University of South Carolina Libraries
^ ^ ^ " ISSUED SEMX-WIEKL^ l. M. GRIST'S SONS, PnbUsher., [ % ^amilg Hetcspaptr: d" th* promotion of the {political, Social, ^gricultuijal and Commercial Interests of th^ gfople. _ l *lNo^0co^*Knvi',cEN^A,ii;l!' ESTABLISHED 1855. YORKVILLE, 8. C., FRIDAY, JUNE lfl, 11)06. TSTO. 48. THE R] A Story of the Times Alexander BY JERE C CHAPTER m. "See?oh! never more, my comrades. Shall we see that falcon eye Redden with Its Inward lightning. 1 * ? *? U. rt# fl rrH f tlrtiTV nlch! i as wie uuui ui iiB>.v ..... ....... Never shall we hear the voice that, Clearer than the trumpet's call. Bade us strike for King and Country, Bade us win the field, or fall!" The evening meal had long been concluded, and the convent bells had chimed the hour of nine. Aaron Burr was still In earnest conference with the Superior. A gentle tap on the door announced the appearance of a visitor. He was evidently expected, for the door Immediately opened and the priest, pointing to a chair, anxiously Inquired of the new comer what news he had gathered. "The country Is aroused and vigilant," briefly responded the man, "and patrols of horse are scouring the roads." "For what? Heard you for what. Julien?" I "Thi>r? is a rumor of a rebel army } encamped before Quebec; and It Is , said that rebel emissaries are traveling , In disguise to create disaffection among , the people." * I "This Is worse," said the monk. , thoughtfully; "much worse than I ex- | pected. You may go. Julien," he con- j tinued, after a pause, "and partake of I some needful refreshment?but first i send the guide Raoul hither." < "We have need of your advice, my < son," said the monk, when Audlgier ap- s peared In obedience to his summons. I "Julien reports that the country peo- i pie are alarmed, and horse patrols scouring the roads. You, who are a soldier by profession, will understand what amount of danger Is to be anticipated, and what are the best means of avoiding It." "I have been a soldier, father, and remembered so much of my old calling as to go out myself on a scouting expedition this evening. Julien has not reported matters any worse than they are." "So I feared! so I feared; What do you advise?" "It seems to me, father, there is but one thing we can do safely, and that is, to remain within your walls until the patrols have disappeared. They will not molest us here, and I hope and believe they will soon get tired of riding about in such bitter weather as this." The monk fully agreed with the guide, but such an arrangement was exceedingly distasteful to Burr, and he protested vehemently against it. Everv hour lost now, he argued, lessened the chances of a glorious termination to the campaign. It gave the enemy time to recover from his first panic, and. which was of more Importance, enabled him to add to and strengthen his fortifications. He contended that the patrols were likely to be Just as vigilant some days hence as now. and added, that he felt bound to make the at tempt to proceed, nowever great mc danger. The guide heard him without J interruption and then calmly replied? "I acknowledge the force of much you have said. Monsieur Burr. I know the importance of speedily reaching Montreal, and it is because I do know it that I advise present delay. To proceed now will be to throw yourself in- . to the hands of the enemy; not probably, but certainly. We might gain a few hours by starting at night, but the tracks left in the snow would enable them to follow at speed, and commanding as they could, and would, f fresh horses at every farm-house on ( the road, our escape would be impossi- . ble. We must remain, monsieur, and t if your anticipations of the continued , vigilance of the horsemen should prove , correct, we can take advantage of the , first snow storm which will fill up the . tracks behind us, and lessen the dan- , cer hv that much at least. I am per- , suaded. however, that much more will , be gained. The people of the country have no heart for this business, and the British horse who have nothing more than vague suspicion to animate them, will soon find, in the severity of the weather, a sufficient excuse for ? S * leaving the road and betaking themselves to more comfortable quarters." The arguments of the guide were warmly seconded by the priest, and Burr was compelled to submit to an arrangement he could not alter. Having^onsented to remain, he did not, as so ma^ny men would have done, see fit to render it disagreeable to his host by an exhibition of fretful impatience. On the contrary, during the three days of his enforced detention he seemed to forget his warlike mission entirely, and directed the conversation into channels the most familiar and the most agreeable to his hearers. Upon subjects of philosophy and religion, he at home and the erood fathers were astonished as much by the sub- l tlety of his reasoning as by the extent t and variety of his learning. I Every night Raoul communicated the i information he had gathered during the I day. On the third