The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1879-09-25
ANECDOTES OF AARON BURR.


Some "reminiscences Of Things Not In
cluded in the Biographies and Som
Contradictions Of the Bisgrapbers.
Correspondence New York Evening Post.
There was one New Yorker of forme
generation who possessed individnalit
enough to be wildly remembered b
the present, and that person was Aaro
Burr. Other famous men of his da
were as closely identified with the city
history Is he, but their personal memo
~, seems to have pretty much fade,
from the minds Of its citizens; will
Bun, however, the case is different. ana
there are scores of gray-haired gentle
men in the city, and some old ladies too
who remember him perfectly, and i
properly approached will entertain on,
for hours with vivacious gossip and an
ecdotes concerning him. Many of thesI
anecdotes were. of course, collected ani
published by Burrs biographers, bu
some have escaped their notice. Amonf
the latter are several related by ar
old gentleman occupying a resonsiblt
position in this city, and who was an in
innate friend and connection of Colone
Burr, which refute some assertions con
corning him made by historians, and, a
tending to help the public to juste,
estimate of his character, are worthy Of
publication.
I give them very nearly in the words
OF the narrator, permitting him to speak
hereafter, but avoiding double quota.
tions:
When I first met Colonel Burr. he be-
gan, he was an old man, and, as You know,
under a cloud, not bowed down and de-
crepit, as I expected to see him, but
ruddy and fair-faced, with the brilliant
eye and erect carriage of q man in his
prime. Our leave-taking on this occa-
sion impressed me: @You must come
and see me often" said he, Il am an
old man, you are young, and my expert
ence of the world and among men has
been such that I may be of benefit to
YOU"
That Washington disliked Burr is a
matter of history; this was due partly to
Hamilton's influence, but chiefly, I think,
to Burrr's freely-spoken criticisms on
bis generalship. Burr thought Wash
ington a poor general, q conceited
youngster as he was, was quite out
spoken in his opinions. He never
sought to impress his peculiar views of
the man upon the young, however,
as an incident which I can relate
will show. In our intercourse-as cor
dial and unaffected as that between ia
Their and son-he was speaking one day
Of the battle of Monmouth, which he
as q succession of mere
skirmishes, magnified by fulsome histo-
rians in battle, and which, he said,
might have been won for the patriot
srms had not Washington-and here he
checked himself, and after q moment
added: "Let us stop here. I would on
no account destroy the veneration and
esteem that You have for the character of
Washington"
Andrew jackson in his younger years,
was an ardent admirer of Burr, and was
to have been the latter's most trusted
lieutenant in the proposed Mexican ex-
petition. He also stoutly defended him
at the time of his trial for treason in
Richmond in 1907. Twenty-one years
after, in 1928, their positions had
changed; Jackson was the Democratic
for President, and Burr was
living obscurely in New York, poor and
under q cloud; they were not then on
speaking terms. Burr had letters and
papers in his possession that would have
nipped Jackson's Presidential aspira-
lions in the bud, he also held the fate
of more than half the political aspirants
of that day at his disposal, and I often
wondered at his forbcarance in not
using this power, the more as in many
cases by SO doing he might have cleared
But l think fidelity to friends
was one of his most striking traits.
Burr voted for Jackson for President,
and his appearing at the polls I remem-
Der perfectly. The polling places were
then in Bowling Green, near the Bat
terry, and on this occasion there was
gathered there very much such turbu-
lent crowd as now disgraces our cleo
tlons. At length Colonel Burr, accom-
panied by friend, one of the Swart-
wouts, l think, drove up, and it was
soon whispered about that he was pres
ent. Every one seemed anxious to see
him; the noisy demonstrations of the
crowd were hushed, and q lane was
formed, through which he advanced to-
deposit his ballot; some of the citizens
sven lifted their hats in spontaneous
tribute to the man. There was q pres
ence about Burr rarely met with, which
made him Q marked man in any COM
pany, and preserved him from personal
INSULT. Indeed, 1 never knew an in
stance in which he was insulted, per-
;onally, though he was SO often and 80
grossly assailed by persons at a dis
ance.
Another thing not generally known,
relieve, is that Burr once projected q
work on the men and
events Of the Revolution; his more init
nate friends, however, knew this to
lave been one Of the most cherished
,laRs Of his later life. For il he had
collected many letters and papers of
'alue, which at the time Of his flight to
europe were sent for safe keeping to
lis accomplished daughter, Theodosia,
n South Carolina When she came on
o meet her father in 1872 they accom-
'anied her on the Inflated Patriot and
rere Lost with her in the sLipwreck of
hat vessel of the Hatteras coast. Hence
he project was abandoned, to the in
alculable loss Of American literature,
or Burr had it in his power to give q
truthful history of the great contest, and
ould have fortified his position with
he necessary papers and documents. I |
m certain that he wsuld have disproved
many Of the assertions of biased histe- |
ians, and that juster estimate than is |
ommon OF some prominent characters
night have been gathered from his
York, especially of Jefferson and Ham
lton. BUR- was never himself after the |