Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1820-01-28
10 the Public.

~ .hs Gazette OF yesterday a Pupi,Cd.ioh
rmsnngared, under the Signature OF Butts
mas ap5 calculated to reflect on Il. H.,
FIR & David Smedley, IN relation 10 a
". =; ;nsestipa,ion be6,re the Mayor, OF GER
fece1at; NV mai charges which had been
tan A lsS.d 1.oa,nst them. Feeling conscious,
pTeseH'oesu ~, of the falsehood OF the accusa-
Oh w had not wantonly and without
t'op' Wv Wv contributed TO wound The feelings
pe'nh,e the characters OF men towards
q To- have t,a hostility, and that had
VIZ I, LIED in clandestne manner, to attain
DO' ;sglsgaI object, il cannot be expected thai
90 ' ;ii Give sanction to the libel against me
~" y silence. A statement OF all The evil
~ which IVES given before the Mayor
c 5r"sfb;s sentence, would in themselves be
= cat ~. for my defence, and as B. 81 c.
sv'1,, ~ their publication against me chal-
Hs'g4 investigation, | might perhaps be
ra Ss HE in going every length necessary
%a dcyplopement olihe truth, but have
~ ~ nnly my own justification aud do not
y ~ N wound their feelings without re
oss% tc u therefore conhne myself to the
60, outlines of the Transaction.
love any judicial enquiry had been
~ ,anorts most untayerable 10 the mer-
NV" We reputation OF certain description
ofraders in The town, haa been 10 cifcuia-
~ ,; On itbecame the duty OF every one either
:, ,lS MI them down by proving their talsIty,
w.f;ftrue. 10 FIX the charges On those VINO
=. - gu;lty.--A clue 10 the discovery was
rSee;dentally acquired by me from persons
ss;4;ne m town VINO gave evidence before
.bo M9yor. Ii was important to ascertain
.Ss tmih-the subject was serious-the in
t s, might possibly be erroneous. The
sa,cyam,nSlion was therefore necessarily
...;rste but lot clandesine, HCr at late
r., n ihe night The same experiment was
80 bv o,hers-the result was the same
No,b;OS yss done to impair the accuracy OF
,Ss hal9nce--the examination was made on
Monday evening Inc 18th inst.--the scales
were no! altered during the whole OF the next
dav Tuesday No discovery was made,
mB & C.. inSinuate, OF the absence OF a
i,rre piece of plaster, weighing upwards OF
An nnunds. whica they are pleased to call
ne balance weight" belonging to " Ok
mres erected with oil possible accuracy, !"
On The 18th, and not on the day after The
examination, the sale and delivery OF the
plAister was made. which led 10 the Judicial
snqviry before the Mayor
Ire result of this enquiry before magis-
tate whose integrity aad capacity have been
always highly respected, was as follows -
A fine was imposed on B j. c. fro viola
tion OF law, which that magistrate did not
consider accidental--tha proof was given OF
more than Que such yiolatlon--that there was
no, only an inequality in the weights OF the
scales OF more than 60 pounds, but that a
further difference was produced By an ine-
Oualitg in the length OF the arms of the beam.
Sentence OF condemnation was therefore
passed by the Mayo, not only on the scales,
but on the beam also, and they were accord
ig!y Destroyed by tie proper officer.
This statement is not made with view OF
crim;n tine B. &C. but is intended as AREA
Is stated, Only torluy own defence, nor do
prete,, 10 draw for the public any Geduc-
ton lloin what has been stated
lance ROBERT HUME.