The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-14

of the house replied to the knock in person.
 "Is Colonel Burr here?' they asked.
 'Why do you ask?" she replied.
 We have an order for his arrest, and demand admittance"
 You will only enter over my dead body" she replied. ''We believe Colonel Burr to be an innocent man bounded by political rivals You must come in the morning, gentlemen" and she shut tue door in their faces As soon as the men were gone she called Colonel Burr and told him of the incident. He, with his travelling companion, Ashley, decided to continue their journey at once and, sad ding their horses, rode through the town.
 But as fate would have it, there were at the Washington county courthouse, in St. Stephens that night, Thomas Malone. clerk of the federal) district court; Theo- dore Brightwell sheriff of Washington county, and Maj. Nicholas Perkins, all staunch henchmen of the administration, and of course inimical to Aaron Burr. At that time of night the sheriff was in bed, like the reputable citizen he was, but Malone and Perkins were sitting up over their cider and pipes, when there came a sound of horses hoofs pounding over the frozen streets. Perkins was alert in a moment. The country was full of rumors of the designs of Colonel Burr. Treason strategems and spells were in the air. Burr was known to be in flight, and hand bills were posted on the, trees and in the courthouse offering 5000 reward for his capture.
 ''Who is that riding so furious at this time of night?' the major asked his com- panion.
 Nothing unusual in this country in these unsettled times" replied Malone.
 Man In a White Hat.
 But Perkins was by nature suspicious He went to the door, and, throwing it open, stood framed in it looking into the street through which the riders must pass lnder the brilliant rays of a full souther moon. Soon a man in a tall white hat rode by at a brisk trot without turning his head a word to the watcher in the door, but there was another man behind, and he stopped and asked the way to Major Hinson's. Had he, too, passed on in silence Aaron Burr might have escaped.
 Lord" said the major, you can't get to Hinson's tonight. It's eight miles, the bridges are down, and part of the way the road is only a trail any way"
 Got to go on," said the man, i'm portant business. We're from the Chickasaw country! Had our horses lifted a piece back and 1t delayed us.'
 Better put up at the town wonder and wait till mornin'," returned the major.
 In reply the man put spurs to his horse and rode on after his companion.
 Perkins turned back and said to Ma line HThey're extraordinary men rid ing at this time of night over danger ous roads, passing a public house, and going on to a privae one. That first man was out of the ordinary. Either they have evil designs on Hinson, or 1t Is Colonel Burr escaping out of the country. Any way I'm going to follow them Will you go with mel"
 Drying His Clothes.
 Malone was a clerk, a man of peace, and declined. But the sheriff, Bright well, was called up and readily con sented. When they arrived at Major Hinsons the strangers were already there-the talkative one in evidence, but the other, as they later discovered, was in the kitchen drying his clothes by the fre-there being none in the liv- ing room. After a while, however, he came in.
 q observed his dress and every ap- pearance to be extraordinary" said Major Perkins in a paper he wrote in his old age by request. AS well as I can recollect he had on a white hat with a brim rather broad than other wise. He wore a long beard. a oh ecked handkerchief round his neck, a great coat belted around him, to which was hanging a teacup on the one side and a butcher knife on the other I began to think he must be Colonel Burr and watched an opportunity of seeing his eve. by which I expected to know him. At length I got a glance of his eye as he looked aside at me. upon which I became confident that this was Colonel Burr.
 The Arrest.
 "Soon after I got my horse and left the house as if going back to the court house But after pursuing that road l turned and took the road down to Fort Stoddart. where I arrived before sum rise. and informed Lieutenant Gaines of what I had seen and heard, and of my. suspicious that the person in the white hat was Colonel Burr He then agreed to go with me, and selecting as he said, a confidential sergeant and three soldiers, we set out on horseback up the country toward Major Hinson's. When we came within two or three