evening, after his I usual report, he said,? l "The coast is nearly clear, monsieur, I and the clouds betoken a snow storm i before midnight. If you will take a : few hours sleep I will have everything prepared to start by the time it sets in." Burr was so delighted at the prospect of being again in motion, that ; sleep was banished from his eyeiius. He had no preparations to make beyond a careful examination of his arms. These were secured in a belt beneath his monk's robes, and then he began to pace the floor with a quick and nervous tread. After awhile he seated himself In a chair and. taking up a Latin volume, tried to pass off the time in reading. His efforts to confine his attention to the book were of no avail. The words seemed to run into one another. and he became conscious that, although he had turned over a dozen leaves or more, he could not recall a single expression, and was ignorant even of the subject treated of in the book. Replacing it on the table, he [VALS. of Aaron Burr and Hamilton. LEMENS. renewed his walk more rapidly than | before. Soon his steps grew slower. I rne iurrows impatience nou mouc u^on his brow disappeared. He had surrendered the reins to fancy, and, in the buoyant hopefulness of youth, had given form and substance to the dim and shadowy events which peopled the future. Distinctly, as on a mariner's chart, he traced out his own career, and robed it with a glory that never comes to bless the imagination of any but the young and the inexperienced. He heard upon a hundred battlefields the stirring war-cry, "Give me liberty, [>r give me death!" and sent back from bis own lips an answering echo. Through scenes like these?in the midst of honors fairly won?he rose from rank to rank, until he saw himself the chosen leader of a band of patriot heroes, whose strong arms had shivered the chains of tyranny, and whose bold hearts had led them unflinching through fire and blood to the loftiest triumph mortal courage may ichieve. Then a sweet change came jver his dream. The stern shouts of contending hosts the clashing steel, ind the deep-toned thunder of the artillery are hushed, and in their stead swell the triumphal anthems which tia.il a people's champion and proclaim i nation's birth. The ground where lately the life-blood of the oppressor ind the oppressed was mingled in a crimson current, is strewed with flowers ; the serried ranks of armed men are swept away; old men and children throng around their deliverer, and, more highly prized than all,? 'From every casement comes the light Of women's eyes, so soft and bright! Peering through the latticed bars, A nearer, dearer, heaven of stars." Farther, farther still, beyond the final triumph and its glad rejoicings, did the visions of the young enthusiast travel. He became the lawgiver of a ransomed continent, and under his encouragement the lake, the stream, the mounnin and the Dlain were DeoDled by the nighty creations of science. Art add?d its brilliant decorations; music and joetry poured their melodies into en-aptured ears: and, over all, genius ipread its radiant wings, gilding that 'avored spot of earth with the hues of leaven. Oh, wisely has an impenetrable curain been drawn between us and the inknown road our footsteps are doomed o pass! Oh wisely has It been de;reed that no craft, no skill, no exertion ran tear It away! Moving as we move, j eceding as we advance, forever near, ret forever beyond our reach, it hides , ilike the level greensward and the luicksand, the triumph and the Fall, , vhleh await us tomorrow. No aveng- ( ng demon stood by the side of Aaron Burr to reveal the destiny to come, ind to strike from fancy's grasp Its ?nchanter*s wand. He was but twenty, ind he could dream. It has been so j jrdered that all of us, at that age, may Iream if we will, and he is a poor, weak fool, who cherishes not the good , flft that Providence has bestowed, rhe narrow minded devotee of mam- ' nun may say, uiiu iruiy, inai mc (lightest vision never purchased a loaf >f bread or clothed a naked foot: but vhat would King David have said if j le had been told to still the swell of sxandeur that almost shivered his larpstrings in the cave of Adullam j .vhen the bright dream of his future greatness and glory Hashed upon him? Jr. what would old John Milton have inswered, if he had been told to chase )ff his visions of Lucifer's rebellion in leaven?descend from his kindred J tome beyond the stars, and grabble in he mire of earth for sixpence? Tell he soldier that he must not dream of /ictorles won in his country's cause; he lawyer, of friendless innocence ; ( indicated by his eloquence; the gos- 1 >el preacher, of lost souls restored to i bleeding Savior's bosom,?and the soldier becomes a mercenary, the lawyer a pettifogging swindler, and the preacher a heartless hypocrite. Dreams however wild, however extravagant, ire the gift of God himself, sent in infinite mercy to cheer the darkest hours >f the desponding, and in infinite wis- 1 jom to stimulate the mind of man to [he grandest and