The National tribune., 1900-11-08

was sitting in his library smoking, looked
up at his entrance, giving him an inquir
ing glance.
'WelIv said Mr. Datchery with a sol
| emn nod, 1T is all over. Gen. Hamilton
will never vilify you again"
He is dead?"
| "He died at o'clock this afternoon
How are the peopleF
With grave shake of the head Mr.
Datchery answered:
| 1.-The excitement increases, Colonel ano
l believe you had better quit the city fol
awhile"
For the first time since the horrible af
fair the brow of Col. Burr became little
ruffled as he remarked:
What is there about this duel more
than any other that the people should take
so much interest i'll it?'
| The people are beginning to threaten,
| Colonel, and the Grand Jury will investi-
gate IL"
Burr turned a little pale. When he
was told that the FederaliSts, the Gin
| tons and Liyingstons were taking the mat
| ter in hand he saw at once that his case
| was serious. The duel had been fought
in New Jersey, but the challenge was Civ
en- and the wounded man had died in New
York. BY the construction of the law he
| was guilty in both States. Nevertheless,
| he still entertained hopes that it would
| all blow over, until he was informed that
| many of his former friends were turning
against him. John Swartout came to him
the day after the funeral, and told him
of the procession, the denunciations of the
murderer, and said:
Col. Burr, l fear that you will have
to go in exile"
viii they indict me? Am 1 not Vice
President?"
Swartout shook his head, and said that
would not save him. 1t seemed as if the
circle of friends of the murderer were mar
rowing down. On Friday Burr wrote to
his sOn-in-law:
Gen. Hamilton died yesterday. The
malignant Federalists or Tories and the
embittered Clintonians unite in endeayor-
ing to excite public sympathy in his favor
and Indignation against his antagonist.
Thousands of absurd falseh0ols are circu-
lated with industry. The most illiberal
means are practiced IN order to produce
excitement, and, for moment, with eff
feet. | propose to leave the town for a
few days, and mediate a journey of some
weeks, but whittier is not resolved"
AS days rolled on Burr began to actual
ly tremble for his own safety. The man
who was brave enough to face the person
he hated and shoot him down was now a
coward when it came to facing an out
ragged law which he had sworn to uphold.
A week after the funeral he again wrote
to his son-in-law that the duel had driven
him into a sort of exile and might termi-
nate in an actual and permanent ostra-
cism. He continued:
Our most unprincipled Jacobins are
loudest in their lamentations for the death
of Gen. Hamilton, whom for many years
they have uniformly represented as the
most detestable and unprincipled of men;
their motives are obvious. Every sort of
persecution is to be exercised against me.
A Coroner's Jury will sit this evening, be-
ing the fourth time. The object of this
unexampled measure is to obtain an in
quest of murder. Upon this warrant
will be issued to apprehend me, and, If l
should be taken, no bail would probably
be allowed. You know enough of the tenn
per and principles of the generality of the
officers of our Government to form q judg-
ment of my position.
1.-The statement (by Van Ness) in the
Morning Chronicle was not submitted to my
perusal, | being absent at the time of pub
licatiOn. Several circumstances not very
favorable to the deceased are suppressed,
| presume, from holy reverence for the
dead. | am waiting the report of the jury.
When it is known, you shall be advised of
my movements"
In this letter Burr talks of killing Gen.
to the Jacobins or Republicans, and seems
surprised that they should resent it. He
Furthermore shows a cOwardly disposition
to malign the character of the injured man
he had slain. His letters are unreason-
ably brutal, and at no time in after life
did he seem to really regret having killed
Hamilton, save for the woe it brought
upon himself. He was never known to
shed tears but once, and those were the
tears OF selfshness and humbled pride
when he was a prisoner. He was so ut
terly selfish that, save for the unpleasant
rumors which kept him in slight trepida-
ton, he would have passed the days of
mourning in luxurious enjoyment at Rich
mond Hill.
But there was a terrible reyulsion of
public feeling. A great and successful
man can play a high-handed game for
awhile. He may lead the public as a
shepherd does his focks; he may commit
many sins that will be overlooked by trust
ing and admiring friends, but there is a
limit. Bnrr had overleaped that limit, and
fight alone could save him.
On Saturday evening, July q, barge
lay off the wharf behind Richmond Hill.
The utmost caution had to be observed,
for the friends of Burr had ascertained
that a warrant had been issued for his
arrest. At 10 o'clock, surrounded by a
party of friends, the murderer left his
residence and walked down to the river.
The barge came alongside, and Burr, ac-
companied by his answering friend,
SwaItout and a fayorite servant, stepped
on board. The boat was Immediately
pushed off, and its PROV turned down the
river. All night long the bargemen piled
their oars against wind and tide, while
Burr and his companion slept in the stern.
Jem Bounder, the Cornish fisherman,
was well known at Perth Amboy. He
was an illiterate, odd, eccentric fellow, in
clined to secretireness and mystery. 1t
was three or four days after the duel be-
fore he even told his wife what he had
seen.
Jem had been acting very strange of
late. His wife could not understand why
he sat and giggled and pointed to the small
leather trunk in the attic of his miserable
hut.
'Aw! it be there, wife! it be therep'
he chuckled st be safe enough"
What be you talkin' about, Jem?" his
wife quite impatiently asked, turning her
eyes in the direction of the trunk. BE
We gone clean daft?'
Again Jem chuckled, and pointed to the
trunk, shook his head and declared:
at be there, and you and the childer'
will be cared for. We be rich, wife; we
be richr'
For n moment n confused and stupified
look came over the face of the ignorant
woman, who was utterly incapable of
fathomng the mystery surrounding her
husband. To her mind there was but one