The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1849-09-06

who was a Maj. Ashly. Justices William
II. Ilargrave and John Caller placed him
under guard. from whom he fled in the
night, and made his way rapidly to Ten
ncssec, where he became engaged in taking
testimony Tor Burr's trial at Richmond
The distinguished prisoner had hccn con.
fined at the Fort for three weeks before
Lieutenant Gaines completed his arrange
ments to convey him to Washington city
The difficulties were great. There were
no ronds. no carriages, no ferries, and few
men could be found in the sparscly settled
country who would undertake journey SO
long aud pcrilous over savage lands. Fl
naly Col. Burr left the Fort under guard,
and proceeded in Government boat up
tho Alabama river and into the Tcnsaw
lake. with Lieutenant Gaines, and stopped
ut the house Of Mr.. John Mills. Here some
Indies wcpt upon seeing the low estate to
which this great man was reduced, and one
of them. Mrs. Jack Johnson, named her son
Aaron Burr. lie is still alive, and he war
not the only boy named Aaron Burr in the
Mississippi Territory. The ladies' every
where cspouse his cause in tho South West
crn new world. Il is prominent and noble
trait in the female character. TO admire a
man Of daring and generous impulses, aud
to pity and defend him in his advcrsitics.
At the boat yard in the present county
Of Baldwin, State Of Alabama, the crew
disembarked, and here lived William and
John Pierce, natives of New England, who
had several years before established one OF
the first cotton gins in Alabama, aud ira
ding establishment. Gaines gave the com
nIand Of the guard intended To- convey Burr
To Washington city, 10 Col. Nicholas Per
kins, lawyer late from Tennessee. His
men were Thomas Malone, formerly a
clerk in tho land office At Raleigh, N. c.,
md then the clerk Of Washington county,
Alabama. John Henry, Of Tennessee, John
Mills, a native Of Alabama, Henry b. Slade,
Of North Carolinn, and two brothers,
M'Cormacks, from Kentucky-ndded to
these were two u. s. soldiers They were
all men whom Perkins selected, aud whom
he could rely upon under al. circumstances.
lie took these men aside and obtained from
them the most solemn pledges, that upon
the whole route 10 Washington city, they
would not converse with Burr or let him es
cape alive. Perkins knew how fascinating
Burr was, and he feared his familiarity with
his mcn--ndccd he icnrcd tho same in
fluence upon himself. Ills character in
making impressions upon tho human mind
and attaching men 10 him by association
was well known to the world. When Col
Burr fled from the Naichez settlement, be
procured disguised dress and was still
a,tred ia it. Ills pantaloons were oi
course copperas cloth, with roundabout o
inferior drab. Ills hat n Tapping, wild,
brimmed beaver, had once been white. but
now gave evidence Of having encountered
much rough weather. Placed upon his fine
horse. he Lcsirodc him most elegantly ant
flashed his large dark eyes rs though he
were mt the hend of his New York regiment
To uso n common expression Of the old
settlers who saw him in Alabama, Ibis eyes
were peculiar, they looked like stars
Each men Of the expedition carried provis
ions for himself and some for Col. Burr
They were Nil well mounted, with NJ arms
except pistols in holsters, and two muskcis
horne by two soldiers. The party set out
from the boat yard in the latter part oi
February, 1907. In quarter Of n mile
from this place the dreadful massacre ol
Fort Minis occurred six years afterwards
Pursuing the Indian path which led from the
.Bgby settlement 10 Fort Wilkinson on
the distan, Oconee, tho guard travelled the
first das about thirty miles. At-night the
only tent in the company was pitched inr
the prisoner, who reposed himself upon his
blankets. The lower part Of Monroe coun.
~ aboundcd with immense Pine forests
Hero the cx-Vicc President lay the first
night, by rousing fires, which threw glare
over the dismal woods while the ears were
saluted with the howl Of hungry wolves
In the wilds Of Alabama, in small tent,
reposed this august parsonage; having no
one to converse with; surrounded By a
guard; prisoner Of the United States, for
whose liberties he had fought, whose Gov
eminent he had helped to form; exiled from
New York whose statutes and laws bore
the impress Of his great mind, deprived by
death Of bis splendid wife his only child then
on the distant coast Of Carolina his profess
ional pursuits abandoned and his fortune
swept from him the magnificent; scheme Of
the conquest Of Mexico uprooted, and the
fragments dispersed; slandcred and hunted
down from one end Of the Union 10 the 9th
er-all these things were sufficient to weigh
down any ordinary beiag, and sink him to
M un,imcly grave. Col. Burr, however,
was no common man. In tho morning he
arose cheerfully and pursued his journey.
Although guarded with vigilance, bis few
wants were gratificd as for ~ they could be,