Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-01-02
THE CONSPIRACY"


AReIninisccnce OF Aaron Burr.
We make this extract from lctter' on
old times in Mississippi, published in the
Natchez Copstr:
Durinsene latter part Of the year 1906,
! Coz Williams left temporarily for his old
nome IL. North Carolina, and Cowles Mead,
Secretary, was left in charge of the Terri
tory as Governor. 1t began to be wills
pered that dargtaa',.N IcS brewing. Knots of
men could be sbSSathered about in earn
est discussion. / could overhear the
words conspiracy" ''traitor,n ''Mexi-
CO." Gradually the feeling swelled into
alarm; all became uneasy, but no one
could tell why it was or what il was, but
they all felt the dread Of an impending ca
lamity; none could tell who to trust. At
length the affair took a public turn.
President Jefferson, in November, issued
a flaming proclamation, warning people
against the insidious designs of evil men
who sought to raise an armed force in our
country for the purpose Of making war
upon the dominiOns of Spain. Hewarned
all people to desist He ordered all magis-
trates to be yigilsnt and crush the con-
spiracy in the bud.
| think il vas in the monlb of Decem-
Der a solitary individual landt Natchez
and Immediately hurried out 40 Washing
ton. He ta-ried there but a brief while,
and hurried on 10 New Orleans. This
man was tn bearer of dispatches from
Washington, announcing the startling in
tClligence tn. Aaron Burr was descending
the river with an armed force.
III, Of
grew intene Acting Gov. Mead immc-
diately pro- gued the Legislature by pro
Clamation. Sixty men were ordered to
patrol the -ver and search every ilatbOat
that descended Col Ferdinand Clai-
bourne w ordered, with a battalion of
$50 men, 10 dCbark at Natchez, and 20 up
TO the mo b of Coles creek, where they
would be oined by the jefferson troops.
These nj AIRY preparations were made a s
quickly possible. Claibourne reached
his camp a The mouth Of Coles creek,
and Their the company from jefferson
Joined LIN. Two aids Of the Gov
crnor, v iors Shields and Poindcxtcr,
with thor escort, went to the mouth
Of the Bayou Pierre, where Bun had
landed and was CncampCd. Thirteen fiat
boats were lying mOorcd 10 the bank;
about Sky men were in the camp. Never |
shall forget the meeting Of these three
distin ,r-4rd men. The one with a COun- |
tenar. au as The day, bright, cheerful, |
court. manly and brave, the other, |
with am .u like al eagle, but restless, in |
dicatiu- m.Ul too active for happiness |
Thcsc two H. devoted, like long friends.
But o.. .u..t the group. what painters |
pencil a describe him? With a form |
as dcIio.. e. . woman, aneye rs bright as
a star an 20. . as a gazellC, a voice |
as m.uEr-- l1 as silvery as the /
tones 0t E. a manner as COuT- /
tcOus as ever night wore in the days /
of chiyary. Boz med born to command. |
The three u.. a the banks of the river |
nca. 'Ae spor .. Tc afterwards stood the /
little town Of Grand Gulf DUrTeCeived |
them with the same dignity that charac- |
tcrlzoI s,m when he presided over the /
most august body of the world the old |
Senate .f the United States. The two |
gCut.eE q told briefly the object Of their |
visit, they explained that large force
was below, both in Louisiana and Nissis-
sippi, and they demanded in the name Of
the government an unconditional surTeu-
der of himself, stores and men.
1 thought could distinguish a faint
CLEAN of -ar.l-m in the eye of Burr as he |
turned toward his thirteen fatOOats and
asked +. tae=. could shake the power of
'le Urt.3 tos and if they were afraid |
Of the.
Tn knew however II they were but
tiatbo. that they were three dcckors
and D. ayers of muskcts between decks.
Their. Tradition that be had hid some
arms, non and ammunition al Bruins
bayou on the West bank Of the Missis-
sippi, II | wouldn't advise anybody to
TO dig them, for if they did, they would
he ycr1 apt to meet with the same luck
That d ClairyoyaGt did "hO dug for
trcasr1 in the SclscrtO~n mound