the loftiest of its exertions. Nothing great, nothing good, ivas ever yet accomplished by him tvhose aspirations were bounded by the actual?whose efforts were limited by the probable. Aaron Burr was still building castles In the air, when Raoul, accompanied by [he father superior, entered the room to announce that the storm had set In, and the hour for their departure had arrived. For the first ten miles or more, their progress was slow. The snow, falling in flakes as big as a man's hand, shut out all objects at the iistance of a few feet from the travelers. and rendered the exercise of con dderable caution necessary in picking ;heir road. The dreary night gave little encouragement to conversation, and ih>- silence was only broken by a brief lUestioii now and then, and an equally brief reply. No indication of a pursuit had b? en observed, and Burr was beginning to tiatter himself with the belief that the danger was over, when, shortly after crossing a little stream spanned by a covered bridge, his attention was attracted by a lumbering noise behind them. "What is that?" he asked quickly. Raoul turned his head backward for a monant, and then replied in a voice indicative neither of alarm nor excitement,? "It is the sound of horses' feet on the bridge. We are followed, monsieur." At the same time he applied the lash smartly to the spirited potties, who dashed off at a greatly accelerated pace. Holding them steadily to their work. Raoul continued,? ir r,.n..u...a r..,.1,1 Rivers they must be skillful rulers or their horses will be blown before they overtake us. Ours are as strong as when we left the convent, and will bear up many miles without flagging." "Is it not possible." asked Burr, "that they may be upon some other errand?" "Possible, certainly; though there are t few errands which would draw men j from their comfortable beds on such a f night as this. It is of little moment, t however, whether they seek us, or t whether they have other business. We \ are upon the road under suspicious 1 circumstances, in a time of general t suspicion, and that is enough to insure f our arrest if we are overtaken. May t I ask, monsieur, whether you pro- t pose in that event to surrender, or re- t sist?" c "Resist, by all means!" was the s quick and stern reply. "Resist, and to I the death. I will not be taken alive." I "I am delighted to hear you say so. c The fact Is. I look upon death by a I halter as altogether so vulgar and dis- f agreeable, that I am afraid I might a have been Inclined to oppose your c wishes if you had decided otherwise, r It Is better though to avoid the alter- 1 native, If It can be done and, as the li horses will require all my attention, s I must request you to turn an occa- v sional glance backward, In order that we may get the earliest notice of their t approach." a Mile after mile was passed over, and f still there was no appearance of the a pursuing party. Raoul well understood I that they might be In a few hundred fi yards of him nevertheless, and he kept o his horses at the fastest pace they d could bear without the risk of break- h ing down. The storm was beginning b to abate, and the first streaks of light o dappled the east, when Burr thought s he discovered the dim outlines of ? horsemen in the rear. tl 'They are coming," he said. "Had ti you not better Increase our speed?" r "No. They will overtake us at any h rate. It must come to a life and death o struggle sooner or later, and we shall E gain some advantage by taking It cool- is ly. Can you make out how many there fi are?" "I see but three." h "Three only! There must have been k more when they started, and some have broken down by the way." tl For two miles further the horses n were kept at the same steady pace, d The day had grown brighter, and the li snow was falling less rapidly than It had been. tl "They are gaining on us," said Burr, tl "but It is very slowly. It will be an li hour before they can overtake us, even a at our present rate of traveling." o "Do you see no more than three now, A mnncipnr t}*t d "There are no more." ii "Then the chances are all In our tl favor." a So saying he reined the Jaded horses a to a slow trot, dropped the buffalo h robe from his shoulders, and divested a his hands of the thick fur gloves which t( Incased them. p "Get your arms ready, monsieur, and g use them promptly. Not only our own tl lives, but the fate of Quebec depends a upon getting the first fire." t< A few minutes only elapsed before B the pursuers galloped alongside and e< sternly ordered them to halt. Raoul complied, suddenly inquiring for what nr purpose peaceful travelers were thus fi interrupted on their journey. cl "Ah, Monsieur Audlgier!" answered tl the leader of the party, "it seems you n have forgotten an old acquaintance, g You might have remembered Cornet w (now captain) Robert Campbell, of his tl majesty's?Dragoons, and save your- w self the trouble of asking for his au- tl thority." a' "I remember," said the Frenchman, ii with a knit brow and a flashing eye, B 