Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1866-10-11


was naughty in his. manner and difficult oil
access l did not find hips so3 either on
4 this or anv other occasion. His manners.
on the contrary, were easy and quiet, and
he was evidently desirous of obliging me.
I After rejecting a moment, he began i'll this
manner. 9 n - - &. -
Il saw Aaron Burr four times in my life. u
The first time was just fifty years ago, at
Richmond, on the day he first came into
court on his trial for treason"
He then proceeded to give n minute and
most interesting account of the scene and
shhe man Nery much Of that curious in
formation respecting the lawyers, and judi
gcs the courtroom, Burr's demeanOr, and
the scenes ont Of doors. given in my life OF
Aaron Burr (Vol. .. Chap. W. was de
rived from the lips of General Scott. l
4 never knew such memory as his. lie re-
lated those events of half century ago
with an eXactness and fulness of detail that
could not have been surpassed if they had
occurred week before Afterwards at
Richmond, had an opportunity of learn
ing how correctly he had skctcked the
,tteliaracters of the great lawyers and judges
femploved I'm fle case, from Chief Justice
Marshall, who presided to lame Jack Ba-
ker." the Jester of the bar.
General Scott, among other things, set at
rest the much disputed question as to
whether General Andrew Jackson re-
nlainctt Burr's,fricnd after his arrest for
treason. Gen. Scott said he heard Jackson
Iharranguing a crowd from the steps of a gro
Gerry store i'm Richmond, denouncing Pres
idcnt Jefferson as Burr's prosecutor, and
defending Burr as a victim of political con-
spiracy. jackson was exceedingly violent,
D. l.nf in lant nd man p so
seLtlIat young Scott asked who IL was. He
was told that il was IA great blackguard
from Tennessee, one Andrew Jackson
General Jackson. may add, never be-
licved that Aaron Burr was traitor; and
when he was President h gave some very
lucrative Offices to Blnrs friends, and Sc
cretly aided the late Samuel Houston, OF
Texas. TO do part of what Burr meant to
10. Burr's great object was to eXtirpate
the Spanish power in North America, and
he intended to begin by seiZing Texas,
which was then Spanish province. From
Texas he intended 10 march upon Mexico,
of which country he designed to make him
self Emperor. and reign over all the Span
ish provinces to the Isthmus of DarieE.
4 General Scott proceeded to relate tic cir
cunlstances in which he next saw Aaron
Burr He said that during the war of 1912,
after he had recovered from his wound re
ccivcd on the frontier, he had lived for a
short lime at Albany. where he was much
feted by the leading Inhabitants and by
none more cordially than by Martin Van
Buren. then a lawyer in large Practice
One morning packet arrived from Wash
ington, which proved to contain the young
soldiers commission as Brigadicr General
Full. ofjoy at his promotion, he mentioned
the fact to Mr.. Van Buren,, whom he
chanced to meet. Mr. Van Burcn con
graduated him warmly and added
but. General, we must celebrate this
happy event. Come To my home this eve
ming; III invite; a few, friends, and well
take glass Divine and a few oysters to-
geiher. ~. 80, asg
The new General accepted the invitation
But, suddenly theusht seemcdrto Occur
to the cautious 1awycr-cautious for hi:
friends as well as himself--and he appear
cd embarrassed.
General said IIe Il forgot something
which ought 10 have mentioned before
asking, yon to my house. Col. Burr i.
stopping with me for few days. Hav,
you anypbjeetions TO meet lrim:'
TO Which Gen Scott replied:
t,e.Axy gentleman, Mr.. Van Buren,, whom
i you thing proper to present me to, / shal
be happy tokEow.P~ a
Col. Burr, the reader is probably aware
I had recently returned from Europe, whef,
) he had lived four wears, and he was almoS
universally regarded by the public as
traitor who had escaped The penalty O
treason only by the craft of his lawyers
Almost all his old friends had cut him. ant
the administration, under President Madi
son, who had just promoted General Scott
was supposed TO be particularly hostile {,
f him. Hence the hesitation of Mr.. Val
I Buren, about bringing together the youn
| soldier and the old.
I The evening came. The company con
! sisted of four persons, one of whom wa
p the concise polite, and courtly Burr Gen
Scott remembered him well, but forbore +
: make. the most distant allusiOn to the tris
n AT Richmond. -
'"Why," said the General to me, 'I.wa
G so carrfnl not TO say anything that coul
: excite painful rccollecaioais, that actual
: checked myself as | was about to pre-
4 nounce the word Virginia"
n All at once, Col. Burr, who was the Gen
erals partner at whist fixed his piercin
;. eyes upon his face, and said, in pcrfeC
nonchalant tone: ,l
q sGeneral Scott, have seen you before.
N ti.
. Have YOU. Colonel? And where was il
!. Burr replied, in the most ordinary ton
4 of conversation, as he put down card:
: At Richmond, in the courtroom, at m
; trial. You stood on the lock of the doc
o above the crowd: | noticed YOU at the tim,
@ it was on the first day" -.
i All of which was true. The room be
: ing dcnseiy crowded, the young man Ia
oft l..f.l- nj h.s,
n so remarkably tall, he had caught the pri
s Oner's eve. The general said that Burr
careless tone had completely relieved hir
:, from his embarrassment, and they had
N long and pleasant talk about Richmon
,t people. the trial. and its remarkable inc
a dents; Burr speaking precisely rs thong
; he had been disintercsted spectator. tt
Is party sat late and had a very delightfl
d evening. Col. Burr made one remark @
q this occasion which Gen. Scott long ha
> occasion to remember. forget his wOrt
e but they were something like these:
{, 'There is man in Tennessee TO whol
n Jim Madison will not give commissio
al because he is my friend: but he is equal I
d any service. Il mean Andrew Jackson.
l. they give him a commission, things wi
e 30 better in the Western country"
d I need not say that Jimmy Madison di
: give Andrew jackson a commission an
II that things went better in consequence
:. Speaking of Martin Van Buren, Il
II whom General Scott had great regard, i
II alluded to the popular tradition that IL
ex president was ason of Aaron Burr II
"a gave decided denial to this scandal an
y adduced convincing reasons for rejectin
n it. .9ti
I The other two occasions upon whiC
IA General Scott saw Aaron Burr, were mel
IN chance meetings in the street. The Gel
+ eral remarked Burr's habit of glancin
d sideways at an approaching saequainiant
, to ascertain in time whether he meant [
m cut him: and if he did Burr would preyel