Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-09-13

ION we're intended ioE the Bar, and did at
tua'iy obtain license, and undertake: te IRA,
ice l2T III virginia, but You had 10. the rich
S"Ti oi ebll!ty lnr that intellectual! and labor
ous profession, although r0I have noastriill
! told the world in yoiir Autobiography. shat voi
! ;nce acte' rs JUICE advocate and upon III
! tr!ai " afforded honorable proofs CT (hlsi lcga
talents ard acquisitions alfor(ling the mos
conclusive evidence Of your conscious weak
ness, and hunger fGr u little reputation for abil
; ity, hsv the eager display Of this little crunb
in manner so peculiarly Jour own, that n,
ons who knows ynl can mistake the hant
which holds it up. You we're very soon made
10 feel your incomPetenry for The competition
you mad sought, and ana a,lonad il for a n0s
in the army, where, although the pay was small
II Vas sure; Rnd through the ikiiucnce Of tht
! !at9 doTerncr Giles, you obtained commis
sl'n as captain Of light Artillery. Although
iha pay vas sure however II was too small tc
acct the demands Of goul uand end gamb
&c, and Ton we're very sooa engaged in plum
, @'"'HG the p'cn under youc command. of thcil
paJJ. YOUR crime might possibly hare escaped
detection, and you have escaped. "unwhipl
OF justice" if that eHTious hate Of all supcri
| ora, wncn Is one OF yuilr "TiaZuanimou,'
traits a'ia which caused you to quarrel with
and 'raduce Jackson, Clinton, Aiacomb, Cal
houn, Marcy and Davis, had rot impelled YOU
10 abuse Of Gen. Wilkinson, when he was not
prcsen:, which led to your arrest for the iasub
ordination, as well as the peculation, and your
c6nTietion Of both, with sentence Of" suspen
sion from all rank, pay and emolumentS for
twelve months" In your autobiography fDv
Nansheldl nom!nally, but really prepared, rs
J have said, by yourself (with the aid Of 4
West Fo;n: Professorj you published Il
gar5lcd anu almost nnntelliglble copy
Of ths record ci your trial and conrc
ton, IN which you shanefully perrert and
mistate the record, alleging that you had been
convicted under the second charge, which was
Of unnficnr ike conduct, (for using disrcspect.
ft.l language TO Jour commanding officer and
for that offence had been sentenced to suspen.
sion from rank and pay, when the record, even
as goa published it, shows that yoa were con
yicted nf tho first specification Of the first
charge. Your sympathissrs, if yon hare any,
mag pretend to find some evidence Of your in
nocencs. or at least yoilr aaudoT, in your 7ol.
unta7y reference 10 this ]eatpse oi yoiir his.
tory, bur If they 30, they vii! only dercIope
their own weakness and Ignorance. 10 say the
least Of then. }cu Could not a7a:d the ai!u.
sion, IS every one Of sense ard virtue 1rnst
perceive. You were candidate Tor what vas
great otnce, Until ~ arts snd principles 7r7t;i
a: yoI here prac.isad anti rTofcssed Z ~,
brought &c Il: present degraded Condition,
a1d You dared not leave such :: fac. s; this
trial and conviction unnoiiceG Icf: lacw
your opponents wonl1 bring it to tic notice Of
the paopla, and it would in their hands rrave
as terrible to ycu as Marcy's FIRE into yea.
rear was, ard the masked batteries al the
South TGT are You wcre compelled 10 meet
it, and you EL.l TO alternative but 10 attempt
10 perform that difficult feat by which skill.
tGl advocate sometimes acTIits 2 guilty client,
aid e blog:er always cGnricIs him. 1t is one
OF thc lnost difficult AID dangerous arts OF the
scphiS:, and consists ~ calling :iic attention
OF the Jury 10 the charge agans the prisoner
with al air Of great ;rs5k1cSs ard confidence,
1ad then aTgu:i;, a casc not prop0aadcd b.
