Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1838-03-22
uR. WISE'S ADDRESS.
TO MY CONSTITUENTS.

would elrdlv receive my yiudiratlan.
Judge me then; ysu have the tight. For what
-Murdcr ! M, All the false witnesses who pandci
10, passion prejudice could not convince you that
| | am murderer For lIshonor Worse than mur-
der The certificate OF Mt Cillcy's second will
sure YOU that he took not The leas, exception To my
course. For participating IN duel. then-nN owu
tina, of huolhcr-ai all fo, that y"u should Judge
me. That is my offence. | admit II aud all | eau
dare ash Is that yon will Judge me f,nly according
to thai public sentiment winch prevails among your
selves.
VIII, act as second for another where there was
no obligation 10 act There was an obhgn.
ton. never acted ~ second for friend but
| with two motives j; first, To he IN position 10 ne
eouc,lc In difference. # could second To guard
| hls honor and his life. II could mott felt bound
tn do tins Tor friend IN this Instance. especially
have been 10 situated ~ IL compel me 10 admu this
obligation; ior ~ have oiteu told you, my piocc-
ton, III the discharge Of my duties YOU here has
depended nponmy own trusty weapon aud y rusty
hend, upon whom have been daily liable To
call 10 discharge the same obligation TO me. Mr..
Graves is upon HON would havo called and
felt obliged 10 do ior Inn what would have called on
! Inn 10 do for me.
But, ,hough competent 10 guard hls honor and Ina
life competent To reconcile his dlarcnce II !,
sad that myself was hostile To his antagonist. II w
| may have been incompetent. But ! solcnnly deny
lha, was hostile 10 Nh, Galley. tod knows whether
d. MOI feel far mare sympathy ior him than many
|
sieht misunderstanding botwcen MS IN debate, which
passed of with ilc moment. and LETT not the trace oi
amnesty behind. True. there was never before or
acr that occas,on, any ntnacy between us, because
we were never acquainted; but ! was purely aud
proudly conscous al no malice towards that man. or
never could have consented 10 bear him 4 Challenge
llut hostile to hun or not, md though hostility
might have prompted t" ln'iir another 10 seek his
hic--dak aud deadly hate must that have been -
y-,--my conduct proves that did earnestly enlea.
] a.. Ia
cling his difference with my lncnd and the history
ui the tragedy proves that hot only |, but two Other
gentlemen, Unknown character aud standing, who
were never accused III hostility to INN, and who
might have ov~rrucd me by thrt voicts aud iniu-
encr, could not reconcile that difference. prevent
its result. That history now submit TO YOU, ~ |
shall detail il, under the solemn sanction al an oath,
IL a committee al Congress now investigating the
causes which led 10 Mr.. C,lry's death. The report
ot that committee viii seud 10 You ~ soon ~ II ~
made and printed. Tnis statement supp.,cs what
the Joint statement OF Nh. Jones and myself onits,
anl thai shch could not ruualn. hrcause he could
not youch for what aono OF other, Il,an himself
| knew. And send tins IN advance Of the report oil
the committee, arrest, III the midst OF cxranrdinary
excitement, that iuircnt al defamation winch Is now
pouring from the walls II the wrath oi those who
would dehg To destroy my reputation aud useful
ness ~ public servant. send II TO suspend your
Jndgln, nj uu,l can be full, heard. TO prevent you
from bushing Tor me, un am put TO shame by the
! tfuin stay your dh'II
fairly convicted by credible evidence.
/ STATEMENT.
The Hon jonathan Clllcy, late amrmbcr OF the
! H. Of Representatives., Tell III duel with The Hon.
Wm J. Graves. fairly fought between the hours Of
2 r. NJ ant! p. NJ. Saturday, the 2ih day of Feb,
1888 the challenge OF which he freely accepted,
aud the terms OF which. as 10 Tine place, weapons
aud distance lao himself, his friends Tor him. pre-
sciibed
4, to the causes which led to this duel, an not
the mos npetent witness. presume that Tie Hon
WIN. !. Graves himself can inform the committee
better than any else from The nature {" the case
OF the iIcls Influences winch operated on bin Ia
call Mr.. CIlcy Ia the held.
was wholly lsnor, NJ ol ilIe fact that Mr., q. bore,
or WAS about TO bear note from Col. Webb To
Mr. Cey. | never siw that note until the goth oi
Feb. Two day, after the duet. On the 2lst OF Feb,
! Mr. Graves formed me that he had borne note
to Mr.. c. from Col w, calling Tor explanations ]
rebal ed HIM ior having done So upon the ground
that his own previous relations with Col Webb,
did not Juslly the latter imposing upon HIM such
an office aud ITS responsibilities. lie rcphed that
Mr. C'ey had taken ''me to give h'n AN answer, and
we separated ati,ra very slrou interview.
Afterwards Nh. Graves called me out from my
scat tn. House, aud informed me thai he had seen
Mr CiIlcy again, aud then Tor the first time detailed
to me what MI. Clcy had SAID IN substai CT verbally
during their interviews That, III ''declnng 10 receive
the notr, nr hoped II would not be thought disre-
spcctiul 10 him, air Graves j that he declined on
the ground that lac could bc involved
IN personal difficulties with conductors OF public
Journals lor hat he had thought proper say III de-
bate upon the floor and dat he did not decline up
on any personal objections 10 Col. Webb as a gen
tIcman." Mr.. Graves asked whether ] thought that
answer satisfactory replied, that II certainly WIS
satisfactory thai the ieasons ior declining to r. ccye
the very prupei; that no more could be
ash ed and thai all be had 10 do TO return tllc
note L. Col. Webb. with this answer ot Mr. Cilley
lie SAID Mr.. CIeS's answer WAS verbal eiely that
To prevent any error III stating II 10 Col Webb, and
10 avoid all controversy with Mr.. CIty, IN regard
TO lis sub,ancc terms, he would scl hI:n to put II
II Writing. And he lett mr., ~ ] thought, Tor the
purpose of obtaining from Mr. C,Iley Il written
an. ser. returned TO my seat. and neither nor
heard any Of the interviews between Mr. CIlley aud
Nh Graves, do know when or where they &C
cured, OF what transpred at them, except what
have been since told by Nh. Graves.
/ On the morning of the cpd, Mr.. Graves Informed
m, that he had called Mr.. Ctliey, and requested
nm to put answer III wiring thai Mr.. CHley Had
requested HIM first address him CIR. CilIry) a
uote, mquirng oi hun hat he had sand that he
! had written him anote, Uhe FIST III then cor
respond, ncc,) AID handed il To tim person
and that answer he had received the first nofe OF
| Mr.. Cicy, which lie then exhibited TO me. Mr.
Graves was highly ncensed N the tenor o thus note,
4. ID confess that II greatly surprised me after what
| Mr.. Graves told me lie HAD SAID verbally IN the in
| te,yicws. Mr.. Graves regarded the notc--
| Flrsl a.: As denying Mhai he bad alleged TO his
friends Mr.. Cillty had sad to him III conveisa
non.
Secondly: As coItrm7tuons aud insulting to Col
Webb, whose uoic lie had borne.
! Fhitdly As placing NJ. Graves himself in til,
humratus attitude OF supphcalion 10 him tMr
Chey) To relieve him tAir Graves 10 n" an un
pleasant situation