tn the illegal arrests
INC inprisonmcnts committed by Gen. Will
| {H'on ana We do not wonder that the e.
hcinlcs OF the administration have taken
advantage OF both, and insinuated that the
former was intended toput good face up-
on the latter. VIC are truly sorry that
auch an anh-republican bill should ever
have passed the Senate o'the United States.
but rejoice that the honor ofour country vas
in some degree, saved in its rejection hy,
the House of Representatives.
WHETHER the accusations ara;ne+
Gen. Wilkinson are true or not, he base
Violently acted in some instances with cuI.
pablo neglect. 1t appears from an article
IN the Baltimore American, of the Doth os
FEBRUARY, that Gen. Adair and p. V. o.
den were lately sent 70 that place in GUS
toay, by virtue OF his orders, but that even
those orders contained no charge m. i'm
pntatlon OF any crime whatever nrainst
either of the prisoners The officer foo
"who had them in charge, being examined
= on oath, 1t he had any knowledge of any
act done bv either of them, in violation
! OF the laws of the United States. or ofa-
! "ny particular state declared that he.
knew nothing Of that nature, except what.
he had understood from general reDort
and newspaper publications; whereupon
the Judge, before whom they had been
" brought by virtue of writ of habeas cor
pus, instantly discharged the prisoners"
If those men were innocent, and no ration
al evidence could be produced to convict
them OF any offence; the General was puiI-
tv OF the most wanton oppression in con-
ming them (without any necessity or utilitv)
Oh board OF a vessel in subiectiup them 70
the perils and inconvcnicncies'of a long and
disagreeable voyage, and the United States
TO considerable expense on their account
II they were guilty, his negligence was I'M
pardonable in not furnishing the evidence
for their conviction; (Which he should have
possessed before he arrested them y in con-
sequence OF which two accompiices in the
conspiracy may have escaped.
The account given by general Adair, in
his letter tothe Kentucky delegation, men
toned in the National Intelligenccr, of the
cause ofhis going to New-OrlcarIs. apnears
TO be plausible; and strongly duplicates
ten Wilkinson but once more, we de-
termihe not to form a decisive oninior
concerning these dark transactions advi-
sing our readers to follow our example, I'M