Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-07-23
NlNIAN EDWARDS.
Remar&s suJm.tiea 6v ar. Ea,,.,,s

| A's"'sS'hS Suomtded by Mr.. FORSYTH
hen, on the 10th Junea question was pro
posei TO Col. Benton, touching the genera, cha
'acter OF Ninian Edwards, m4th a view to sbo,
nun unworthy of belief, the committee said tia
."'' question was pressed, and the opposit,
party asked for delay to enable him tn nrt,,,,s
testimony to defend his Character. if woulJ h,
granted and, as Mr.. Cook, acting for Mr.. Ed
wafds, distinctly stated that he should want TO-
.''"ony from The western country, to avoid f,r
ther delay the question was waived. The com
uiittee now say, that certain papers brourl,
rom t-dwaidsville, 10 be used us evidence Inv
Ni'iian Edwards, are not onIy authcn,icatcl
anu as they aie deemed by him important. mn.
less they are admitted as evidence, time will be
uhowcd TO enable him to procure a proper au.
thcntication of them. With the same ,u,t;,,c
t,ia' prevented the question proposed TO CoIono
ncn'on from being pressed consent is nov
gwen that these papers should DC received. I'm,
IL Is proper that the character of these papcrs.
inc motives Tor producing them, and all the tes
"',,o"y reiat'ng to them, should be examined
1 nc papers to which this consent applies arc
hye IN number; TO each of which is attached an
ahiavit OF homas Lippincott, taken before a
Jus''ce Oh tne peace, VIZ: copy of letter from
Viz. Crawford to the Receiver of EdwardsyiIJe
OF ooth OF August, 1919. ID. A copy of n
iettcrtroin Mr.. Crawford, OF the 1st of Novcm-
Der, 1919, to the Receiver. Sd. A COPY of n
paper which was folded i'll the letter of the Ist
OF November. 4th. \ copy of a paper dated tho
l2thtOctobcr, 1919 neither directed nor signed
OUT hieu away, and endorsed with these words ::
copy TO the Treasury Department October.
i6l9." 9th. Copy of letter of 22d October
1919, signed by the Receiver of EdwarlsyilIe
and directed to the Secretary of the Treasury
ihc hrst and second of these papers We're com
tnunicated to the committee by the Secretary !;
the others are not officially certified by the OIL
Ger whose business and Int ic IN,
copies OF the papers which belong to his office
The aiiidayit OF Lippincott has been preferred by
Mt: Edwards to, the official certificate; and he
IS presumed, was perfectly aware that such an
aihuaslt was Insufficient To make the copy to
WHICH 1t might be attached evidence. The tes-
tl.nony OF LiPplncott was preferred also, to that
Of a pcrson Oswald DUNN who preceded Mr.
Edwards to " ashn9tO1i, and who might have
tesihed after examining the copies and originals
that the copies produced were copies of papers
IN the o:iice of the Receiver of EdwardsyiIIc
Inns preference was obviously given, that the
aindaVits might shew IN whose hand writing the
papers In the Office were written. The hand
writing of each Is shcwn by Lippincott, cxccpt
the paper with the date Of October, II, 1919.
ny me testimony OF Ninian Edwards given most
reluctantly, 1t is now known that that paper is
iis own work, in fact obviously intended to be
concealed, and to which concealncnt i,icniucoti
lent himself, II he was, il Is presumed he was
acquainted with MIR. Edwards hand writing.
Even were he not acquainted with il, il will be
seen by the ahdavits that this paper is the ONLY
one the hand writing ofthe original of which tho
aIldaylt attached to 1T, does not go to assert ill.,
The original letter of the LIST of November is
said to be in the hand writing of Mr. CrawforI
that OF the 9th OF August, ola cic,k: and signed
by Mr.. Crawford; the paper folded in the letter
Oh Inc lst OF November, in the same hand writ
ING as the letter of Mr.. Crawford of the CT, of
August; the letter signed by MIR. Stephenson.
ofthe 22d of October, in the hand writing 4 Mr..
Stephenson. The explanation of ibis difference
in the affidavit, is found in the fact disclosed by
Mr.. Edwards, that The paper from which, that
BOW offered was copied, was the work of his own
hand. The affidavit Of Lippincott, that the
copy offered is true copy of that paper now on
file, is con.radicted by the testimony of Mr..
Edwards. There is an understanding in the
copy, aud, IN the original, none. Mr. Edwards.
although he never remembers TO have seen the
underscoring, before he saw it before the com
mittee, states, that before the affidavit was atfix-
cd, he or IippiDcott must have UNDERSIGNED n
particular part of it; which understanding, max
ing emphatic particular sentence, brought the
copy somewhat nearer than the original to the
description given by Mr.. Edwards, IN his a(fida-
Wit of 1928, of the letter of Mr.. SteLhenson
The oath of Mr.. Edwards was, that the purpose
Of Mr.. Stephenson, IN writing the letter was to
enclose the publication of Mr.. Edwards of the
18th of September, 1919, and that he (ATr. E.l
prevailed on him to write it. The letter pro-
duced, refers to the publication as enclosed, but
does il incidentally, as circumstance of no par
tcuar Importance and the agency Mr.. Ed
wards allejgcd he had i'll procuring ii to be writ
ten, is not stated, nor is there any allusion to
the advice he declares nc gave to Mr.. Stephen
son. to withhold all further dcpostcs until he rs-
ccivcd the order of the Secretary. Mr.. Ed
wards now states, that this advice was given 10
prevent, not immediate, bat future remote dan
ger, while the paper produced by hm, IS the
copy Of that letter written by himself, states, "a
from the Receiver, that 'bc would not wish to
risk the responsibility OF making the dcposites
in the bank, until after toe first Of January next
1920, without your Instructions, given upDn Il
knowledge of the facts above disclosed - OF
which facts the course Mr.. Edwards was dieDos-
ed to pursue, was one the least important ~ it.
character. The peculiar manner IN which the
AFFIDAVIT is drawn, deserves notice. Tie paper
! now produced is intended to prove that MIR
! Stephenson wrote the letter in 1919, described
| by Mr.. Edwards, aDi that he gave the advice
he stated Inc gave to Mr. Stephenson an as pre-
snmp,iyc evidence that his publication, and TIL,
letter. were sent 10 tho Secretary Of the Treasury
For these purposes it IS necessary that it shoul.
appear that the original, from which 1t IS copied
! should haze been always j the Office OF the lie
ceiycr since 1919, AL was obviously preserve,
/ as an Official document. While the othors are
n ordinary form, tie afFlavit~ Of LippiDcott, or
his paper, is Of studied an singular phtaseoiogy
sstl,st the original was found by him on The HE
Of Official letters, appertarning to and no'o IN
i fhc Receiver; Office AZ Edwarjsyilc: Phraseo
lo.ry yvhi-l, r1Yijes that the dePonent knew ina
n,n files of Official letters in winch nc found IN
or;r;n,I nopcr. although belonging to, bad bee