The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-08-11
from the New York Evening Post
THE DUEL.
A REMINIscENcE OF SEVENTY YEARS Ao

A REMINIscENCE OF SEVENTY YEARS AGO
On Saturday the 18th Of July, 1904
this city witnessed the most solemn ant
impressive funeral pageant which had
up to that time, appeared in its streets
Four years previously the mock funera
of Washington had been celebrated witt
all the pomp of which the age was capa
Bile. but that was merely civic demon
stration of respect and sorrow. Wher
Hamilton was buried the populace behelt
the corpse of the dead, and saw in hi!
funeral the result of terrible crime, II
was not only the death of an exalted anc
almost idolizcd leader, but his death by
murder, that gave such deep and unut
terable thrill to the heart Of the public
The history of this tragedy is SO familiar
to our readers that a mere reference IL
sufficient to revive its power. 1t will be
remembered that the cause OF the duel
as alleged by Colonel Burr, was the re
1ection made upon him by Hamilton it
conversation with General Cooper and
others several years previously. Thi;
however. was pretext for settling long
account There was constitutions
antagonism between these two gifted men
but though their mutual antipathy had
been of long standing, its bloody termina.
tion was little expected Only four years
previous they had served as united coun.
sci, having been associated in one of the
most important murder cases which had
ever occurred in this city. This vas the
trial of Levi Weeks for the murder Of
Gulielma Sands, and was commonly called
"the Manhattan Well murder"
Miss Sands was the daughter Of II Brit.
ish officer and lived with her uncle. She
was engaged to be married to the prison.
er. One night she accompanied him in
u sleigh drive so it was alleged, and
never returned When Weeks was in
terrogated concerning her he denied that
she accompanied him, and although it
was proved that she left her room to 60
with him no one saw them depart togeth-
er. A week afterwards, as some boys
were playing on the Commons (the local.
ity being aear Spring street. they dis
covered a corpse in one of the wells
belonging to the Manhattan Company.
The alarm was given, and the body was
found to be that of the missing girl An
intense excitement followed, and Weeks
was indicted and tried for the crime. He
had Influential friends, who were deter.
mined to employ the best legal talent
Burr was then forty five years old, and
had won reputation as an adroit and
tenacious attorney, and an expert in the
use Of all kinds Of legal strategy. lie
was also recognized as the leader of the
northern repubicans-a fact which soon at
terwards placed him in nomination for the
Presidency. Hamilton was year young
er, and enjoyed distinction us states
man, a man OF unsurpassed cloquence and
the leading tederalist Of New York
Two such noted lawyers, and especially
such political opponents, had never pre-
viousy been associated it, criminal prac.
tice aud indeed this was the first murder
ofimportauce which had occurred since the
Revolution. The case lasted three days
and the prisoner was acquitted but many
considered him guilty, and no one had
been found on whom circumstances fast.
ened the deed 50 powerfully The triaI
took place March 81, 1900, in Federal
Hall, which occupied the site on which
the Treasury now stands. and the judge
was Chancellor Lansing who subsequent.
ly perished in SO mysterious manner
Indeed the whole affair was II series OF
tragedies. IN addition to the hard fate
Of Miss Sands, was that Of the counsel
for the defence One Of these killed the
other, and then became fugitive, while
the judge either committed suicide OF died
by violence or accident He disappeared
in a mauner which has never been explain.
ed. Some assert that he hanged himself
in the garret of the City Hall, and that
his friends buried the body secretly
while others say that he lett the hotel
for the Albany steamboat, which then
lay at the foot Of Cedar street and that
he fell into the slip and was drowned
1t is 10 be remembered that at the very
time when Hamilton was thus associated
with Burr he was, in his private cores.
pondence, writing bitter things agains,
him. Tie was deeply convinced that
Burr was dangerous man to society
and to the country,
To return to the duel Alter the
murder trial Burr and Hamilton never
we're found in harmony, and indeed they
ceased to be even on speaking terms
They were antagonistc leaders of political
opinion. and division of parties was then
often accompanied by the most bitter
personal hostility. Burr had four year,
previously been defeated in the Presiden
tial canvass, and though this defeat grew
out of division in the republican party
yet the federalists, among whom Hamil
ton was so influential, bore u part in it
Burr no doubt ascribed his il.suceess tt
Hamilton's unconcealed opposition, snl
was determined to inhict the highes
punishment in his power--death by tn,
pistol-even ifhe perished in the attempt
At the time the duel took place Bur
was a widower, and his only child
Theodosia, had been for some years mar
ried to Joseph Aston, Governor of Soutl
Carolina. Hence ne stood almost alon,
in the world. On the other hand, Ham
ilton was the head of a large family
which depended solely upon his earnings
Both men were in embarrassed circum
stances, and though holding large amount
Of real estate, they we're deeply in debt
Hamilton had country seat called TIL
Grange" but his family lived in the cit,
in the winter. He was in the iulness 0
his powers and had recently deivere,
at Hudson his great effort in defense o
the liberty Of the press, being counse
for Harry Crosswell, who was prosecute,
for libel on Thomas Jefferson. Bur
previously had an office at the corner O
Cedar aud Nassau streets, but on hi
election to the Vice Presidency he abau
doned the profession of the law. Tn
directory records him thus; "Aaro
III I.l