Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-11-23
"FareVeh my friends, fareweH my foes,
MY peace 10 These, my lore 10 Mose,'
DEATH or THOMAS pJ-r1,rIrU

our painful duty to the public the death
OF Thomas Richie. Esq. Senior Editor of the En-
quirer- This great event took place on Sunday
evening last, about 9o'clock, p. NJ. The following
is bref but authentic narrative of the causes and
progress oft the malady which terminated in this me-
lancholy catastrophe.
For some months Mr.. Richie had been i'm
dropping and languishing condition. This was first
observed by his friends. after the oath Febru-
airy last, when the Congressional Caucus was held
lin the City of Washington. Mr. Richie was an
ardent patriot and the abortion of measures, upon
which he supposed the salvation of the Republic
depended, preyed upon his spirits, wasted his
strength, and sapped the foundation of his consti-
tuition. Like the celebrated Lucius arey after
the commencement % the great civil war between
Charles the fst and his Parliament, he was never
seen to smile more; or if he smiled il was the me-
lanchoiy and unmcaning smile of mental absrac-
ton. The Impending fate of the Republic was the
constant tenant of his thoughts, and the sing
theme OF his tongue. Lattefly, he embraced the
OPINION that the people We're their worst enc
miles,, and. in their defeat of the Caucus, he
saw evidence of the truth of the doctrine, and the
hafbinger of the final overthrow of the Constitu-
ton. The mournfni exclamation, o my country.
burst frequently from his lips. in tones SO oorous
as proved that 1t came from the heart. His ap
pearance indicated the effect that his patriotic soii-
citude had upon his heath and his 'smortal COLI
shrunS and attenuated to the most lilliputian di-
mansions. He had taken up odd and whimsical
notion, not unlike that of the Egyptian astronomer
described by Rasselas, who firmly impressed
with the idea that his personal superinterdance wa
required To hold the aud in their spheres,
and make them discharge their diurnal duties to the
worlds which they lighted up. Mr.. Richie was no
less confident that his personal superintcndance
essential to confine the and planets of sys-
tenn within their constitutional orbits. We regret
to say that this honest, bat chimercal opinions en-
oIttcred his last moments aud occupied much of
those last thoughts, which ought have been devo-
ted TO God, and the of his soul What will
my country what will the world do without mel
was the absorbing reflection, when he saw the era-
dual approach of death. 1t was in vain that his
friends reasoned upon the vanity of such an idea
in vain they reminded him that the orde sand affairs
of the world depended upon the life of an indi-
vidual, and that even the dea I'll of General Wash
iugton had not impcded the prosperous march of the
Republic-the poor gentleman in condition
to hear reason. Don Quxotte, his dcath-bed,
recanted the Ct chivairy, but Mr.. Richie, on
his, chung to his mistake with fond and increas-g
tenacry. His disordered Imagination anticipated
all the horrors of anarchy when the pcrv aiding nu-
ence of the "EnqureI" should be extnguished in his
death. His delirium conjurcd up the most aupall-
ing and opposite fancies. At one moment he saw
the States losing all subordnatom, disorganizng the
Union, and setting up separate and independent go
vefnments-at another, tile General Government
absorbing all power, and 'rushing into consolida-
ton. estate Rights" "the Sovereignty of the
r-oi-, .rnc Integrity Of the Constitution 'sthe
doctrines of 49,, sMadisons Report" all were an
initiated in this general .wreck of matter, and
crush of worlds All this he predicted would come
to pass after his death.
With such stupendous fancies brooding incossant-
ly III his mind, it Is wonder that he made rapid
advances 10 the gates of Death During the last
days of his Illness of his opinions underwent
the most extraordinary change. AT one time, he
was extremely alarmed at the idea Of the President
being chosen by The House of Representatives. He
dreaded n Of such another scene as tina
and Ru,r nd hat
it would not lead to immediate dissolution of the
Union To prevent this, he strenuousiy advocated
the Caucus, aud the nomination of Mr.. Crawford.
But when il became certain, that M. Crawford
could not be elected by the people, all his eff
forts were directed to prevent them from making
any choice. He was now, as solcitous that the
election should devolve Congress, as ne was be-
fore, that it should be made by the people. Perhaps
it would not be difficult prove from this, that a II
i've cared about the election of his man-ihat il
was WIN. ". Crawford he wished to serve, and not
the Constitution the country Bot "let us tread
lightly the ashes of the dead'-a md under the i'm
fuence of the humane maxim, "de morfuis, nitiL
',ist 6onnn," let charity hide what would
discover.
For several days Mr.. Richie was kept alive by
the stimulus Of anxiety. To hear from New York,
North Carolina, and Ohio, was Ills last wish. His
friends began hope that cheering from those
States might revive him, and even restore him to
health again. Vain hope! and evanesccnt vain.
On Saturday night NJ Van Buren, wrote that all
"except honour," and four electors, were lost in
New York. On Sunday night, il was ascertaned,
that North Carolina had abjured the Caucus. Ii
seemed that the spirit of Mr.. Ritchie only fingered
10 carry these disastrous tidings TO Heaven II fled
Immediately upon their annunciation refusing, like
Patrick Coutts, to wait FOR news from Ohio.
"The eCH H,dfm do, Loes after them;
The good, is off inferred iCiHthteir bones"
SO let it mol be with MIR. Richie. We have
shewn that he fell victim to his patriotism. Let that
be remembered, when bis tergiversations forgot