The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1847-12-02
lAJOR ANDRES DEPRNCE.

| Ae'0ssoSs' NSusc tuc 81. Louis OTg0u,
who seems to DO fortunate in the posses.
sion OF sundry curious old papers and 9th.
or memorials Of the past, as we'll rs CORES.
ponding knowledge aud memory, has fur.
nished for tho columns Of that piper doc
utncnt which VIC do not remember to have
over seen before-thc defence Of Major
Andre before the Court which condemned
him to death as spy. We have no doub,
that il will be read with lively interest by
many:
81 come," he said, ito hold a communi.
cation with general officer Of tho Amcri.
can army, by the order Of my own com.
mandcr; entered the American lines by
on unqucstionnblc authority, when passed
from them il was by the same authority.
used no deception. had heard that a
provincial officer hid rcpcnted ofthc course
he had taken, and that he nvowed that he
never meant TO 90 SO far rs he had gone,
in resisting tho authority Of the King.
The British commander was willing TO
extend to him tho Kings clemcncy-yea,
his bounty, in hopes to allure others to do
the same. mads no plans. examined
no works. only received his commune
cations and was on my way to return to
tho nrmy, and to make known all that !
had learned from general officer in your
camp. lsthis the Office Of spy9 never
should have acted in that light, and what |
have done is not in the nature Of spy.
have noted neither your strength or your
weakness. II there be wrong in the trans
saction, is il mine? Tho Office of a spy o
soldier has right to refuse; but, to carry
and fetch communications with another mr.
my, never heard was criminal. The cir
cumstances which followed, after my in.
tervicw,wlth Gen. Arnold, were not in, my
power 10 control. lilo alone had tho man.
agcment Of them.
Il is said that rode in disguise. rode
FOL. security incognito, rs far rs was able
but other than criminal deeds induced me
to do this. was not bound to wear nv
uniform any longer than it was cxpcdicnt
or polite. Iscorn the name Of spy brand
my offence with some other title, lift change
not my punishment, beseech you. II is
not death fear. am.buoyed above i, by
q consciousness Of having intended To dis
charge my duty in an honorable manner.
Plans, il is said, were found with me-
Yet must tell you honestly that they would
have been communicated If | had not becn
taken. They wcro sent by Gen. Arnold
to the British commander, and should
have delivered them. From the bottom Of
my heart spurn the thought Of attempting
to screen myself by eliminating another |;
but 80 far rs am concerned, the truth shall
be told, whoever suffer. Il was tho olle-
gianco Of Gen. Arnold thu, came out to
secure. Il was fair TO presume that many
a brave officer would'be glad ut this time
to retrace his steps; Mt least we have been
90 informed. Shall who came out to nc
gotiate At this allegiance only, be treated
as one who came to spy out the weakness
Of camp? lfthese actions are alike
have to learn my moral code anew.
Gentlemen, officers, be il understood that
am no supplicans for mercy; that | ask
only from Omnipotencc-not from human
beings. Justice il all that I clain.-.hat
Justice which is neither swaycd by prciu-
dice nor distorted by passion, but that which
flows from honorable minds directed BY vir.
tuous determinations. lhcar, gentlemen,
that my case IL lkencd to that Of Captain
Hale, in TITS. have heard Of him and
his misfortunes. | wish that in oil thnt
dignifcs man, that adorns and elevatos hu-
man nature, | could be named with that &C.
complished but unfortunate officer. His
fate was hayward, and ultimately was he
cut of, yet younger than | now am. He
went out knowing that he was assuming
the character Of spy. lilo took all its lia.
bilitics into his hands, at the request
Of his great commander. lfe was ready Il
meet what he assumed in all its consequent
ecs. His death the law Of nations sane.
toned. It may be complimentary to com.
pare me with him, still il would be unjust
He took his life in his when he assumed tho
character and disguise. assumed no dis.
guisc, nor took upon myself any other char.
ccier than that Of British officer Who had
business to transact with an American off,
Ger.
In fine, ask, not even for Justice, if you
want victim to the mnnes OF those fallen
ultimately, may rs we'll be the victim al
another. have in the most undisguised
manner given you every fact in the case
! only rely on the proper construction Of
those facts. ! have examined nothing
communicated nothing, but my detention
70 Arnold that no might escape il be thought
proper 80 TO do. This was, conceived
my duty. hope the gallant officer who
was then unsuspicious Of the General will
not be condemned for the military error he
committed.
i further state that Smith, Who was the
medium Of communication, did not know
any part Of our conference, except there
vma ansv1a MACE eeitv fnr seeroav TIA -.