'that you shot down my brother by my fi sidp and that vou treated me like a a dog when I was a helpless prisoner o under your charge; but I did not know g that these acts gave you authority to fi arrest me, or my companion on the h highway. Where is your warrant?" tl "Oh!" replied Campbell, drawing a n pistol from his holster, "it is seldom tl that I am unprepared with a sufficient If warrant for the arrest of a traitor and si a spy." ei Quick as lightning, Raoul thrust a ii hand in his bosom?in a moment a v loud report shook the morning air, and tl Robert Campbell fell without a groan tl to the ground. The ball had touched tl his heart. Almost at the same time n Burr's pistol was discharged, desper- si ately wounding another of the dra- fi goons. The remaining one seeing how P it had fared with his comrades, hasti- w ly returned the fire, and, wheeling his T horse, betook himself to flight. Two b shots were discharged after him, by o one of which his horse was so badly tl wounded that, at the distance of one e hundred yards, he stumbled and fell. w "That will do," said Raoul, coolly n drawing on his gloves. "Before he can b procure assistance and put another p pack of blood-hounds on our trail we d shall be far enough beyond danger b from pursuit." e It turned out as he predicted, and c the remainder of the journey was un- s! varied by accident or adventure. En- ii tering Montreal, Burr proceeded di- 11 rectly to the headquarters of General 1) Montgomery, to make his report. That n gallant officer, charmed by the address u and during of the young volunteer, tl conferred upon him the military rank tl of captain, and assigned him a place w on his own staff. p That the reader may clearly under- d stand tiie events just narrated, it may tl be necessary to explain that when tl Raoul Audigier drove off from the inn h door at Three Rivers, he was mistaken o in supposing that he had not been rec- u ognized by his old enemy. Captain n Campbell. It is true, that individual h could not at the moment recall his t name, or the time and place where they a had met; but both the face and the h voice were familiar to him, and he v kept thinking and taxing his memory f until the truth Hashed upon him. By tl that time Raoul and Burr were safe il in the convent. Now Captain Camp- n bell had very little respect for either s priests or convents, and would not have J hesitated to make an arrest at the al- h tar's foot, if the orders from his supe- v riors had not been distinct and positive, t that no indignity whatever should be g offered to any of the religious cotnmu- ii nities, and that great care should be s observed not to offend the Catholic Ii population, and thus give them a pre- o text for joining in the formidable re- 1 hellion which had broken out in the e other colonies of British America. He d was satisfied that Raoul was employed t upon some errand hostile to English v supremacy, and fully believed that his j companion was one of those emissa- \ lies who, it was reported, had been I sent out by the Continental Congress i to persuade the Canadians to unite c with them in throwing off the yoke of s he mother country. So thinking, he )!aced a watch on the roads, and also succeeded in bribing one of the servlors of the convent to bring him all he information he could gather. This vas little enough. Burr was careful to ceep the object of his journey, and he place of his destination, a secret rom all but the superior, and, as the ime of his starting was wholly uncerain, all that the traitor could do was o promise that he would Immediately 'ommunicate to Captain Campbell any suspicious circumstances that came to >l? Irnnu'loilcp Aprordinelv. when iurr and Raoul departed from the onvent, he sought his employer at the nn, where he found him snoring comortably In bed. By the time he was .roused, and four troopers (all that he ould immediately muster) were nounted, two good hours were lost. This made It necessary to press the lorses so hard that before he came In ight of the fugitives two of them rere completely blown. Robert Campbell, though little better han a ruffian In heart or manners, was man of dauntless courage, who had ought his way up from the grade of , private soldier to his present rank, le was accustomed to overcome dlfIculties, and to pay little attention to dds or danger In the discharge of his uties. The loss of one-half his force lad no other effect than to excite him o fury. Uttering bitter maledictions n the clumsy brutes, and bestowing ome hearty curses on the men them eives, wno ne cnargea wun neglecting he proper care of their horses, he conInued the pursuit at the head of the emaining two, as Indeed he would ave done alone. If they also had given ut. In sight of the wagon In which turr and the guide were traveling, he jsued stern orders to kill Raoul at the rst show of resistance, adding,? "If he Is out on a treasonable errand e will be certain to show fight. I nott' him of old." Nothing but the prompt tactics of he pursued saved them from the Imllnent