Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-08-02

mencement ofthis transaction was the officers
dinner hour, is too ridiculous for a comment. We
do not believe that there was prisoner in the
depot that knew when where the officers din
Ell, and therefore, can be no ground for an argu-
ment' that the prisoners were taking this oppor-
tunity to escape.
The report then goes on to state, "the cross
ilre which was kept up from several Of the plat
forms on the walls round the prison. and direct
ed against Struggling parties of prisoners running
aooutithe yard, endeavourrng to enter the prison
by the door which the turkeys had left open,
according to their usual practice, does seem to
have been without object or excuse, and to have
been wanton attack upon the lives of defence
iess and at the same time, unofiendinG individu-
ans. IN answer TO this paragraph we shall only
TePy--had the commissioners examined ALL the
american evidence, and attached the same credit
70 which, 1T appears, they have done to ALE the
English evidence, similar expressions would have
been made use of against Shortland's contlact
throughout the whole OF their report.
1t appears TO us, after an attentive examination
OF ths report, that the commissioners mean to
JJstify Shorthand in commencing his murderous
al ack upon the prisoners and to condemn the
so ders for cont nuing it. Singular as this idea
appears, it is no less strange to how it can be
IS bic they cu'ild reconcile it to their feelings
U make up report containing such direct con-
ADDICTION toreason for surely if Shorthand could
pc JustIhed IN using coercive measures in the
hrst instance, the military certainly should be &C.
quilted tor the subsequent massacre, rs the whole
was conducted under his immediate command -
and 1t he had a right to kill one on The same
ground, he might have extended it to thousand
And, on the other hand if any part of the trans.
action is to be condemned, Shorthand should be
| made TO answer for the whole for what necessity
could there be to attempt iden flying any Of he
soldiers Surely the commissioners could not
thnk OF bringing them to punishment when they
| acted by the direct orders OF Shorthand and his
oHicois And if any one could or ought to be
made TO answer for the outrage, Shorthand ought
| 10 be the first.
| In addition to the Contradictions contained in
! the comm ssioreis' JOINT report, MIR King. IN his
| letter to his excellencyJ !. o. Adams, almost de-
MES the ground on which they have, in part,
founded Shortland's justification, when he saws
| (ailudmg TO having heard several Americans
sTredr, PositiUey that Shorthand did give the order
to IRE, and an officer of the guard THINKS if he
| had he should have heard him) perhaps the bias
OF my mind was, that Shorthand did give that or
der and wishing the report to go forth under our
| Joint signatures, forbors to press some of the
| points which 1t involves so "a; as otherwise
mght have done.'
IL, then, any part has been neglected, or passed
over, Tor accommodation, or any other purpose land
! one there certainly has, in not paying the same
attention 10 the American as was done 10 the eng
iish evdence) 1t IS to be regretted that Mr.. K.nr
should so Tar forget or neglect the sacred duties
attached to the appointment ola commissioner to
| inquire into the cause OF the murder of his coun
| trymen, as to pass over any points which might
nave Drought to Light the means of pun shment
| fof the muroiercrs, or obtained IN some measure
an indemnity for the surviving unhappv and
maimed sufferers. Will not tie shades of the
! departed victims haunt him in his midnight slum-
| Ders, and pointing to their lacerated bodies. say
4 these mr. MIL,
happy survivors show the stumps of Their ampu-
lated limbs, and say, these wounds fester and still
remain unaoned1 VIII not the widow and
the helpless orphan raise their innocent
andS 10 heaven, and cry, why was Justice
| aen!ed "a why was the heart so callous to our
| Suierings and why was the bosom shut to SYM
Pathy Lea Mr., King point out some means to
aPPease these bitter complaints, and we shall be
! satisfied.
We shall now close these unpleasant remarks
| by noticing another unaccountable error in
| MIR. Kings letter to Mr.. Adams, where he men.
tons, speaking of Shorthand, sand his general
conduct, previous TO this occurrence as far as I
could with propriety enter into such details, aD-
pears to have been characterised with great far.
ness and even kindness in the relation in which he
| Stood towards The prisoners" We shall not pre-
tend to ask Mr.. King where he obtained the evil
| dence on which he grounds this assertion; we
are sure it was not from the prisoners who ought
to have been the best judges of that circumstance
bu, instead all that, all the Americans who
were permitted to express an opinion on that sub.
| Ject at the ex mnatlon, declared, without re-
serve, as would all the prisoners in the depot had
they been arked the question, that Shortland's
| conduct, from the commencement Of his Apo Mt
ment to that station, had been cr-eL ob5ressiue
andoUerbearilg and, instead of taking m easures
TO alleviate the dstresses ofthe wretched objects
under him, as feeling man would have done, he
seemed to take pleasure IN harrassing them
Whenever he could find the slightest pretext for
| doing 50,
w. COTTON,
JOSEPH SWAIN,
ARCHD TAYLOR,
ADM MINTYRE,
WILLIAM COCHRAN,
DAVID INGALLS,,
REUBEN SHERMAN,
! RICHD l. MACKAY,
HENRY DOLLIVER,