Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1828-08-02

Judge ofMe Circuit Courts of Tennessee.
1t will be observed that whilst Gen. JAG ks on
refers to the time of his retirement from the bench
to dlsprove the truth of the statement which he
was informed had been made, he explicitly denies
the truth otthe charge against himself indepen
IDENTITY of the circumstances detailed in connex-
ION with It, He pronounces it a" libel upon
his character" and "calumny and says,
nor do now believe that you who must be SO
well satisfied Of the falsehood contained in the
postscript of the letter referred to above as we'll
as the rectiudc Of my conduct since your acquaint-
ance 10Th me, could be so lost to virtue and to
truth as to have originated and put in circulation
so base calumny." A more full and uneouiyo-
cal denial ofthe criminality charged upon him. as
well as of the truth OF Williams story, could not
well have been framed
To this letter Williams makes the following re-
ply.
(Jadge Williams reply to Gen jackson '
SPARTA, Feb. 81, 1928
After copying from Gen. Jacksons Letter to
me, the report stated in his letter. l wrote as
follows
can very frankly deny ever having written the
letter spoken of by the gentleman who wrote you
from Washington, butt did write letter 10 a re-
laton of mine, at that time in Richmond The
letter, If seen, would show that it was designed as
confidential one. l do not at this time, recoI-
iect accurately what the letter did contain; be-
iieVe, though, can remember part, if rot the
who'e, OF what intended at the time, and I will
state 1t, as 1t is but just that what has been by my
means privately circulated, should be publicly "a
vowed under the necessities Of this case.
Some time after Burr had passed Nashville once
or twice. to the lower country. before Mr. Jeffer.
DrOCIamatiOn in rid
house to Nashville, Gen. Jackson, in reference to
that conspiracy, or what was afterwards called by
others a conspiracy, said TO me- 81 that could
II l would accept of it, obtain q commission OF
Captain"
Afterwards, during the sitting of the County
court OF Sumner, ut a-time when Patton Ander.
son told me that either Burr or Adar. or both OF
them, were at Gen. Jacksop's house, in room OF
tavern then kept by Edmund Crutcher, General
Jackson said to mel think Judge Stuart was
then IN the room" luke notice, gentlemen YOU
VIII lind that a division ofthe United States has
| taken deep root; you will find that number OF
| the Senate, and a number Of the members Of the
house oil Representatives are deeply in, oycd in
| the schemel
am not certain that the above was contained
| IN my private letter to Mr.. Nathaniel Kerr; but
as nave made these statements privately, il is
but Just that should now avow them.
am In hopes, sir, that this letter will be atoqe
ther satisfactory to you, for, Gen. Jackson may be
assured (the presidential question aside, no man
can ieei more bound to Gen. Jackson than nv
self, for the great honor conferred by him on nv
| country. NATH. w. WILLIAMS
(Copy)
GEN ANDREW JACKSON
ihis letter whilst il was prepared e TO a.
void asserting directly or by necessary inference
that the writer had not informed his correspond
ent, that his conversation with Gen. Jackson took
place on his applying to the latter to examine him
Tor license, is manifesty so worded as to convey
that impression to those who read it. The letter
70 herr, we have never But we have beard
1t spoken of by many-as we'll in Richmond when
| 1T was first exhibited, as elsewhere .since-by
some who had seen it, and some who had not
and up to the time of Judge Williams publica.
ton, we had always heard its purport represented
IN the same manner, and to the best of orr recoI.
lection, the conversation uniformly described as
having taken place at Gen. Jackson's house or
Williams applying to him for a license. Now
Judge Williams seems TO deny that such was hi.
| statement, and we are told by those who sustain
and profess to believe him, that his letter did MOI
contain It, 1t gentlemen who have seen that let
ter make that assertion, we cannot disbelieve
them But then the enquiry Immediately pre-.
sents itself, how did it happen that an avowed
conjecture" of Mr.. Kerr's (for such we arc now
informed from several sources, was its character
came to be represented by the very gentlemen
who heard 1T, in the very place that it was expires
sed, and we imagine the very day of its utter.
ance, as the solemn affirmation of Jude Williams
and has been so repeated and circulated for six
months. What are we to think of party who
| IT their explanation be true, convert :" coniec.
ture" into proof-circulate it as evidence estab.
fishing a criminal charge against him whom they
oppose, and are at length induced to confess its
real nature, not from any lingering sense Of JUS
tice but to skreen the character Of their witness
The defence may possibly avail Willams-it as
suredly deeply eliminates others. If however
those concerned be ambitious Of the honor which
such an explanation unavoidably confers on them
it becomes not to dispute their title to it. But
We willendeayour to show that thouoh they cIa i'm