Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-12-15

ammunition anu a - respeC table force" To
aid the Indians and on The back O.:
the.lei,er 10 Mr.. Basot, We're entered The
number of warriors whoa The Indians
could send into the felt, and the qualify
Ofpow,fcr, fints. rifles d ion,aliav Ks which.
they wan,ed.-it does appear ta,in these
ways, Arbuihnoi, specially authorized IA
gent hred their minds, and thus wrought
them up To deeds of barbarous warfare.
But IL does appear, except from the repe-
titiOn by Il third person oithe declarations
ofnot the Indians, Ga speciesofevidence we
suspect inadmissible i'm our courts, thai
he had directly '.ac,ised them TO go to
war with the II. States if they did not sur
render them the lauds which had been
taken from them, and that he British go.
vernment would support them in T"-or
that robberies on the u. 5. settlements
and 9. murders ccmmitted ell the Sanlilla
river, were al his insiigati0n." He dill
write 10 Gen. Gaines, for king ilatchy,
titus: :" shall use force 10 STOP any arm
ed Americans trom passing my towns or
nav lands. 1t would even seem, II his
letter TO iiambly is TO be credited, that
originally he had attempted 10 keep down
t.eir ierociiy and not aci " the ins'igstor
Of theft and murder" II appears that on the
I'd April, before our troops reached ST.
Marks, he writes 10 his son,at Suwa.y, ,
" the main drift OF the Americans isl dos
uoy the black population of Suwany. Tell
my friend Bo!cck (its military chico thai
it is throwing away his people To attempt
10 resist such powerful force as viii he
down ON Suwauy. As soon as the Suma-
ny is destroyed, expect the Americans
will he satisfied and retire" He did fur
uis h the Indians with some ammunition,
n, l. e
perhaps that article at other times but
he wishes us 10 believe in his defence,
that il was only TO supply the Indians
orhunting-thomgh the presumption GER
tainly Is, 10 help them TO carry on The
war.-We conclude from This brief state
meui, that AIbuthnoi's conduct was cai
cuiated, though II does not appear by strict
legal evidence that ii WAS Intended, 10
hurry these fiery Indians into war that
he attempted 10 procure Tor them arms,
ammunition aud some troops, 10 defend
them at last: aud that he did himself fur
nish theni with small quantity of ammu-
milton.
AS to Ambrister's case, il is stronger.
Ii appears that lie wore AN Uniform and
sword was kusy in sending oft IA deiach-
meni TO meet the American army-fur-
nished tie negro leaders III the Indian
town with powl der and lead, and" recon
mended To them The making of ball, &c.
quickly" Indeed, he conIesses that he
had led The lower Creek Indians in carry
ing on IA war against us bui pleads jus
tltlcation; the grounds of which do not
| appear.
These were abominable arts-ihey are
such as every American must abhOr.
For these acts, Arbuthnot ('' being a
subject of O.. b. with whom the u. S.
| are al peace, WAS sentenced to be hung.
aud ,cas hnng-Ambrlster was first sem
fenced 10 be shot, bui The court lmmedi-
aieiy re-considered this sentence. aud
! commuted the death for stripes and con-
! iinemeni with ball and chain to hard
labor Tor ID calendar months" General
| Jackson, in his General Order approves
| the finding and first sentence Os the court,
| and ,iisapproves the reconsideration OF
| the sentence ;" upon this extraordinary
grOuud:
| " II appears, from the evidence and pleading
| of the prisoner, that lie did lead and commando
Willis lie territory OF Spain, (being subject
| OF Great Brtaiu,) the Indians IN war against
the United States those natious being peace.
II is established prlacipie OF The laws ct ma.
| lions. that any individual OF a nation making
war against the citizens OF any other nation,
they being ut peace, forieits his allegiance and
| case of Robert &. Ambrster, clearly shewn by
| the evidence addUccd.
Upon which ground, he orders Ambrister
to be shot, and he mGS shot: Both prison
| ers being hurried oil, in few hours, 10
executiOD.
These are the facts and now for the
| principle.
This unfortunate General Order passes
over The only plausible ground, on whicIl he
| could have resiedtlIe measurc-and takes
one, which principle, The practice OF all
| civilized nations, and especially oi our
| Own, directly condemns
His ground is, that the subject or cir
| zen of neutral nation, who engages IN
| war, is 10 be considered, by the opposite
| briligerent, as All outlaw and pirate"
| In what code of national law is this alb
surd principle, so absurdly characterized
as an established" one, to be mel with
The practice OF ali C!Irisiendom is OPP
posed TO this savage doctrine. But, bring
| the case home To ourselves. Our own
revolution, which The mother country
chose TO call rebellion, All illegal wa,'
on our part. Did ste execute, on tits
| principle, one German or one French
man, who fell into her hands by capture?
Or did are execute one OF the flcssian
| prisoners who fell INTO eur hands; with
| all orr prrjudces against those gold
| bloodcd hireliuss, WHO were sent .Fiher
| 10 fight in quarrel III which their coun-
| Try was IN no degree interested No, 10 ;
if this doctrine be true, lei,us write upon
the tomb of De Kalb, g Here lies an out
law and pirate !" Let us throw our his
tories in The flames, and write new ones,
ia which kosciusko aud La Fayeiie shall
he painted IN iheir true colours of out.
laws and pirates !"
But Tie only plausible ground, on which
we have heard these executions, excused
or paillated, is this That, is true, by