Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-22
Light: ON AARON BURR
Valuable Historical Docu-
ments Recently Unearthed.
COWLES MEAD'S DIARY
RESEARCHES OF THE STATE HIS
roRIAN OF MISSISSIPPI.
Detention of the Suspected Adventurer,
Examination by Grand Jury, Suisse
quent Rearrest and Removal.
BY VIM. Z. CURTIS.

BY VIM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
PORT GIBSON, Miss, April ID, 1905.
This is one of the prettiest towns in the
south; neatly kept and prosperous ana
sacred to Aaron Burr and Blennerhassett
The houses which they once occupied are
pointed out to strangers. and interesting
incidents are told with which they were
connected Port Gibson has one of the
wealthiest communities in the state, as
might be inferred from it's spacious man
sions and other appearances of prosperity
and culture. The streets wide and well
shaded, there is a tall dome on the court
house, the churches have aspiring steeples
and long rows of enormous warehouses are
crowded with cotton, waiting until the price
gets up to 10 cents a pound.
Mr.. Dunbar Rowland, the state historian,
has recently unearthed a lot of valuable
historical documents down here, including
a diary of Governor Claiborne's, which is
reasonably complete and connected and
covers all the important events in the ter
ritory between 1903 and 1916. 1t OBJ
tanned through nephew. He has also Sc
cured the journal of Cowles Mead, who was
acting governor at the time of the Burr
incident, and large quantity of the pri-
yate and official correspondence of both of
those gentlemen, the greater part of which
refers to the conspiracy. That was the
greatest event that ever occurred in this
section of the country until the days of
secession This material is entirely new,
and there are some exceedingly interesting
reports made by state officials bearing on
the same subject.
While unfortunately none of these doc
umentS are convincing or contain positive
evidence of Burr's guilt, they throw much
light his character nd rotate oil
stances which would not have occurred in
the conduct of loyal citizen or an hon.
orable man. They also indicate that he had
adherents down in this section who must
have been familiar with his designs and
We're prepared for his arrival although
there is no evidence among all the records
to show that any of them ever betrayed
the confidence he reposed in them.
Burr's Detention by Mead.
Months before President Jefferson issued
his proclamation declaring Burr to be en-
gagged in a reasonable plot rumors We're
brought down the river by travellers and
boatmen, and the people became convinced
of his guilt and very much excited About
this time Cowles Mead young Georgian
was appointed secretary of the territory
and during the absence of Robert Will
hams, the governor, exercised the func-
tons of that office His diary and CORE
spondence, which, as | have said have re-
W
man of energy, courage, and was con-
WINGED that Burr was engaged in an at
tempt to set up an Independent govern
ment in the southwest. There is no doubt
Judging from intimationS and hints that
appear in his writings, that he had conf
Dental information which he dared not
even coniide to his diary. 1t is also clear
that Mead had evidence that General Will
kinsOn was crooked, also He warned va
riOus authorities of the United States that
Wilkinson was the greatest transgressor of
the group. 1t was evidently his opinion
that Wilkinson had betrayed Burr to Spain
and was in the pay of the Spanish author
| tiles
AS Burr's f1otilla came down the Missis-
| sippi river it was preceded by exaggerated
reports of his strength and intentions. and
| in order to protect the territory from in
vasion Governor Mead called out the mi
| litia and stationed it at certain strategic
| points to arrest the invaders, and If nee
| essary, to engage in active military opera
tons against them. Col. f. l.. Claiborne
afterward governor. was selected to organ
ize a tiotilla at NatcheZ and to obstruct
Burr $ passage down the river. Col. Thos
Fitzpatrick, George PoindeXter (afterward
United States senator) and w. B. Shields
tatferward judge in the United States
court were appoin 1 commissioners on the
part of the state government to meet Burr
and demand his unconditional surrender to
the Mississippi authorities. on the morn
| ing of January 49, 1897. they halted the
| fotilla and visited Burr on board a fatboat
| which he made his headquarters They as
| sured him that, in the event of his surren-
der to the civil authorities his life and
| property would be protected; and if, after
| investigation, 1t appeared that he was in
nocent of reasonable designs. he would be
given his liberty. After oral confer
| ence letters to this effect We're exchanged
This correspondence was unknown until re-
| Gently and does not appear in any of the
| histories of that time of the conspiracy.
| AS a result of this correspondence a con-
| ference between Acting Governor Mead and
| Colonel Burr took place at the residence
| of Mr.. Thomas Calvit, in Jefferson county.
| That fine old mansion is still standing and
| is now the property of one of the justices
| of the supreme court of Mississippi. Burr
| formally surrendered to Mead and gave his
| parole In writing, while Mead gave Burr a
| written pledge that until his case was in
vestigated by the courts there shall be no
restraint on his person, no violence or
molestaton to his boats or people, and
| the governor agreed to have the court con-
vened to take judicial action without de-
| lay. Colonel Burr engaged Mr.. Poindex-
| ter and Mr.. Shields, two of the commission
| ers as his counsel, and proceeded with them
| to Washington, then the territorial capital
| of Mississippi, now a little hamlet about
| eight miles west of Natchez where his
| followers Were paroled and his boats tied
| I'D to the banks The court released Burr
| on $1,000 bail with Col. Benfjah Osman and
| Lyman Harding as securities. His courtly
| air and engaging personality charmed all
| who saw him and allayed suspicion. The
| honest frontiersmen of Mississippi We're
| much impressed by his manners and be-
| havior.
Burr's Appearance Described.
George Adams, United States district at
| torney and afterward United States judge
for Mississippi prepared a sketch of Aaron
| Burr as the latter appeared at his trial. 1t
| was found among his manuscripts and was
| presented by his grandson, Mr.. Writ
Adams, to the department of archives and
| history at Jackson. 1t reads as follows:
| His stature is about five feet six inches !;
has a spare meager 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 pres
| ence is commandments aspect mild, firm,
| luminous and impressive. His physiognomy
| is the French configuration; his forehead is
| prominent, broad and retreating, indicative