Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1812-08-28

IA
they unable to perform their dutyP No-Fol
on the first approach of troop Of horse, or
dered out on the occasion, and who had pre-
ceded these high official characters, the heroi'
mob had reiterated, and were only recalled BY
the affectionate entreaties Of Major Barney
| the commander Of the troop. Did they per
| form their dutyp No-lnstead Of dispersin,
| the mob, they entered the house, and will
unparalleled effrontery, requested the gentle
| men assembled for its defence, to leave theil
lawfsl asylum, and permit themselves to b.
| imprisoned, with criminals, in the common
| Jail of the city, Overcome by entreaties-
deluded by perfdious promises, which thu
Almighty was solemnly called upon to wit
| ness, Of safeguard and Notwithstanding I,
| the pledge of " a soldiers honor"-in an svi
hour, they consented to leave the house, ant
| to be thrust among criminals. Oh, fatal con
fdence Oh, unfortunate delusion! But 70
it the brave, the noble Lingan might long
| have lived, comfort to his family-the de
| light Of his friends-the ornament Of tn
country which he had shed his blood to de
| fsnd Over the murder Of this gallant vete
| ran-over the black and hideous deeds of tina
night of horrors, | would fain, for the homo
| of my country--for the honor of human ma
ture, throw the darkest shade Of oblivion.
| But having entered upon the subject, an
irresistiBly impellcd to drag forth and expos
| to public scorn and detsstation those wrefches
matchless in perfidy, the General and tbs
| Mayor. Let minor villains rot in obsc urit,
ON their native dunshills
/ When these men entered the house which
contained the devoted victims of their treache
ry, they falsely represented their inability t
dispense the mob assembled before it, and en-
treated the gentlemen who defended it, as tn,
only means Of appeasing the people, to sub
NIT to imprisonment. They declared, the,
protested, they solemnly swore, they callet
the Almighty to witness, that military
guard, adequate to the projections of the par
| ty, should escort it to Jail, and should there
remain, to ward off the fury of the IA oh. :
| Their solemn promises-their often repeated
| oaths, at length obtained belief, and the brave
defenders of the house agreed to the term.
proposed The promise of adequate protec
ton was violated, even before they reached
the Jail: for two Of their number were CON
siderably hurt, by stones thrown by the rab
BILE, who were permitted to surround and ac
company the escort The gentlemen were nc
sooner lodged in the Jail than the military
guard was withdrawn: and though repeated
threats were made through the day, that the
prisoners should be put to death that night
though an express invitation to that effect
was given in the principal democratic paper
of the city"--not single file of musqueteers
was interposed between the prisoners and the
fury of the mob. The mayor even pledged
himself to the rabble assembled before ths
| Jail, that the gentlemen confined there should
not be bailed until the next day; and he in
| terposed to frustrate an application for bail
| made to Judge Scott. The consequences O
this internal treachery, to which no Language
can do justice, are too we'll known; they are
written in characters of blood.
But trait Of cold -blooded villainy remains
to be delneated, even more diabolieal thar
all the rest. That may not be accused o
coouring too highly what indeed is insuscep
tible Of exaggeration, will extract the ac
count Of it from the narrative sworn to b,
some of the surviving sufferers
But above all, after the massacre, when
was discovered that some of the person
thrown into the pile of the supposed slain
were not quite dead, and might be restored
intelligence of the fact was carried to town
Upon receiving the information distinguish
ed gentleman went to gen. Stricker's nous,
and had him called out of bed. He communi
Gated to the gen. the joyful tidings and adde,
" the physicians will go out to preserve al
they can, ifyou will furnish a guard or g,
with them" The General said he was ia
tigued, had lost his rest the night before, an,
it was an improbable tale, that any of tn
prisoners pere ative. The gentleman urg
ed and demonstrated, offering to bring him
horse Immediately, but the General fatty de-
clned, and returned to his bed to find repose
God of Heaven, did he sleep9 he "wh,
hath murdered sleep w-slaughtered honor
patriotism and courage, ensnared by troache
ry : betrayed the brave, and handed then
over to the executioner to be tortured in
manner until now unknown in the annals o