The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1838-09-26
SOME CONSIDERATIONS RESPECTING
THE LATE DUEL.

~
guished I" Doetor,' ph0 "huss near ricer
called the Little Miami, into ThieA there
emptiss a creek called Sycamore, ,nho fishes
in The riper, and ,chose boy catches mtano1s
in Me, creek Jsr bait" IS particularly iiius-
trafed. tt5 tr
IA is intn.ated . that there sa reluctance the part
Of those who him and his associates, to give
the facts the public We respond by publishing tho
report and all the statements and evidences by the
parties concerned Washington Globe, 27rh July.
We have always scrnpulously forborne 70
speak in any manner Of the late unfortunate
occurrence which terminated in the death Of
Mr.. Cilley. We preferred to wait until the
excitement of the period had passed away,
and the public mind had become disposition
ate and tranquihzed, before yenluring. if we
ventured at all, upon directing the general
attention to circumstances calculated to affect
the public judgment on the case, or TO illus
trate the relative responsibility Of parties con-
cerned or implicated in il. The time has now
arrived when impartial Justice. and the moral
sense Of the community, demand all the in
formation we are capable of imparting, and
which il is due to truth TO give, in aid Of the
deliberations Of the people.
The Report, Statements and evidence
presented to the House of Representatives on
the 2lst Of April, by the Committee Of In
vestigation, Ho of Reps. doc. No. 1851 we
do not think have ever been spread before the
country, except in very limited extent, in
document form, The response pretended
to be made by the Globe, in the extract above
quoted, was never, we believe, fully made
only portion Of the evidence, &C., being
published. We have been recently called
upon, (being Printer to the House, in various
ways, by people at distance, to supply the
deficiency in part, and put into an accessible
form, certain other portion, not less interest
ing thaa thai which pleased the taste Of the
Globe. We refer to that portion which illus
tra,es the part enacted by an individual who
came here to discharge his responsible duties
as Representative, with rifle "made by his
direction,p in ",Hamil,on county, Ohio" and
other "suitable arms necessary for his per-
sonal defence"
In Introducing that branch Of the evidence
reported by the Committee, we must take the
liberty to express our solemn conviction, de-
rived from careful and dispassionate exam
inaton of the whole Report, that, had that
individual with his g Hamilton county" rifle
and other /" suitable arms" been unknown to
this transaction, the duel never would have
taken place. T.
We begin our quotations with the follow
inc extract from Mr.. Grares' statement, taken
before the Committee, detailing his own
knowledge of the case from its beginning to
the challenge. We wish the reader to bear
in mind the following sentence: "Shortly
after the dtlioery Of my mite (frs. note) sa,o
Mr., CiAey leaue the Hall in company NTH DR..
Duncan" p 1913: and remark that, there was
no difficulty or difference, between Messrs.
Graves and Cilley until after this ominous
sign.
MR.. GRAVES'S STATEMENT
Imet with Col j. w Webb on his recent visit to
Washington, for the first time, in few minutes af-
ter the meeting of the House, in the Representatives.
chamber on the day delivered my first note in the
published correspondence and interchanged with him
only the usual salutations of acquaintances and left
him for another part of the chamber. Shortly alter
wards he approached me and asked word with
me; westepped behind one OF The screens Whereupan
he said he had favor 10 ask of me. lreped 1t would
afford me pleasure 10 render any service in my pow
err without ever thinking of any thing IN relation to
a personal difficulty. He then remarked that the
favor he proposed 10 ask the delivery of note
rrn, h;r,f Mr. uyhtC he ed n
paused an instant, and he remarked ii was not
challenge, and either read or asked me to read it,
then replied that had great aversion to getting
concelned in personal difficulties but that supposed
no unpleasant consequences could arise Out OF my
delivering the neie and l told him would do it,
! proceeded few steps towards MT Cilleys seat,
and asked one ofthe pages 10 inform Mr. Ciley that
| desired to see him. On the reception OF my mes
,e he Immediately LEFT his seat and met me behind
a screen near where he sitting; when remark
ed TO him that Col. Webb had requested me 10 de-
liver to him note which held in my hand he re-
pled that he could not receive the communication;
that he had learned that morning from friend, that
Colonel Webb had been making attack upon him
in his paper and that he did not wish 10 get into col
ll>iuu with him. To this | remarked that l had read
the communication before l had consented TO bear
il that IT was respectful note, asking Of him
whether he was correctly reported in the Globe In
what he was there represented TO have said o him in
debate in the House Of Representatives, the 18th
OF February: that hoped he would receive the
note as refusal might deyolve on me an unpleasant
responsibility. To this he replied that ne hoped
would not consider his refusal dsrespecitul to me;
that he declined to receive the communication solely
upon the ground that he could not allow himself to
be drawn into personal difficulties with the conduct
ors OF public journals for what he might consider it
his duy to say in debate, as representative of the,
peoples that he said nothing against Coi:Wtbra as a
gentleman; that he bad no acquaintance with him,
and, q think he added had never seen him. To
this remarked that he had the right to regulate his
uwn course; but that seemed 10 me it would be pro-
per to receive the note, and to adopt such ultetior
course as upon reflection, his judgment migh indi-
cate; by which would be relieved from most