The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1833-07-24
REV. f. X, AVERY.
SPENCER AFFIDAVIT.

passing "o"So e~SePs '" W."
+" diving men will catch at slraws." We
are fully aware that Avery's friends nre
determined that this deposition shall as
sumo Avery imposing attitude; andit VIII
doubtless have its effect with those who
are both willing desirous Of being deceiv-
ed, and who have the peculiar faculty OF
transforming a fatal into n happy delu-
sion. Bot to the affidavit.
We have the facts directly from MIR.
George C. Mason, himself, that on show
ing Spencer the letter which Orswell
swears he received of E. X. Avery, he
(Speucer) declared that the "color" OF
this letter Z" is not right" or the color IF
the letter which he received at Pawtuxet
and delivered on board the Fall River
boat ON tho 27lh Of December last. Yet
this same Spencer in affidavit declares
that "he has been shown by Mr.. George
C. Mason. the clerk Of the Supreme
Court, the letter produced to the court at
the trial Of Mr.. Avery, rs :he one hand
cd the engineer of the steamboat, and
the color and the appearance of said let
ter 10 the same az the one handed to him,
(Spencer) and which he put on board the
Fall-Riyer boat /" Spencer also declar-
ed to Mr.. Mason that he ''paid nothing"
for the carrying of the letter. 1t will be
recollected that Orswell received twelve
and half cents for the letter which he
carried---an amount double that which
the postage would have been; though
the person who handed the letter was
admonished repeatedly to place his let
ter in the post box.-But no so great
was this persons anxiety that tho letter
was literally forced upon Mr.. Orswell.
What motive could Spencer have to urge
his letter with such anxious determi ma
ton 4? Why did he not put it n the let
ter box aud il he had been so oversee
licifous about tho letter as to pay double
postage amount rather than it should 60
by post, would he not recollect so prom
mont circumstance 7 Spencer may
have delivered on board The Fall River
boat the 9th Nov. last, letter but it
is most prcpostcrous to attempt to ideu-
tify such letter with the one which Ors-
well received the latter part of Novem-
ber end which he knows to have receiv'
ed from E. X. .Avery-which was car
ried TO 3. M. Cornell-and which stands
directly connected with the other letters.
which were unquestionably the produc-
tions Of Avery. Even suspicion, which
so often assumes reality without shadow
of cause, never has for moment attach
ed itself 20 any other person than E. X.
Avery as being the destroyer Of s. M.
Cornell. Avery's own friends have new
or pretended that even suspicion ever
pointed to any other man-and their
bare defence is the fimsy pretext that
she committed suicide
The statements ,nnde by Spencer in
this town, and those made at East Green
wich to Nathan Whiting, are but mod
Icy Of contradictions-nullifying each o.
thcr without ever being submitted to
cross examination.
The Spencer story, perhaps, trumped
up for tho occasion, like its predecessor,
that Avery was about to tell another tale,
which should clear from NIL suspicion
that he was in any way implica-
ted in the correspondence or death
Of Miss Cornell.-Yet this declaration,
absurd and foolish In the extreme, was
hawkcd about by muzzlcd presses as
fict TINT should silence public opinion !!
though such opinion were founded on
circumstaniial demonstration! That
such announcement, should gain credit TO
any extent argues the most depIornble
ignorance and fanaticism. Did we not
know the superhumao power Of igno-
rance and its daughters superstition and
fanaticism. it had been incredible tha,
any press should have had the hsmeIess
hypocrisy to have added probability to
such absurdi'y, or that any could have
been 90 blind ms 60 have believed il.