The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-06-20

then NOT without difficulty.
Mr.. Wi!ITsmr Council for Mr.. Willie went
at confederate length into this fubied. lie
Imported two principal proportions. IN
That nanis not bound TO criminste hitpfclf
and end That he is from necefliiy the bea
judge of the tendency of his anf,~ers (which
two proportions he applied TO the cafe be-
tore the court. We regret that from the great
variety OF authorities which he introduced
We cannot detail this gentleman's train of
reiaoning.
Mr.. Martin. Mr.. Willie appears here under
the character of Col. BIS fecretary. II he con-
teiies that b: knew the contents of this let
ter, and thcie contents fhould prove to be trea-
fouable, his continuing in the fervice of col. B.
will make him principal in the treafon-Mr.
Willie may have written to others. The poa
Offices have been placed under requiition.
Mr.. Hay. Is it proper, Sir, to charge the go
vernmsnt 70 roundly with felony? am viii.
ling to communicate all that know about that
letter. twas tranimitted by gen. w. through
the hands of Mr. Minnikin,7 who accompanied
Mr.. Willie to this place; and it was attached
TO an affidavit from Judge Toulmin.-Mr. Mar
I'm i do not charge G.. w. with plundering
TINS letter. But We will hereafter prove that
they have laid violent hands upon the p O. at
N. O.--Sir, let DR.. Bolman decypher this let
ter; it other letters are hereafter found in the
fame cypher, his acknowledgment that he can
decypher this one, will make him refponfible
tor the ref. Do gentlemen produce this let
ter 10 crminate B.? If a wtnefs refules
to be fworn, he is liable to be committed for
contempt of the court, Salked gro: but there
Is no inftanec to be found, where the court has
committed for contempt, if he refufes to au-
liver ANY Iueition, that he fuppofes may cii-
inmate himlelf.
Mr.. Bolts expa,iatsd upon the plumber of
the P. O.
Mr.. Martin commended that it was necefiary
to be known, 6esv this letter came here that
others may have come in the fame way: and
that the foninefs of the means would contamin-
ate the whole.
MIR. MeRGe. The qusfion propofed to the
witneis IS, do YOU undertand the contents of
this letter! Blu, before we proceed to demand
the anfwer, hope we may congratulate our
ielves upon the htuaton in which we are p,ac-
ed. II is not cur deiire to withhold from the
accufed, any the sighttft means for defending
hinieIf; and yet. mot certainly the preient is
inch ipectaclr as is very rarely exhibited in
courts OF jufticc. Not iatistied with Mr.. Viii
liams's eSertions for the defence of Willie,
they have even thought proper TO fuperadd their
own efforts. am pleated, tir, that not only the
council FOR the accuied but alto the council for
the wiHeiies, is heard in his defence. have
which they hare advanced, bears upon the
point before the court but in vain. Thefc
gentlemen have widely wandered from the
point, and cannot forbezr mott deeply to re-
greet that they have always refortcd TO this unfair
expedent. Henceforth hope, fr, that they
will abandon this fpecies of warfare and con-
Tine themfelves to the point, naead of a6dref-
ing the multitude around the court.
MIR. Bolts, inttesd ofreafoning on the fubiecf,
has expatiated on the effects which may pofiibly
hereafter sFed the witnefs, if he coDfe{ies ANY
knowledge of this paper: that even if the let
ter itfclf be very innocent produ&lon, the
mere copying of 1t may at iome future day ex-
pole him to perfecuton in fome ditant territory,
or perhaps doom him 10 al confinement in foge
fhip-hold. Can this defamation be called argu
r'ent Does it bear it all up, the oueftiop ,
AND yet irrelevant as it is, Il is pretty much
OF the fame enour with moit of tae other ftate
ments which he hiss made on this fsbiea.
What connection has this fubject with Louih-
ana, or with the manner in which this PAPER
has been obtained As to the robbing ofthe p.
y. 1t is all pointlefs conjecture. Why has he NOT
fpecifed the name of the p. Office or the name
of the officer And fureIy the cuftom that pre-.
walls in thole Offices of affixing upon letter,
the written or printed name of the office,
would have been fufficient to have led to this
diicovery. But no fuch impreffion as that an.
pears on the back of that letter. AS TO theft
figures, they may mean fomething more than
the mere poaage of the letter. The very fame
cyphers are ufed in the body of the letter And
their myherious characters may have had no O.
their ufe than to give fone caution refpecting
the conveyance OF The letter.
Mr.. Bolts fates, that this letter r1uft be Ell
Their fraught with treafon or it Is no. if no.
IL is periectly irrelevant to the prefent cafe..-
Suppoie iuch TO BE the truth, ought not the
fact, however, to be afcertained , l. it not 70
far material to the prefent enquiry BUT fays
MIR. Botts if he confeiits that be copied the let
ter, he will make himief infamous & odiu IN
or punifhment will await him. That is not the
fact, Sir. The man muit not only have coried
the letter, but UNDERWOOD its contents. If he
did not know then, the WORT that could be
faid, would be, that he has ignorantIy done ar
injury to the public, intending to benefit an in
dividual.-They have quoted too the cafe of
Pobiih Pret, who was permitted to elude
queition without anfwering it. Why, Sir, the
ground was preciiely this. According 70 the
EDgliih law, the witnefs If he had confe1ed
that he was Roman Catholic, was liable TO
certain disabilities. The court iifelf knew this
fact as well as The witnefs; and therefore did
not preis upon him for an aBfwer. There was
on diicretion in that cafe ;every different indeed
from the prefent, in which agrceably to their
doctrine the witnefs is to judge both on the la W
and the fsct.
Mr. MeRae expatiated at fome length upon
Mr.. Mlrtin' sPriociple, that courts had punilh
ed = ,Situels for A coutemot in not t,L:,a 81 .