The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1873-05-10

was large and expensive and he was no
more capable of extracting livelihood
from his farm than a child. A child in
deed he was in every thing but years. He
tried to experiment in chemistry; he played
the violin he bought electrical apparatus ;
he collected books and he even tried
short-sighted as he was, to shoot game. In
this last amusement he was assisted fire.
quently by his wife, who aimed the gun
at the bird, and told him when to fire.
He was so much afraid of lightning, that
when thunderstorm was coming up, he
would shut the doors and windows, and get
into bed. In short, he was one of the most
foolish, incompetent, impractical men that
ever squandered fortune and brought a
family to beggary. And his wife, in her
way, was not much wiser than himself,
although abundantly competent, if she
had remained at home, to shine in the
sphere in which she was born.
So passed eight years. In 1906, Aaron
Burr set on foot his famous expedition for
the conquest of Mexico, and on his way to
the west to make preparations and to beat
up recruits, he became acquainted with
the Blenperhassetts. Already they were
embarrassed for money, and were more
anxious to sell their estate than they had
ever been to acquire it. Burr offered him
share in his dazzling enterprise; and
probably conveyed, in some way, to the
eager and credulous Irishman, that when
the prize had been won, it was he who
should represent the empire of Aaron !. at
the Court of st. james. So far as we
know, Burr practiced no deception upon
him; for if there was man in the world
who more entirely believed in the feasibil.
ity Of his Mexican enterprise than any
other man, it was Aaron Burr himself.
Before the scheme was well organized,
as all the world knows, President Jeffer-
son shattered it to pieces with a bolt no
more formidable than proclamation.
Burr was arrested and taken to Richmond
for trial. Blennerhassett, charged with
completely with him, was also conveyed to
Richmond a prisoner. His island was
overrun by wild Ohio militia his gardens
trampled into ruin his clubhouse des-
troyed and his mansion defaeed. After
detention in Richmond of many tedious
and expensive months, he was discharged
and rejoined his family at Natchez.
He then gathered the remains of his
property, and bought cotton plantation
of thousand acres in Mississippi; and
upon it he placed few slaves. An able
man could have made fortune upon that
virgin soil, in that early day of the cotton
culture as, indeed, many of his neighbors
did, who had never seen an electrical
machine and knew not note of music
1t was Mrs. Blennerhassett who managed
the plantation, so far as it was managed.
II was she who, at the dawn, mounted her
horse and saw that the labors of the day
were begun. Her exertions, however
were not adequate to the situation, and the
struggle was unsuccessful. His creditors
being clamorous, he offered his plantation
and twenty-five negroes for sale, after he
had held them about seven years, they
realized enough to pay his debts, and leave
a small sum over for Investment.
In 1919, being ifty-four years, of age,
but more worn by misfortunes than years,
he removed to Montreal, took a partner,
and tried to get into the practice Of the
law. The attempt not succeeding, he
sailed for Ireland, where he made a futile
attempt to recover some estate to which he
fancied he had legal title. Then he
directed his energies to getting place
under government. Some of his old
Westminster school-fellows were now min
isters, generals, lords and dukes, and to
them he addressed letters asking their in
terest in promoting his object; to which
they uniformly sent polite replies of re-
fusal. In 1926, he returned to Canada,
but only to close up his affairs in Ameri-
ca, and, taking with him his wife and
children, leave forever continent in
which he had experienced little but un-
happiness. A maiden sister who lived in
England had offered him a share of her
cottage, which was not very spacious, and
subsistence upon her income, which was
not very large. In this last refuge he
lived six years, and there he died, in 1881,
in his sixty-third year.
In after years, Mrs. Blenncrhassett,
with an invalid son, and herself almost
exhausted with anxiety and toll, came to
New York and asked Congress to make
good to her the damage done to her island
abode by troops in the employment Of the
United States in 1906. Mr.. Clay for
} warded her memorial to the Senate,
"Mrs. Blennerhassett,p he wrote, "is
now in New York, residing in very hum
BILE circumstances, bestowing her cares on
a son, who, by long poverty aud sickness,
Is reduced to utter imbecility, both ofbody
and mind; unable to assist her, or provide
! for his own wants. In her present dcsti-
! tutc situation, the smallest amount Of
! reliefwould be thankfully received by her
} Her condition is one Of absolute rant, and
she has but short time left to enjoy any
better fortune in this world.
y u supposed that an appropriation fol