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

the open gate, to the charge and after some little
time the charge was far efectual, with but very
tile or no Injury to the prisoners, as to drive
them, for the most part, quite out of the square,
| with the exception of small number who conti-
nued their resistance about No. gate Under
these circumstances, continues the report, the
| firing commenced.
Here we beg leave torequest an attentive pc
rusal of the affidatits of some of the prisoners,
taken by the committee, and which relates parti-
cuarly to this part OF the transaction. 1t is there
positively stated, that the suld iers' coming TO
charge the prisoners ALL retreated into the yard
and pushed the gate after them. 1.-THE commits
sioners had examined that evidence, this part of
| their report ought to have been differently ex-
pressed.
We cannot conceive how Mr. King finds it DIFF
| hcuIt to reconcile the testimony respecting capt.
Shortland's giving. the order 10 fire, when he re
ports, that SEVERAL of the Americans sIsear tos-
tfre!y that capt. Shorthand gave that ortfer--and
| many of the soldiers and the English witnesses
heard the word given by someone, but would not
SWEAR it was by capt. Shorthand; and SOM
| Camong whom is the officer commanding the
| guard) THINK, if capt. Shorthand nd gwen such
an order, they must have heard il, VIII ch they
| did not. Thus, then, stands the foundation for
| this part ofthereport An ENsLisH officer THINKS
it is not so and several AmcrlcansSwEAR it is so;
and he finds it IS very fficut 10 reconcile Their
| testimony. The lighness with VIII rh they seem
to have passed over this most important point of
that DAVIS trans action, cannot but be deeply re-
GREETED BY those who feel for the unhappy suffer-
| ers, when they so on TO state, " II NAV remain
| matter OF doubt whether the firing first began
/ in the square by ORDER, or was spontaneous act
OF the soldiers themselves; it seemed clear Ii was
| continued and renewed, both there & elsewhere,
without orders--ard that on the pla forms and in
several places about the prison 1t CERTAINLY
| commenced 7vithOt any authority" We must
once more request the attention of the public to
he affiadavits already published, It is there sworn
byone OF the Witnesses that PREVIOUS 30 the alarm
bell being rung, and while walking in the yard,
sold or called hun from the walls and told him to
go in they would soon be fred upon How,
then, can it be possible, that soldier on the
| walls should know that they would be fired upon,
il the order had not been previously given to that
effect and had the bug!eman been examined, he
could have stated, that previous to the ringing of
the alarm bell he received orders To sound 10 fire
| 50 that when the soldiers took Their stations on
the walls, they were charged and prepared for
I that purpose. With such information we con-
| ceNe the committee 20 stand fully justified III
stating in Their report, the belief oS its being a
| pre-concerted plan, on the part Of Shorthand -
| and If the commissioners had possessed them
c~.ves with q knowledge OF these circumstances,
which they could and ought 20 have done, would
they, then reported Shorthand IS iusti6abie, even
III q niitaJypoint of viewl
The neXttbing we have to notice IN the report
is, thatvery Singular paragraph which SAYS
Z" from the facts of the crowds being so close,
and the firing, at FIRST being attended with very
HtEe injury, it appears probable that large pro-
portion OF the mussets, were, as stated BY one or
Two of the witnesses, leve!led over the heads of
the prisoners, n circumstance, n some resDects
to be lGmerted" Is IT, then, TO be Ldmentsd that
he soldiers did otlevel Their pieces, on The first
fire, direc ly into the crowd, VII CHI they have stat
ed to be so great and so close, that 4 soldier de-
2 nj (. RI yd,,
or is it to be h1msnted, that one or two hundred
were not killed at the first discharge and thou
sand or two wounded lfso we think it much 70
be LGme;tGd, that the reporters were not there
and placed foremost in the crowd.
The circumstance of SO few beng hurt at the
first discharge not strange 10 those wfo are ac-
Qulnted with tSc situation 81 and this occurrence
alone corroborates the American evidence, and
ought to have been sufIic ent PROOF TO the COM
miss oners that the prisoners OH beng charged
upon retreat ri through the gates, and shut them
after them before the firing commenced and
which circumstance, alone, should have shut the
door Capitalization against Shorthand, for com
mcnclng ire upon them as they were in Their
own yards. AS this was the actual situation Of
the prisoners on the first discharge and the SOL
diers having to fire through the ron paillng, and
tie prisoners ratrcatng on a descending ground,
OF course brought the muskets, when down to a
level, over the heads of The prlsoners-itwas ow-
injured on the first scharge Of the muske;ry =
and it seems the inhuman Shorthand was aware Of
: this Circumstance, when he was distinctly heard
TO order the soldiers to fire low. This does not
appear to CORES bond with the first part of their
, report which saw, Capt. Shorthand was IN the
| market-squarc ezcTting himself in gvng orders
>, to stop the firing"
That there was any provocation gwen to the
soldiers To justify their subsequent brutal con-
, duct, Che comm ssioners themselves seem 20 find
it very difficult to trace any evidence, although
. they say, 1t appers, that there was some resist
: ance made TO the turnkeys in shutting the pr
! son, and that stones were thrown at the NIL ary
Had thoy examined tlie prisoners sufficiently they
would have been convinced that no resistance
, Was made 60 the turkeys in shutting the doors
As 10 throwing stones at the military while they
were chasing them from corner % corner, and
firing at them in every place where they had Ia
ken shelter from the balls, could Il be expected
but they would seize on something for selfce-
fence when they saw the soldiers running at them
with Their bayoneis, and having no possible means
of escape, as it has been before stated, all the
doors in the prisons had been previously closed
except one, and that one perhaps, the length Of
the prison from him. Is there a man in such a
situation hut would seize on the first weapon that
offered ITSELF and sell his life as dear as possible
4 - A. = A. n