Evening journal., 1913-01-11
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
A Remarkable Renaissance
Of ThurIOW Weed
By Holland.


Il was boy of about is years Of
age when 1 heard that court-marital
was to be held at Albany for the pur-
pose OF trying General Hull, who hads
surrendered Detroit TO the British II
year or two earlier, upon charges oil
cowardice and neglect of duty"
Thurlow Weed who made thisI
statement to me, was I'm one OF his|
reminiscent moods when | met hind
one evening, in 1879, at his home inI
New York city. He was then a little'
past 80 years Of age.
remember that the whole cQuntryI
was excited over this court-martialI
and especially that part of the coun-I
try in which | lived, which was i'm theI
neighborhood of Albany. Hull hadI
been very brave soldier in the Revo-I
lutionary war, and it was the reputa-|
ton then gained which caused him to|
be placed In authority in the territory|
of Michigan about the time our troublel
with Great Britain began-a trouble|
which eliminated in the war OF 1912.
Detroit was the strategic point in|
the Northwest and Hull was expected
to hold it against all odds. but he sur-|
rendered IL without making any de-
fcnse.
remember reading the reports ofI
the trial at Albany and was greatly
interested in hearing that Major Gen-
eral Dearborn for whom Fort Dear
born, which stood upon the site cd
what is now the city of Chicago. was
named, was designated as the prcsi-
dent of the court-martial.
Some Of the older men of my town
were present at Albany during a ses-
sion of the court-martial at which the
chief witness against General Hull ap-
peared. I overhead their CONVERSE
ton. They said that this witness told
a remarkable story which tended TO
show that General Hull was incom-
petent, cowardly and that he had base
ly neglected his duty when he sur
rendered Detroit These men said they
were satisfied that the testimony OF
this witness would convict General
Hull.
There was also a good deal of
complimentary reference to the man
ner in which the man who had been
appointed especial judge advocate
handled his case. He was very care
ful in examining the witness against
General Hull. He brought out with
singular ability all of the damaging
testimony, some OF which was rather
reluctantly given by this witness
Hull was convicted and sentenced
to be shot, but President Madison
while approving the finding Of the
court, remitted the death penalty.
But as I look back TO that day ]
think the remarkable feature of this
court-martial was the fact that the
man who was especial judge advocate
and the man who was the chief wit.
ness were in after years to have extra.
ordinary political association and rela-
ton.
For tho man who was the special
judge advocate was none other thar
Martin Van Buren, who was in his
first fame as a lawyer and politician
And do you think the chief witness
was-the man whose testimony MartiT
Van Buren brought out? He was non'
other than Lewis Cass, who, eighteen
years later. was to enter the cabinet o.
! President jackson at the time NIartir
Van Buren retired from IL 70 DecOm'
minister to Great Britain. He wal
also the man who was to be the Demo
cratic candidate for President in 1S4'
and against whom Martin Van Buren,
as the candidate Of the Free Sol
! Democracy, was to run and who, b.
his candidacy, defeated Cass for th'
presidency.
Mr.. Van Buren afterward fold ms
that in later life he often thought o
the circumstances which brought hin
and Lewis Cass together for the frs
time. each of them a young man, am
bilious, not dreaming Of the future tha
awaited him. He also told me tha
he did not meet Mr.. Cass after thu
court-martial was adjourned in 1914
until he met him at Washington, wher'
he went TO take a place in Presiden
Jackson's cabinet as secretary OF wal
in 1881"
Copyright. 1913. by e. J. Edwards
All rights reserved)
CHARLES WARNER co. DIVIDEND