Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-08-03
THE RIVALS.
A SiOry of the Times of Aaron Burr and
Alexander Hamilton.
BY JERE CLEMENS.

which, he insists, you are lnHoceHl'
In that case I want you to begin at
the beginning and tell me everything
omitting nothing because 1t may seem
unimportant to you. I must judge OF
that, and to judge correctly, / must
know the whole"
well, sir, after I had put you In
the Middlebrook road, I went back to
my comrades and served the king
faithfully until the end Of the war.
had been too active a foe to hope
for speedy forgiveness; and Jenkins
was more obnoxious to the victorious
Wings than 1 was, for he had plum
dered, burned, and hung without mer-
cy, whereas / had only killed In open
fight. Both, however, were in peril,
and we agreed to repair to New York,
enlist in the British army and go
with 1t to Europe. Unfortunately, we
arrived too late. They had been gone
three days when we reached here.
There was no alternative but to make
our way back to the High
lands, where we hid for months, some
times sleeping in Jenkins's cabin, and
sometimes in the hollows and lonely
glens, with which we were acquainted.
Occasionally we would venture down
to the houses of known Tories, who
lived unmolested in the country be-
cause they had not taken up arms
during the war, and from them we OBJ
tained clothing and provisions. In
this way months went over. Our
fears had subsided to some extent,
and we lived constantly in the cabin,
trusting to its remote situation to es-
cape observation; or, If that failed, to
our own watchfulness to guard
against surprise. One night we were
alarmed by the barking of the
dogs, and had barely time to escape
to the bushes before the house was
surrounded by armed men, who, find
ing that the inmates had fed, first
stripped it of everything it contained
and then burned it to the ground. l
was hid behind the rocks within one
hundred yards Of the spot; my rifle
in my hand; their forms were dis
tinctly marked against the blazing
fire-and yet l did not shoot. There
was a time when all of them would
not have left that burning pile alive.
1t was sore temptation, but 1 let
them escape, because l had hoped Of
being permitted to live in peace in
the pursuit Of some honest calling,
and did not wish to incur other disa-
bilities than those that were already
hanging over me. I do not know
who was the prime mover in the bus
mess, though / have latterly sus-
pected the man who will appear as
the principal witness against me-"
What was his name?" asked Colo
mel Burr, for the first time interrupt
ing the speaker.
John Roberts. I have no proof
against him, and therefore have twice
kept Bill Jenkins's knife from his
throat. He had been a Tory, but took
time by the forelock, and made his
peace with General McDougall before
the troubles were over"
When was that?"
About the last of 1880. He was a
Westchester man."
II remember him. Go on"
He knew that Jenkins and had
both saved some money. He knew
that we would not keep it in the cab
could be easily found. He pretended
great friendship for u.s. and several
times sold us provisions. If we were
captured he probably thought he could
obtain our secret from us, pocket the
money, and leave us to hang. This
though, is suspicion only. / have no
proof, as l said before"
Colonel Burr made a memorandum
in his pocket-book and again, re-
quested Durand to proceed.
I'VE remained in the mountains two
days, then dug up our money and
walked to this city, where we had
few acquaintances, and where we
thought we would be lost in the crowd
of strangers who were flocking here.
We took lodgings in a cheap boarding
house close to the waters edge. and
in the course Of a month l bought a
wherry and began the trade Of a wa
terman. Jenkins at first worked with
me, and we did very well. At last
he became acquainted with gang OF
desperate men, and took to worse
courses. He changed his boarding
house, and left me. continued at the
business saving a little each month
and gradually growing contented with
my lot. In the mean time l had OBJ
tained a pardon for the part l had
taken in the war, and had no cause fol
uneasiness, except on Jenkins's ac-
count. His murdered wife was my sis
ter, and from that fatal hour l had
clung to him as brother rarely cleaves
to brother. 1 hunted him up, and trieG
to drag him from the dens of infamy
he frequented. He would not heal
me. l then learned that John Rob
erts had also come to New York, ant
was one of his associates, though Bill
seemed to have an instructive hatred
of the man. l don't know what made
him suspect him, but he came 10 mt
one day and said that Roberts was thu
man who brought upon us the party
who burned our cabin, and that he in
tended to kill him for it. 1t took Ions
and urgent persuasion to induce hin
to abandon his intention. At anothe
time he came to me and said tina
Roberts must not live. Again l inter
posed and saved him. This brings m
down to the time of the murder: AM
here 1 suppose you wish me to be NOR
particular"
Tell it exactly in your own way
and give me your observations precisel
as they occurred to you at the tim
and since, omit nothing"
Il lodged in the house of a Ger
man, whose name was Franz KlinE
1t was a two-story house fronting tn
water, with two rooms below and tw
above. In the front room below h