The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-26

When Harman Blennerhassett came 10 America he possessed everything ito make life worth the living He had been mar ried only a short, while His immense fortune was unincumbered and he was in a position to follow the bent of his de- sires. the trend of which led him into the realms of science. He studied chemistry, astronomy, Calvanism, and had made headway in his chosen work
 He came to America because the laws of England forbade a marriage with one so near akin as Adeline Agnew. He pur- chased d home on the Ohio river, built mansion, the grandeur of which was ur- rivalled-in the colonies, the rich ftTnitprs, magnificent old paintings, ; marble statutes, all added to make life an ideai dream for Lotus Eaters. Many distm- eulshed guests came from far and near to partake of the hospitality, dispensed Tn old English style. None were welcomed mere heartily than Aaron Burr, whose silver tongue and fascinating personality so oaptivated the young Englishman that he soon became wax in the hands Of an interruptions moulder.
 Rlennerhassett invested his all in the Urea sonable schemes of Aaron Burr guns, boats, ammunition, provisions-and he never fully realized the nature of his crime until after his visit to Kentucky. He was the hare ensnared in the poacher's trap. When Jefferson issued the proela- motion for the arrest of Aaron Burr, 1t also included his associates, but as the charge was not sustained against Burr, his associates were never brought to trial. Everything that belonged to Blennerhas- sett was confiscated. his beautiful home was rified of it's treasures, the books de- stroyed, paintings, statutes, furniture, everything went under the hammer; the
 island in the Ohio river upon which hls home was built, called Backus Isle, was upturned and planted in hemp. It takes a brave man to face such disheartening issue, and after all was done, Blennerhas- sett found he was no longer treading tie primrose path, but was facing the farther slope of the hill. He was growing to be an old man. Ichabod was written in un- mstakable lettering over his fortune and hores.
 It is this capacity to grapple with ad- versity. and endeavor to force success from chaotic ruin. that distinguished the greater soul from the lesser. Blennerhas- sett was now a man without a home without a country He was one of the repudiated of earth. He longed for a place of rest away from political intrigue, away from the storm center of action. He gathered the remnant of his once vast fortune and left for the widest portion of the Mississippi delta. He purchased l0oc acres of land near the little town of Port Gibson. Within good shipping dis tance of the river he built home. While not commensurate with the elegance of the mansion on the island in the Ohio river, yet its size and finishing astonished the natives of that section.
 He named his home La Cache"-thc hiding place It was to be his refuge from the storms of political oppression. Here he would retrieve his lost ground and get a foothold on the ladder one. more. but man who knew nothing of cotton culture could hardly hope to sue ceed. even in this section. where nature was in a lavish mood when she created it, and it's productiveness was an Eldcr- ado story.
 Property diminished in value. repeated failures in raising cotton. no tact in man aging the overseers of slaves, all these arain spelt the one despicable word failure.
 Several years ago I was in this section of Mississippi and visited this old his toric ruin. History makes little or no mention of these. sad years of Blenner- hassett's life. They might well be called the lost years, the Croatan years. And 1t were better, too for the Karma of des- tiny, if these years could be wiped away 1 forever and never recalled. As I stood in the glow of dying day and looked on this old ruin of La Cache'' troup of ghosts
 began to occupy the deserted home. Sometimes it were better to note absolute assertion than to realize that only two pr three rooms are occupied, which necessi- tated the windows stuck with old hats.
 the doorway propped with disreputable chairs; empty cotton baskets that had outlived all usefulness. and other worn out paraphernalia. that even the softening l light of dying sunlight failed to do ausht l bu- accentuate. Only white haired negro and his family dispensed the cou,- l tesies of this forgotten home, built in the days when the century was young Could l picture the scenes of the grad