Berkeley and Jefferson intelligencer. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va.) 1802-1810, 1808-01-15

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be an ~ex.Faetef a letter signed I. Power,
whose handwriting he understood could
be idt ntihed:
" On the eth Of the same noah roc
tober lastl appeared in the Richmond
Enquirer a certificate given by myselfto
Gen. Wilkinson in Newt orleans on the
10Th Of May preceding. Immediately
on my getting sight of this piece, which
was the same or the next day, [ address,
ed a note to his Exccllency Gen. Will
kinson No. ; OF this did not keep
a copy and therefore dare not vouch that
it is an exact literal transcript Of the o.
riginal. But 1 will be bold to say that
it Is nearly Cor to make use Of the Gene.
rails W language substantially the
same.
Between my repeated declarations to
many of my friends and acquaintance I
must say it with a blush) and this cet.ih-
cas- there is u manifest contradiction, 49,
Aid between this same. certificate and
the deductions to be drawn from my
declaration before the Richmond court,
there is an apparent inconsistency which
it is now my task to clear up and recon-
! cile.
During Gen. Wilkinson's residence in
New orleans last winter, l used occa-
sionally to visit him----a few
| days before he lefsO rleans I waired upon
him one morning, and after some con-
versatien on certain transactions .hathad
taken place at a former period in the
western country, and on the delicate
situation in which his conduct during
the winter was likely to place him, he
asked me if l had any objection 70 give
him a certificate that nigh; help him to
silence that foul mouthed Bradford, and
refute the assertionsof the editor q the
Western World. Treplied withouthesi-
tation that | had none, and would give
him one with pleasure, provided he
promised me it should not be Published.
On this he assured me that the only use
he proposed to make of it, was to lay it
before the President, with the view to
prove the Nlathood of the charges circu-
lated against him, vindicAte his charac.
ter and secure the confidence of the exc.
cutive. This II not exactly, is suJstan.
TALLY what the general said. He then
desired mt to sit down and write the
certificate l observed that l might not
make it out entirely to his satisfaction
and that as he best knew the points he
wished should be embraced IN it he had
better make it out himself, and | would
copy it. To this he agreed. Next
morning ! waited on his Excelkney, and
he presented me the certificate, which
copied, as it has been published with a
few alterations. One, a very. material
one, is that after these words, do most
sokemniy declare fhat [haOe, at no TING
carried Or delivered to General James
WHinS0n." erased the words " either
directly or indirectky." And declared to
the general that I could not insert those
words. He did not insist and contented
himself with saying that he wished me to
insert them if my concienee would allow
it, but not otherwise. This ~isingenuous-
ly, exactly what passed between the gen.
eral and~myself At that time.
Now let me with the same ~frankness
aud righteousness, without referring to
any preceding or subsequent event, mar
rate the transaction Of 1896, alluded to 10
nv certificate, and concerning which I
offered to give trstimoy in the. Federal
circuit court in Richmond 1t is the
same that is the subject Of the aA6davits
OF Messrs. Detbigney and Mercier.
That Of the former gentleman is correct
as to substance, for l actually did receive
from capt. On. Thomas PorteIl, CON-
mapdan, Of New Madrid, the sum Of
oo4o 5 for general Wilkinson, towards
the latter end of June or beginning Of Ju-
ly, 1896, which was packed up in the
manner described by Mr.. Derbiguey,
aud when I was stopped and my boat
searched on the Ohio bv lient. Steele,
under the orders Of Gen. Anthony
Wayne. i had other sums on board, bot
this was the ONLY one | had received for