Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1842-10-13
FROM fhe Richmond Wig.
TnE ATRoCIoUs PLor."

I'd letter may have upon certain gentle
man Of weak nerves and very advanced
age. But he has called for the iDforma.
lon so often and so Justify, that we feel
no authority 10 withhold II, whatever may
BIS the consequences. Probably the de.
yelopmeni may throw him into convul-
sioDs but we trust il will have no more
serious effect, than 10 make him mount
bis corn stak horse, and prance down the
street tins mofniDg, to show the world
that he is still boy lie may be hoax
ed and hambugged, and bnbbled and DID,
dled--but te is still alive and kicking. II
Mr.. French and Emma, and Amy and
Wallace Ben, would come out now, and
confess thai they too have been lampenng
with the creduiity Of this veteran hum
bugger, aod playing off upon hun some
OF the tricks which he has been so long
playing off upon others--the farce would
be complete. May We call upon those
estimable personages to show their hanis,
and, by few dexlrous " counterpasses, "
throw off the fluid and disenchant the
"antient sleeper" 1t will be cruel in
them to keep him spell-bound any longer.
Come jimmy and Emma, and Amy and
Ben, be generous, and dissipate the iogs
which enyelop the Uranium Of your deud-
ed friend.
Blu, To the EXPLOSION oil the " Afro
cious Pho, p We presume the following
letter from the author Of It will do thas.
When the details Of the plot were publish
ed-withou, knowing any moro OF them
than the publlc--we set them down as
imaginary, and we threw out an intiIna-
ton TO tina, eifect-which has been repeat
ed more than once. But they were all
thrown away upon the editor Of the In.
gu rer. In for penney, IN Tor pouno'
He had made himself ridiculous about
mesmeflsm, aud he seemed determined 10
make an ass of himself about every thing
else. tie went il with perfect rush, and
he has caught il glorlousiyl
sfhe oi gentleman referred to. is sa'i to be IN
the h-b at riding corn-stalk steed, and 'urp. 81
ioy ali The children in The exefcisebs object be-
ing L. prov. that he is still bog. corHsfafk'edf
eaaestri4nisn.. however, pertains to children, and
not 4, bogs. Note the diversity.
TO The Editor of the Richmond Whig:
DEAR SIN Thinking the play has
been played out, re-enter to drop the
curtain and speak the eplIogue.
Relieve Mr.. Rncbie's horror by the as
surancc that there was no steamboat, no
conspirators, and no plot.
The whole story was fiction, concert
ed here. between our friend, Maj. B'F'
aud myself, aud the object SIMPLY to a.
muse ourselves for day or so with the
specula,lons of the press. The letter of
A. B., to which mine was in reply, 10 IN
his handwriting, and was sent to Rich.
mpnd to be mailed TO me, and where II
was mailed accordingly.
signed the story, merely to give 1t
greater air of probability, for which | sup
pose II is excuse enough that there was
no injury intended agains, any human be-
Jug, nor could it produce any. ny Hor-
ncv's rule, fiction is ever allowable, when
it stops short Of this point.
|, was intended TO discover the truth IN
n dav or two at first, but the uproar be-
came so great, and The farce, TO those IN
the secret, so fall Of enjoyment, that It
was determined to let II proceed Tor some
time. In particular, MIR. Ritchle's mount.
Ing his s,eed twice week, to give oa't'e
TO the phantom, with vlzor closed aud
lance IN resi-, was so like Don QniXote's
encounter with the wind mills, that could
no, refuse myself the amusement OF the
soec,scle. His laborious efforts to make
party c pl,a out Of the =" Atrocious fiot,
and above all 10 screen himself BY It's
mpaps from the ridlcule of the Mesmerlan
imposturc, (as call it upon your au'horI'
to, knowing nothing of II myseif) were
entertaining 10 a high degree.
And | cannot bu, adj, Mr.. Editor, that
thought you displayed good deal OF
alacrty in getting out OF what you thought
the bad scrape of the plot, by your re-
peated and valiant charges upon the mes
merisn humbug. You thought 1t 6"d-
send to divide attention with the plot,
while MIR. Richie rolled the plot as
sweet morsel Under his tongue, rare
piece OF luck for helping him out oil the
mesmerlan mire.
As to the injury to the Wing cause, be-
sides that have better opinion OF that
cause than to believe it liable to injury
from any one mans opinions or extrava-
gance, had the means of repairing any
it might sustain at any moment, by dts
closing the Truth. was sorry you had
lost even one subscriber, but knew that
loss would be temporary.
hope you will pardon me for mystily-
ing you and your readers, as do you
and them, for thinking it true that could
have been in earnest in drvlsing plan TO
kdnap the Chief Magistrate. an expedient
SO Intellectual Cor redress'ng the grievance
imagined, aud so certain TO plunge the
country into civil war.
One view had besides that OF day S
amusement. 1t was to call the attention
OF the legislative power to the extreme
effectiveness Of the election laws; a pur'
pose which the agitation caused by the
"Plot" defeated. do not in the least
dpubt, that some day or other, serious
consequences will ensue from that cause.
do believe that it Chief Magistrate
should be intruded into the Presidency by
fraud, commotions would follow. Let
me ask the Editor of the Enquirer II, two