Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-01-17

heart IN the face of s,en like John u. Adams an
John SareeanI." may remark here, "par parer
hete,' that the relations of late years bctwee
MeSSrs. Wise and Adams, have been friendly an
: more than cor;ial, and that MIR Wise hrs married
daughter OF the other gnn'lcmnn, 50 they at Leaf
j don'i Wow his conduct in the same light thu, in
writer sees IT. The writer closes his climax by te
hog us that, upon this occasion MIR Wise was abor
ito n;d to his fame ducllis, the lautels OF a
II assassin"
The audaci,y and hardihood display in this in
correct statement vi fics relating to tho examino
,on OF Whitney, IN the very face OF the ,cstimon
n upon which the statement is founded, is without
J. parallel In this hacyon day OF nudacity and false
. hood Appealed TO this detail OF supposed facts
n found note by Nc Wise, exploiting the affair as
" transpred before the committee, and givin: tru
and satisfactory for the part he bore in tina
4, Transaction The first sentence which begins tina
note, stamps tho narration Just recited, with wiliu
u and Deliberate iolsehccd. So i'r from exhibiting
d Whitney as an injured and insued man, nssaiel
without provocation, and his life endangered with
out cause, he is shown to stand IN the attitude o
defiance and aggression. and has. before any Insult
offence appears 10 have been given hin, inSultcc
the committee Ivy his contumucv, and MIR PoytCn
more particularly, Ivy his insolcnt language. From
the victim he becomes the accuser. The note al
verted to. opens thus: "Nr Peyton addressing the
Chairman o tho committee eNclaims, Il wish YOU
distinctly 10 inform the witness he nsul, M,
here" Wnn, is the natural the unavoidable in
ference TO bc drawn from this eNpreSsonl Tha; Mr.
Peyton had been iusultci ny the witness in the first
instance; and the "note" shows 1t. And yet is this
the impression which woui remain upon the
mind ot one who had read this article or that por-
ton Oft which relates to this occurrencel Tn
i doubleday not. Nor did the writer intend such in,
preston should bc made. A 10 who commence the
perusnl Of this defamatory article will finish its the
scandal dressed in piquani style will sui, the taste
ct aI;-lt IS pleasant thing to hear ncishbors
abused and vilhlieG, though IL cannot shake our
good opinion Of them. But who will trouble himself
10 read 'noc, when the 'ar,ico" itself relates
cuuences with such vraismb1nce q, TO render an
explanatory note ucnCccSsaTyl The conventional
I understanding mas always been. that whenever On
occurrence OF peculiar novelty enormj,y is rec,cd
note. illustrating the text furnishing additional
evidence OF the truth OF the circumstance detailed
appended which is rarely read because of this itn.
pied understanding. That fuch n note should
contain matter ana Substance, contradictory of the
statement IN the original. is never conceived. Here
again. we have another olhese iraudu and knav-
lSh tricks psaciised upon confid,ns and unsusni-
cious public, by this rerdciouS critic. second in
stance OF insnoerlty aud disngcnuousncss is here
displayed, demonstrating more clearly the sole pur-
pose OF the writer; u indiie an article whether
false or f''thtu. was Of secondary importance Thus
having directed attention this mote we trUSt i;
may he read, that all shall he satisfied with Mr..
Wise's conduct upon the OCCASION advettcd to- and
hnd ample cause, M the insulting lnsoicnce and ME
nacins attitude ct Whitney. to vndicac him from
the charge OF brutality and inhumaniiy
WITH reference TO his other "cxp'oii the feunda.
ton OF his fame as a bully the duel between him
sell and Mr. Coke, suffice it that We show one mis-
represen'aton--"Er psae Hcfcui;m." |, is said
tina Mr. Wise "plauici bullet in the sie of Mr.
Coke" Alr Coke WAS shot in The elbow of tho
right arm-hs body was untouched MIR Wise
was the challenged party, ana fought IN sclf.defence
These gentlemen were reconciled shortly after and
reciprocal esteem is the result of the contest.
We now a9ncoach the grand c'imoc.erie of Mr.
Wise's crimes: that act which, in the chaste Inn.
suaSe ofths writer, made "his reputation stink in
the nosluls OF all n,er": the duel between Graves
ami CtleY. The history Of this affair, volunteered
as j. by this wiiier, r surplsses any other fiction
which has fallen from his prolific pen. Without
data to PALATE or uphold, u stands reekirg with
tsshooi, and iotierins to Its fail. No opnor,uoi,v
is given to expose ITS discrepancies by CONTRASTING
truth with si'y, being flilacious thruu-hout-a
mere tissue Of iabricaons; def.cs analysis, and
laughs at detection. We pronounce upOn i, our
general, sweeping condemnation and chalience
proof o one single sentence Il contains. Il is need
'rsS 70 piO.Ons this review upon reyieS by re
heaEsins the facts flhs, affair they actually ex
st-A reference 10 the history al the times will salts
~ the most skepi;al, tha on the occasion alluded
10, MIR. W ise was more "siraCi against than sin
nns;" and after the hfsl outburs OF horror and in
Gisn',ion was over Inc public did him ample JUS
tlce 10y acqulttln9 him of oi. ane. None amented
more then he did Tie tragic terminate n OF that At.
far-no one .aoourcG more assiGuous to arrest IL
We nave now touched upon the principal exam
as adtueed, as aiiO'dnc fair indi-a form an es.
innate o tie character Of Mr.. Wise Ard while
he IS perhaps more subject 20 ccnsure for thought
iessness and haste OF speech and action, than anv
other statesman in The country we ask confidently
OF his hi;erest and most relentless foe has this sar
tice" or Is author done him jlstcs1 On the con-
irary hss not THIS writer. with mllisniiy Of heart
tina places him upon l.vel with the triumyir,te
Of the French Revolution. dei.mei and nsuIted one
whose services 70 the nation lr outweigh the faults
and error INTO which an mpeiuosiiy of disposition
and warmth of temperament have ! times BETRAYED
him! Then what position docs this hreling scfib
bier hold, this Ass in Lions clothing whose boast.
ful bhyng has betrayed him7 Is ne lust. candid or
honesti Has he not been seen TO possess no one of
these attributes. What merit has hei lis style is
pompons, verbose, and MS .'ses1uipeJada yerb,m
conceal his iilsehoods quite as successfully as the
tattered garment of Diogsnes concealed his vanity
from the eye Of the obseryant. Catching the tone
and purionng the aphorstic and antiheiic style of
the English reviews he adopts the advice Of noble
poe