danger, and enabled Burr to eliver his message to Montgomery, 1 Montreal. On the reception of that message, he dauntless Irishman, undismayed by he excessive cold and the bllndlg snow-storms of the season, put his rmy In motion, and by a succession f forced marches, In a few days Joined .mold before Quebec. His young aid e-camp had been daily gaining ground 1 his confidence and esteem. His uniring watchfulness, patient endurance nd exact performance of every duty ssigned him, completely won the eart of his experienced commander, nd at the first council of war held afn* his junction with Arnold, Burr was resent by express Invitation of the eneral. That council led to results lat will long be remembered in the nnals of America. It was determined > take the city by assault, and Aaron :urr. at his own request, was appolnti to the command of the forlorn hope. Under his supervision, ladders were lade for the "stormers," and the men, jlly armed and equipped, were exerIsed in ascending these ladders, until aey were able to execute the maoeuver in perfect order and with the reatest celerity. Each night Burr 'ent himself to inspect the fortiflcaons and examine the ground over hich it had been determined to make le approach. So incessant was his ctivity, that it became a common say. ig among the soldiers that "little iurr" never slept. Unfortunately, om some cause, the original plan of ttack was changed, and on the night f the 31st of December, 1775 Montomery formed his troops, now reduced rom fatigue and exposure to nine undred men, in four divisions, for tie final assault. Two of these were ot expected to do more than distract le enemy's attention. The third was d by Arnold. The general, in oppoItion to the wishes and against the arnest remonstrances of his officers, isisted on commanding the fourth dlIsion in person. At four o'clock on tie morning of the first of January, le order was given to advance, and tie columns moved forward in the lidst of a snow-storm of unexampled everity. Montgomery marched in ront, accompanied by his staff, and taoul Audlgier as guide. The British 'ere slumbering in fancied security, 'he movement of the Americans had eon conducted so noiselessly that no ne inside the fortifications dreamed of heir approach. The first row of pickts was cleared away?still no alarm as given. They neared the second aw and began to remove these also, efore the guard became aware of their r?sence. A hasty fire, that did no amage to the assailants, was followed y the tlight of the guard; and now, lated by the seeming certainty of suctss, Montgomery raised the exulting hout?"Quebec is ours." But. alas; i this world the veriest accident, the lost trivial obstacle, not unfrequent,* changes the destinies of men and at ions! Huge masses of ice blocked P the narrow gorge through which hey were advancing, and in removing hese obstructions priceless minutes ere lost. Behind the second row of ickets there was a square block-house efcnded by two twelve-pounders. In he confusion of their first surprise, he British soldiers fled from the block ouse without waiting to try the effect f their cannon on the advancing colinn. The delay occasioned by the ecessity of removing the masses of ?e gave a sailor time to observe that hey were unpursued. Returning to scertain the cause, he reached the lock-house just as the Americans iere beginning again to advance. Beore betaking himself a second time to light, he touched off one of the heavly loaded pieces. Fiercely through the light air hissed the destroying grapehot! Forward fell the tall form of Montgomery, and down sank two of lis aids by his side. Crimson stains rere scattered over the white shroud hat covered the earth, and dying xoans added their horrors to thewailngs of the winter storm! That iron hower. sent forth by a trembling land, aimless, and without a defined 'bject, had performed a fearful work! Svery man who had led the advance, xcept Burr and the guide, was either lead, or soon to be so. Appalled at lie havoc before them, the troops, who re re for the most part raw and inextorienced, stopped and hesitated. In ain Burr shouted to them to come on. J n vain he urged, entreated, and imilored. In vain he assured them that >ne effort?one vigorous charge would urely carry the place. What, they | argued, could a boy like him know of war and Its chances. Their general was dead; there was no other chieftain present In whom they had confidence. From doubt they sunk to fear, and fled disgracefully from the bloody scene. Alas! If Arnold had been there to excite them by his sublime fury, and shame them by his desperate example, how different might have been his own rate: mow changed tne aesuny 01 Canada! But he, the hero then, aibelt the traitor afterwards, was thundering against an impregnable height on another side of the town, and chafing like a lioness deprived of her whelps, because, with mortal means, he could not accomplish a fes.t beyond any mortal strength. Raoul Audlgler was nearly choked by feelings of bitter