IT,, evidence, ard 50 demonstrating that the
charge against the prisoner is 30, proven, and,
Uhtg!?!ng the concurrence q tic Jury, ;hcy
acguit The prisoner But ihis, % h,: success.
fai, rl!;iiTes degree OF sublloty and ingenu.
~ so great thar il obscGres tic lruc question,
an,i 60 con,cunds the atsrsrsarr that he canrat
expose i:.e error. inur gifted friend, siia elo
TYH?' leigh, pHsscsscd that poTcr. but ycu
d,d r15, aari therefore YOU substituted, % tie
brDgicr :.lIara docs, false statements for pro.
found lagi" aad miro shall be the sirnpia task
of exposing yo:l.
The frst charge against sou was conduct
an officer and gentleman" and
tho first specification under that charge was
"in Withholding. Ut sundry times mems rao
nsT, placed il, hi. possession frr their paTTiei1f
FOR the D:anti.s of September and October"
Upon this specification, the finding CT the
Court VA, guilty Of Tho irst specification oi
the first charge, and pronounce his conduct
uuotiicar Ike.
The second 70" :lrc -: furnished, beaause,
ycu cay, you were' acquitted Of it.
The third charge 57as, "ungnn;iemaTlT and
unoiiicer-Iikc coniic!." The Er5t specification
under it va; "in ssyin@ on, g., st, SC, (ata-
ting time aid pla:c,l tha: he reTer saw but
two traitors, General; Wilkinson and Burr,
aud that General Wilkinson was n liar and
scoundrel"
The finding ci lI;: Uour, va guilty II the
first specification.
You say, in Offence, that the frs! charge
you indignantly denied" but 1.-The second
you acknowledged, and boldly undertook TO
justify" Taa Court found you guilty Of the
first charge, Notwithstanding your "indignant
jerial," and guilty also Of the fist spcciiica-
tion OF thc Ord charge, notwithstanding Jour
hold attempt to Justify il" that is. TO prove
the truth Of i, thus cony!cting Jon Of en-
bezzlc;nent in tie first case, and libel in the
second. And yet you have hsd the hardIhood
to say tha: Co;!rt convicted y6u only under
the second charge, ''lor using disrespcc,tul
language towards his commanding officer )"
IoS Ct 4 leader for army Of pirates, plum
Terers and story Ytel!cTs, who no7' asia'l Jour
native State None will wonder at tho enoT-
nous falsehoodS and the wholesale defamation
of the 9outb, which your subaltcrRs utter in
all their reports to you, and ell their proclama.
tions, when they understand that the chief for
whom they ere made, and 10 please whose pal
ate thev are thus prepared, is a ccnTicted Ii
hellcr:
But you say tbs Court acquitted you Of all
fraudulent intent. in Withholding the money
Of your men, and this you consider exculpat-
ing YOU How the Court could thus stul-
tiff itself by copvicting you Of the charge end
imposing nirc months starvation, Without
rank, the sentence w: suspension for twelve
months, without rank, paJ or emoluments)
upon you, a3 punishment for it, and then &c.
Quit you of that which constituted the guilty
quality OF the charge 7 cannot conceive, eE-
cept by supposing that it wss al corrupt as the
prisoner, and had not moro Wit, and thus
adopted the defence Of your counsel, which,
in crerJ case Of forgery end embcz7!ement is,
that the prisoner intended to commit no fraud;
the forged note he intended to take mp, bur
was disappointed Of his funds; or, the eEnbez.
zled money be fully intended to replace.
That they did impose tho nine months star.
yation, w,hou; rank. as the punishment of
that Offence, am warranted in saying, be-
cause the punishment FIR both offences vas
twelve months Suspension. and at subse- :
1uent tnseting Of the Court it recommended
the remission Of nine, out of the twelve months
punishment. which was not made: AID thus
stripped Of rank, pay and emolpments for
twelve months, you sought and found food and
shelter for that time, under the hospitable roof
Of your noble and generous friend, Mr. Leigh.
nave thus shown that you we're convicted and
punished for embezzlemcnt, as we'll as iDsuboT.