Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1943-01-07

an enchanter with the English Ian
guage, and soon he had the Blan-
nerhassett household into his conf
dence. During his prolonged stay
on the island he carefully and
subtilely unfolded his plot and Har-
man became his ally
The plot had every appearance
Of treason against the U. s. gov
ernment Many historians believed
that Burr was scheming to wrest
some of the southwestern states,
Louisiana in particular, from the
| Union and set up an empire OF his
own. Much contradictory evidence
has been disclosed since, and just
what Burr had in mind may never
be known. Anyway, government Of
ficials got busy and for the second
| time Aaron Burr was fugitive.
After a chase he was arrested, taken
to Richmond and tried for treason
| but found mot guilty for want Of
sufficient proof" Guilty or not
| guilty, it was his undoing, political
ly, and in every other way.
Aaron Burr was a handsome man,
highly cultured, but all writer's
agree that he, like the rest of us,
| had his human weaknesses. He
never got so old but what he was a
gay adventurer into the realm OF
the foibles and frailties of the oppo-
site sex. This led him into some
disreptutable intrigues. There are
| men who are shy-avoiding women,
| if possible, and If they saw one
coming in at the front door they
would run over the baby trying to
gain the back-doOr to hide in the
wood-shed Aaron Burr was not
that kind of a man. He was not
afraid of calico. 1t has been limited
that during his stay on the island
Miss Louisiana, that it was perhaps
a good thing that Harman B. was
near-sighted, couldn't tell a cow
from corset the distance from the
we'll to the house. Such an asser-
ton would naturally cast a reflec-
ton upon the beautiful queen of the
Fairy Isle.
We are not prepared to believe
that the author of 1.-The Deserted
Isle' would fling her chastity at the
feet of any carnally minded man.
Notwithstanding a murder charge
on one shoulder, a treason plot on
the other, and crown plated with
the thorns of immortality pressed
upon his brow, perhaps the circum-
stances of Burr's life might have
made him target, and some of his
acts were nothing more than mag
nified flirtations.
Let us now leave this man with
his blighted life, who reached the
age of eighty-four and died poor,
and get back to the island and see
what has been going on there. Har-
man Blannerhassett, having fully
accepted Burr's plans, the island be-
came a beehive of activity where
every preparation was being made
for the trip down the Ohio and
Mississippi rivers to the new home.
The boats for carrying the adven-
turers with food and supplies had
been built up near Marietta. While
friends were trying to dissuade Har-
man from the venture he was be-
coming more and more fearful of
the consequences and finally fled to
escape arrest.
Mrs. Blannerhassett went up to
Marietta to make preparations to
follow, but upon her return, she
found her home in the hands of the
Virginia militia. In her absence
the soldiers found their way into
the wine-cellar and the palatial
home was turned into Belshazzar
feast of drunkenness and revelry,
which ended in the breaking up of
furniture and despoiling the
grounds. The distracted woman,
with her two children, took pass
age on a flatboat for some point
down the river. We are inclined to
think that Margaret Blannerhassett
was never again permitted to set
eyes on the Fairy Isle. Harman was
but after few weeks Of
was released.
After the trial of Burr at Rich
mond, Blannerhassett returned to
Marietta. visited the island and