Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-04-28

Colonel Benijah Osman and Lyman
Harding as sureties. His courtly air
and engaging personality charmed all
who saw him and allayed suspicion.
The honest frontiersmen Of Mississip-
pi were much impressed by his man
ners and behavior.
George Adams, United States dis
trict attorney and afterward United
States Judge for Mississippi, prepared
a sketch of Aaron Burr, as the latter
appeared at his trial. It was found
among his manuscripts and was pre-
sented by his grandson, the Hon. Writ
Adams, to the department Of Archives
and History at Jackson. It reads as
follows:
His stature Is about feet 6 inch
es; has O spare meagre form, but Of
elegant symmetry; his complexion Is
fair and transparent: his dress was
fashionable and rich, but not fashy.
He Is man of an erect and dignified
deportment-his presence Is COM
manding, his aspect mild, firm, lumin-
Gus and impressive. His physiogno-
my is the French configuration; his
forehead is prominent, broad and re-
treating, Indicative Of great expan-
sion of mind, immense range Of
thought and amazing exuberance Of
fancy, but too smooth and regular for
great altitude of conception, and those
original, eccentric and daring aberra-
tioDs Of superior genius. The eye
brows are thin, nearly horizontal, and
too far from the eyes; his nose Is
nearly recti,inear, too slender between
the eyes, rather inclined to the right
side; gently elevated. which betrays
a degree Of haughtiness: too obtuse at
the end for great acuteness Of pene-
tration, brilliancy of wit or poignan-
cy of satire, and too small to sustain
his capacious and ample forehead.
His eyes are of ordinary size, Of dark
hazel, and from the shade Of his pro-
tecting cyclones and brows appear
black; they glow with all the ardor Of
venial fire and scintillate with the
most tremulous and fearful sensibili-
ty: they roll with the celerity and
frenzy of poetic fervor and beam with
the most piercing and vivid rays Of
genius His mouth Is large; his voice
Is clear, manly and melodious; his lips
are thin. extremely flexible, and. when
silent, gently closed, but opening with
facility to distill the honey that trick
les from his tongue. His chin Is rath-
er retreating and voluptuous. To
analyze his face with physiognomical
scrutiny you may discover many i'm
portant traits, but upon the first blush
or a superficial view they are obscur-
ed like the spots of the sun by a ra-
dance that dazzles and facinates the
sight. Co.. .r-.'
I'm company Burr Is rather taci-
turn: when he speaks 1t Is with much
animation, with such apparent frank
ness and negligence as would induce
such person to believe that he was
a man Of guileless and ingenious
heart, but in my opinion there Is no
human being more reserved, mysteri-
Gus and inscrutable.
'I have heard a great deal Of Ches-
terfield and the graces. Surely Burr
is the epitome, the essence Of them all,
for never were there charms display
ed with such potency and irresistible
attractiveness. In short, he Is the
most perfect model Of an accomplish
ed gentleman that could be formed,
even by the wanton imagination Of
poetry or fiction"
Burr went to Natchez as the guest
of Colonel Benijah Osman, one OF his
sureties, and was followed by Blen-
nerhassett and Comfort Tyler, his
most conspicuous adherents. Osman
was a rich planter living near Match
ez. who had known Burr while an Of
ficer In the Revolutionary army In
New Jersey. He was a strong Feder-
alist and hated Jefferson, which
seems to have been his chief reason
for befriending Burr.
A grand jury was impaneled, but
instead of indicting Burr, as was ex-
pected, returned a presentment to
Judge Rodney Of the territorial su-
preme court, severely criticising the
acting governor for what 1t describ-
ed as IAN unlawful and unwarrantable
exercise of power" This report was
attributed to political prejudice very
shrewdly manipulated by Poindexter
and Shields, who were Burr's attor-
neys: to social influence exercised by
Colonel Osman, and to the fascina-
tions of Colonel Burr himself, who
rapidly became a popular idol among
the people Of Port Gibson, Natchez
and other towns along the river.
Living in the neighborhood Of Colo
mel Osman's plantation was widow
from Virginia, whose husband had been
murdered and robbed near Natchez
several years before while pros
pecting for a permanent residence In
the valley. The widow had been kind
ly cared for by the hospitable people,
had purchased a small farm adjoin-
ing the Osman place and had settled
down as a permanent member of the
community. She had one child,
daughter named Madeline. whom ira
dition pictures as a miracle Of beauty.
Burr made love to her, and the giri
seems to have been infatuated with
him. Having learned Of Jeffersons
displeasure at the action Of the grand
jury and his determination to rear
rest and punish Burr, the latter, ad-
vised by Osman and Poindexter, de-
cided to escape from the country, and