Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-03-17
From the Petersburg MielA;gencer.
To VIM. B. GILES, of Wigwan

To VIM. B. GILES, of Wigwam.
Sniff there be any one individual
who knows you better than all the
world besides, it is him who now adj
dresses you. Ihave seen you in all the
simplicity of nature, and all the artlil'
ces of mani have seen you in your
most unsuspicious moments, when ma.
ture played at random, undisguised, and
unconscious of the eye that might be
looking OIL have seen your heart
uncovered and exposed, just as nature
made it; and l wish had not seen the
detormity it exhibited.
God forbid that necessity should
ever make it my duty, to tell the world
of the countless offences which have
been the fruits your moral turpitude;
yet beware how you provoke me. AT
present am in very good humor-yet
if you vex me my course may be chang
ed. You know that you have told me,
not only all the things which you ever
knew, but a thousand others ,chich you
neuer did kno,C. Yet be not alarmed,
confidence shall not be betrayed; and,
if had no other reason for silence:
your example, of blabbing every secret
which ever came to your knowledge,
would be sufficient: l am determined
never to follow any example set by you,
for your opposites are, virtue, truth and
integrity.
With our private concerns, the world
has nothing to do-you voluntarily and
unnecessarily placed yourself before
the public, in the odious character of
public accuser against a man, distin-
guished, at least, by his long course of
public service, and rendered venerable
by age. This, sir, is the ground which
you have selected for your con6gura-
ton, and l would gladly have been
spared the pain of departing from it
in this controversy; yet | will not be
So uncivil as to pass unnoticed the at
tention which you have been kind E.
nough to bestow upon me in the Intel
ligencer of the 4th instant.
Do not, | pray you, believe that /
feel at all excited or provoked at the po-
lite notice which you have taken of me.
So far from it, assure you that my
feelings towards you are quite as good
as yours are to,CardS Mr.. Monroe. This
will be all sufficient to convince you of
the high estimation in sohich Ihoid you.
You still continue your old tricks,
of publishing to the world the private
and confidential letters which you
may have received from those who un-
fortunately have called you friend.
Yorhave received some sad and i'm
pressive lessons for this outrage upon
confidence and decency, and wonder
you have not profited by them, so far,
at least, as to discontinue practice,
subjecting you to so many serious liza
bilities, and condemned by every homo
rable man.
Since, however, you have chosen to
publish an extract from letter, which
l acknowledge to have written, it may
be proper that l should say a few
words in relation to it, notwithstanding
my conviction that the good sense of
mankind does not require it, Some
trouble might have been saved me, by
publishing the ,chole letter-You COM
plain of Mr.. Peasants for not publish
ing the ,Uhole of what you said of Mr..
Monroe; may not with as much JUS
tice, complain of your garbling my
letter to you? But ifyou hadnot done
this, perhaps you would not have been
quite as comfortable in your feelings,
Indeed, sir, you ought noao to publish
the whols correspondence between us,
from January, 1929, to April, 1920,
and, upon inspection, shall be willing
to abide the judgment of all good men.
The extract which you have so tri-
umphantly published, requires neither
denial or explanation by me-the world
may take it, for precisely what it pur-
ports to be. tits certainly not such
paragraph as l would now frame, had
/ occasion again to address you. There
is nothing mysterious in this-all who
read will readily understand me.
doubt not but that you have let
tiers from many Of the great and good
men of our country, expressing them
selves as much in the "heroics' as the
writer ofyour extract debut can you
get such letters now? Every man is
good, until his bad qualities are disco
vered-But my attachment to you, Sir,
was always personal; I SAW much to
condemn in you as a politician in the
days of our greatest intimacy, and, if
you want proof, you will find it in the
journal of the house of delegates for
the sessions of 1912, 'l3, when you
were denounced by that body; thirteen
members only, voting in justification
of your political sins, and my name is
not enrolled amongst them, although
would have done much to palliate.
My own case of delusion towards you,
| is not the first Of the same kind which
has been seen although it may, per
haps, be the first out of which such bit