Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1849-06-28
THE Grave or COL. AARON BURR,

were standing in the Princeton Cemetery.
/ gazing on the grave Of Col Aaron Burr =
| The last resting place Of this distinguished
man impressed us with the truth that men
impart their own character and their own
immortality to spots of earth There are
| few places Of no more geographical extent,
| which call up so many recollections, So many
dssociations;s so many reflections VIE know
that . saHclfty, which nothing can destroy
| or justly profane, invests those places which
/ have been charged with the ashes Of the
great and good But greatness and good
ness have not always been united Ia those
men whose names cannot know oblivion, and
| whose infpence3ca never cease to be felt --
The deeds Of the wicked are as imperishable
as tie deeds of the righteous a mysteri-
Gus influence, as strong is that which binds
Us to the sepulchres of the benefactors Of
mankinds often attracts us 10 the graves 81
tle greatest .enemies of civil society 8H
The inhuehte however is not the same Ia
the two cases. 1t is only similar in strength
We remember. with delight tile seasons whose
coming has filed the earth with plenty; and
the principles whose developments has built
up happy communities But We treasure IN
our memories, with scarce less interest; the
ravages Of pestilence, the ruins Of tprnadoes,
and the terrors of revolutions IL is an IN
terestIof this latter kind which draws us To
the grave of Burr, place not soon to be-
forgotten Men of far distant times will
visit, il, and moralize upon the fate of him
who enchants it. It will be known and fres
quented when the mansoleums Of good men
have crnm blcd to dust and their places are
known no more
WeenYy not the man who can unmoyed
gaze on the grave of Col Burr 1t is one
Of thelmost sad and desolate places that we
have ever seen. There is no monumental
pile or sculptured marble standing over IL, tp
evince the respect Or affection Of a single
living soul. Not even rough unhcwn stone
marks the head or foot Of him who once
held such sway over the minds aud feelings
Of men. Wild grass and poisonous weeds
form the sod that partly covers him. The
rest Of the surface of the grave is sterile
clay yielding no verdant, plant or shrub -
The stranger trends upon the spot ana re-
gardsit not, until he IS told that be stands
over the grave Of Burr
How changed the scene when from this Nm
marked spotwe turn 10 the sleeping place of
the father of Burr Over it there is no tow
trlng nionume mt, but there is massive tomb
stone on which are chis5cled the deeds Of the
College I he grave q ~ e N-4-. I4-sAu
mated BY its being at the foot os the fathers
4 Immediately toIthe left of president Barr
IS Che tomb Of Jonathan Edwards. @Se-
eundns ncmini mortaliumn is writtenfon lit,
and no one conyersant with the life and
character of the man, would erase the char
! acteristic inscription. Still 5afterward and
in regular order, are the tombs Of Samuel
Davies, Samuel Finley, John Withctspcon,
and Samuel Stanhope Smith-each loved
IN riff lamented lid death, and embalmea in
4he !, anory of grNteful posterity
The proximity of Col Burr to those
loved and distinguished men renders his
fate still more melancholy Their unfofgot
| ten virtues make his vices seem ten fold vi
r;sito4 cut the fsa coed deeds
q si : the chequered and e sSeSs III sun
4 sc sse crowd upon his recollection He r.
mfmDefs.- 9Th Of February, 1886. whe
Burr hrst saw thatlight, through which mis-
directed zeal led him to so many deeds Q
woe He calls to mind the death oil bot
hs parents, while their 10y was only thre
Il Years old; the handsomr fortune tiat wa
bequeathed an orphan son; the four dayi
99seondance from his receptor, when to-
he was but "a child Of fur years growth
The runaway from Mr. Edwards for the pur
n pbse of going to sea willie he was lin hi
eleventh year and the entrance of Prince
ton College at the early age Of twelve, Wler
he graduated at sixteen, taking The honor
Of his class in spite Of moral character tina
evoked much disapprobation. He reflect
upon him as volunteer id the American
revolution, and soldier III the celebrated
expedltion Of Arnold to Quebec bas an aic
70 Gen. Putnam, and a con fierce Of the It'll,
lEof LieuteI ant Colonel He follows him Il
fhe study OF the law, and admittance to til,
\ Albany bar in 1882 to the Senate In 1874
and to the second place in the high gift q
the American people in 1901. He behold!
him-the destroyer of Hamilton: tile miser
able litigart at the New York Bar; the
reveller n intolerable RIGHTEOUSNESS the
intended establisher Of an empire beyond
the great father Of rivers, Of which he was
to be the emperor, and the Crescent CITY
the great capital He sees him arraigned
before the tribunal Of his country and &C,
Quilted for want Of that overt proof. which
4 his own far stretched cunning had developed
/ in iupenetrable clouds. And, finally. BE
follows HIM from Staten Island, where in
1896 pc closed his miserableEcareer, to the
cemetery at Princeton, to be inferred with
the honors Of war, and to moulder in i
grave upon which the curses cf injured vir-
tue and the rewards Of vicious ambition are
to rest forever.
The life, the death, and the grave Of Col.
BurE csrry their own moral The simple
facts tell tale that needs not comment
Words need not inform Us that genius, how
ever transcendent unless virtue be one Of
It's elements, can attain no eminenet on which