The Cairo bulletin., 1912-08-14

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| Burr, son OF the AAR on BURR
president OF Princeton college, son
and grandson of famous ciergymen.
He himself had been prepared for col
| lege at eleven and had been Prince
ton graduate at sixteen, Then. after
studying theology Tor year, he calm
! " announced that he did not believe
| in religion of any sort. His private
| life had already proved him to be as
| lacking In morals as in Goodness.
Burr was only nineteen when the
revolution began. He dropped the
| stuCy OF law and enlisted as private
| soldier In the patriot army. Eut he
tired of regular military life and went
as a volunteer with Benedict Arnold
| on the Arnold-Montgomery expeditioh
against Quebec lie quarreled with
| Arnold and joined Montgomery. Then
| he ouarreled with Montgomery and
| went back to Arnold. He could get
| on" with no commander. Yet SO brave
| ~ did he fight i'll that unfortunate ex-
petition that on his return he was
| made a major.
He joined George Washington's
STAFF. He ard the chief were about as
| we'll suited to each other as q rattle
| snake and war horse. Burr openly
| sneered at Washington's stiff discip-
| line and lofty honor. Washington
| found Burr's evil morals disgusting and
| was enraged at the youths impu'
| dence Then and there began mu'
| tual and lifelong hatred. After six
| weeks, Burr left Washington's staff
and joined Gen. Israel Putnam's.
Though he and old Put" did not agree
especially well with each other, Burrs
| courage and military talent raised
him, in 1777, to the rank OF lieutenant
| colonel. And he fought CALAMITY until
1873 Then sick OF war and angry be-,
cause he was not promoted faster, he
left the army.
He had long been one of Washing
toms opponents and had taken lively
part in the Lee and Gates conspiractes
against the chief This and his quar-
relsome nature may have been what
barred him from promotion For as
long as Washington was in powell
Burr was made to feel the weight OF
his >enmity. In later years Burr was
| mentioned for minister to France and
for other high government posts. But
President Washington always refused
him such honors.)
Leaving the army, Burr became Q
| lawyer and soon afterward moved tt
| New York. He rose to the height OF
his profession, married a rich widow
and speedily became mighty power
in New York politics. In 1888 he was
attorney general, and in 1891 Went te
the United States senate. In 1890 he
tied" with Thomas Jefferson in the
election for president In order to
win the presidency he deserted bis
! political friends and curried tavol
with his party's foes. But in spite OF
| these and other sharp tactics Jeffer
| son was at length elected Burr, by
the custom of those days, became vice
| president.
1t was the summit OF his career
| Then came the gradual fall. Burr had
political quarrel with Alexander
Hamilton, which ended, July Z, 1904
IN pistol duel at Weehawken, N. j.
| Burr killed Hamilton. Ii was a fair
fight, and one man was probably no
more to blame, in the quarrel, than
the other. Yet Hamilton had been so
| popular that Burr after the duel was
politically crushed
Smarting with anger at the public's
disapproyal, Burr went to the south.
west and there plunged with feverish
| energy into a mysterious scheme
whose exact nature is still doubtful.
The general testimony Is that he
| planned to conquer Mexico and to
merge it with Texas, Louisiana, etc.,
into a great southwestern kingdom,
/ empire or republic, with New Orleans
| for Its capital and himself as it's
ruler. The scheme fourished for
time, but collapsed when the United
States government denounced 1t and
| arrested Burr for treason. Burr was
| acquitted, but found 1t wise to leave
America. He went to England, where
he was maturing new plans when the
| British expelled him as IAN embarras-
! sing person" He was forbidden to
return to his own country and for a
time drifted about Europe, almost
| penniless.
But in 1872 he sailed for New York,
disguised and opened law office ON
Nassau street. His genius quickly
enabled him to win new fortune.
He added to his wealth by marrying a
second widow, Mime Jumel, who left
him after he had squandered much OF
her fortune. Il Il IN
In the course of the next few years
hard luck came again. Old. intirm.
poor, stunned by his former friends
his family gone, Aaron Burr finally
became an object of charity and died
at Port Richmond, S. L., September IA,
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