The Irish standard., 1901-08-17

States in 1900. but which Jefferson won
by the one vote Of Matthew Lyon, the
'Irish Franklin" Burr became vice.
president. He was accused Of many
gallantrics with women, of being q de-
ccitful friend. etc, but do not believe
one-half of what he has been accused
of to be true. He shot the leader OF
the Fcdcrnlist party, Alexander IIamil-
ton, in Il duel, and then he went wan-
dcring in the south for Il while. He
was tried on charge of treason at
Richmond, Va, William Writ being the
prosecuting attorney. What Burr's
schemes Of empire were, never had d
| clear definition, even in his six months
trial One belief was that he intended
| seizing Mexico and setting up an cm-
pire; another was that he purportcu
! organizing Il new state In the south
west, then almost unknown territory.
At any rate he was cnisting men,
money and interests for the enterprise.
President Jefferson issued proclama-
| ton against the movement as unlawful
and ordered the arrest of Burr and his
accompliccs. or the latter Hlcnncrhas-
sett was accused Of being one. He
| was arrested, his property seized. and
| himself held for trial. He had ad-
vanccd $4,000 Of his money to Burr
| or endorsed for him, but after much
solicitation recovered only $1,000 of 1t.
! His island home was trnmpled under
| foot ana ruined by the minions of the
law and he abandoned it. Burr was
| acquitted ana Blcnnerhassett was nev-
cr brought to trial. He was arrested
| again mt Lexington, Ky, for endorsing
Burr's bills ana was defended by Hen
ry Clay. His effects at his family
home were attached. He afterwards
went into cotton growing on II plaltn-
tion close to the Mississippi river, but
was unsuccessful Finally, he left the
country ruined and in disgust and re-
moved to Montreal, Canada, where he
expected to secure a iudgcship, but
failed again, after several years resi-
dcnce in Canada.
There were two families in America
that the Blennerhnssetts were acquaint-
ed with and those they visited before
leaving the Countrywide families Of
Thomas Adds Emmett in New York,
and family in Baltimore. One Of
Blcnncrlassett's sisters was married
TO De Courcy, Lord of Kinsale, and
another to a brother of the lord. But
more of this hereafter. Failing in his
Canadian expectations he with his
family returned to Ireland in 1922, and
endeavored to recover his estate by
means Of reverslonary claim, but in
this he failed also. He went to the
island of Guernsey from Ireland and
died there Mt Point Pierre, Feb. 2,
| 1881 aged G1 years; unhonorcd and un-
sung.
Mrs. Blennerhassett returned to
America after her husbands death
| and with her two sons took up her
| residence in New York. She petitioned
| congress for Il grant Of money in COM
pcnsation for the spoliation Of her
island home. The petition was pre-
sented by Henry Clay, and commit
tee Of the senate reported favorably
upon it, but she died before action was
taken. 1t was statement that re-
ceivcd current credence that she was
in INDECENT circumstances and was bu-
ried by the Sisters Of Charity; but this
is one of the false reports that the re-
cent article corrects. She was not in
want and was kept we'll supplied with
money by maiden sister. Mrs. EN-
met was attached to Mrs. Blenner-
hassett and had compassion for her
msfortunes and had her buried in the
Emmett family lot in old Trinity Epis-
copal church on Broadway, New York.
One Of her grandsons was christened
Robert Emmet Blcnncrhassett in COM
pliment to the Emmett family. But
there are Blennerhassetts in Ireland
yet; those in America have died out.
The following eloquent address Of
William Writ at the trial of Aaron
Burr in Richmond, Va, in 1907, will