The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-10
Indiana Bicycle Co.
No NORTH PENNSYLVANIA STREET
THE KILLING Of HAMILTON.
Burr Never Felt Remorse for 1t, and
Once He Revisited the Spot.

Burr Never Felt Remorse for 1t, and
Once He Revisited the Spot.
ST. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The following is from Harper's Weekly
Among those persons living who remem-
Der seeing Aaron Burr is Mr.. Samuel Shaw,
of the Cooperstown Freeman'S Journal It
has been said OF, Burr that he never showed
killing of Alexander Hamilton. In reply to
this statement, made by a public lecturer,
ciose of the v War Of % Rory and
few army officers dined with my grand
father. My mother, then about thirteen
that while the gentlemen tarried at their
dessert the subject of the celebrated duel
present asked Mr.. Burr, if not disagreeable,
to briefly narrate the circumstances attend
ing it. This he at once did, showing no
emotion, until he closed by saying: When
1 shot Hamilton he seemed to me to jump
nearly his own height Then he at once
and walked up and down It till the party
broke up. He appeared to be deeply
moved This was eleven years after the
Either Mr.. Shaw does not tell his moth
er's story correctly or else the maternal
memory was not trustworthy, for It is as
certain as anything of the kind can be that
Colonel Burr Che was never called "Mr..o
He He could s nj not possibly have said. When I
shot Hamilton he seemed to me to jump
nearly his own height" for Hamilton. shot
witnesses. only "sprang upon his toes with
convulsive movement and then reeled
and fell upon his face. Another and a bet
ter authenticated story told by. his biog-.
rapher gives a very probable explanation or
during 'j his walk upon the portico after the
alleged conversations. 1t was not by com
junction or regret for he never felt either
in regard to the killing of Hamilton-any
more than Andrew jackson did about the
killing of Dickinson.
Never but once, probably did Burr speak
of the duel fully and freely, butthat once
was intensely dramatic. Twenty-Five years
Sd as s rne attached asked him to go with
him to the scene of the duel. He consented,
for the first and last time. and they crossed
of Weehawken to the place of meeting,
which was then practically unchanged
iiton had stood, went to the spot where he
himself had Stood and then described the
Incidents of the duel Naturally enough.
causes and for the first and. last time
Burr's lips were unsealed, and the words
ieaped from them like flame. "Ah the old
Are was rekindled within him; his eye
blazed and his voice rose. lie recounteu
the ong fad OF bow m had
and forborne, forgiven and forgiven, ana
even stopped to remonstratem.un9ei ne haa
wretch degraded and despised, or meet. the
calumniator on the field and silence him.
He dwelt much on the meanness OF Hamii-
HE charged him with being malev2lent
and cowardly-a man VINO Wouiu SANDER
rival and not stand to 1T unless he was cor
nered. when he stood up to sre, e., said
Burr. he caught my eye and qusJied un,
der it; he looked like a convicted felon
# was not true, he continued, that Hamil,
ION did not fire at him; Hamilton fired
first fiG he heard the ball whistle among the
branches and saw the severed tWig above
his head. He spoke of what Hamilton
wrote on the evening before the he duel With Win
the confession of penitent monk He
Justified all he had done, nay. appiauded It
0.rloried in it. All the pent-up feelings OF
twenty-five years burst into So: speech His His
never seen him reused before, and he Won
dered that he should ever have ae,n thought I1t
scene. the holiness of his demeanor was
such that his very form seemed to rise
and expand 1t was long before he re-
gained his usual composure.
Burr went to his grave with the same
| fealinrs he then expressed. Rev. DR.. Van
Pelt, a frequent visitor in the last days;
| tells us that lin reference to the affair and
| death of General Hamilton but little was
| said. Colonel Burr, however, intimated that
| he was provoked to that encounter. Anu
he certainly was.