contempt as he marked the hesitation, and then the hasty retreat of the Americans. To him It was perfectly apparent that one determined charge was all that was needed to win the mighty prize they were throwing away In their cowardly panic. He knew the ground and the defences well, having served in the garrison when it was occupied by the French, and was pursuaded that the remaining difficulties were light In comparison with those that had been overcome. Ten minutes before his heart was beating proudly In anticipation of tearing cown the hated flag of England from Itn lofty eminence. Now this confident hope was rudely crushed at the very moment he believed Its realization Inevitable, and to his utter amazement he witnessed the ter.orstrlcken flight of armed men from a victory already won. In a tone of mingled sarcasm and irony, he addressed himself to the only companion who had not deserted him,? "You and I might take this fortress, captain, but I doubt our ability to hold It. There Is no alternative, I believe, save t:o follow the example of your gallant countrymen." It was Indeed high time to beat: a retreat. The British had returned to the block-house, and opened a heavy fire on the fugitives. Burr, unwilling to leave his bleeding commander to the insults of the foe. lifted the dead hero In his arms, and trudged along through the deep snow with his glorious burden. Close upon his heels passed the fierce pursuers, but he clung to that inanimate body as the mother clings to her sucking babe, until his strength was exhausted and he llteraJly sunk beneath its weight. The hopes of the morning had been fearfully blasted and throughout that day dismay reigned over the American camp. Arnold was wounded, and his men repulsed on the other side of the town. In every quarter disaster had befallen them, and the baffled troops shook off the restraints of discipline, and gathered in gloomy knots to discuss a.nd lament their losses. The contemptuous opinion Raoul Audlger had formed of the republican soldiers was not improved by the demoralization that followed their repulse. Toward evening he approached the t nt of Burr. "I have come," he said, "to bid you good-by, captain, and to wish you higher honors than you are likely to win while associated with the rabble gang &.duu[ you. "This is sudden, and unexpected," answered Burr. "I hoped that you would remain with us to the end." "I hoped myself, captain; but It cannot be. One night's experience of the mettle of your troops is enough for an old soldier like me. It is difficult at my age to learn new lessons, and I don't think I could make much progress in the art of running- away?an art in which your soldiers have attained a degree of proficiency I have no ambition to equal. In the next battle I should almost certainly be killed. In a good cause and to subserve a useful end, that is a fate at which I should not murmur; but I object very seriously to being called to the judgment bar In the company of men whose wounds were all taken behind." It was to no purpose Burr attempted to explain that the flight of the Amercans could not justly be attributed to any want of personal courage or devotion to the cause; that It was one of those sudden and unaccountable panics by which all new levies are liable to be afflicted, and for which there was much excuse In the fall of their general, and the absence of any commanding spirit to take his place. He insisted that the same men would, the next day, march up the same gorge and brave five times the danger freely and fearlessly, under Arnold's lead. "I hope so, captain; and for your sake I will try to believe It. Still, there is no Inducement for me to remain. When last night's story Is told, you may have well-wishers, but you will have no partisans among our people. It is this that stings so deeply, whenever I think of that dastardly flight. If I had not witnessed it myself, I could not have believed that men with beards upon their chins could behave so wretchedly. Why, a band of peasants, carrying no other weapons than flails and pitchforks, might have exterminated the garrison, so completely were they taken by surprise. As it Is, whatever success may attend you elsewhere, the fate of Canada is sealed. God bless you!" he continued, extending his hand. "I know you to be a soldier, and a brave one. I grieve that I am not able to say as much for your comrades. I shall seek the convent of Father Pierre and if the prayers of a good man may avail you anything, I doubt not that his will follow your wherever you go." Burr grasped his offered hand. "Good-by," he said, "my brave and faithful friend. I respect your feel ings too much to complain of the bitterness of your language. When next you hear of me, I trust the tidings wUl be of happier import." The command of the united forces devolved on Arnold, and for weeks he lingered about Quebec, watching an opportunity to strike another blow, and retrieve the losses he had sustained. One of his first acts was to confer upon Aaron Burr the appointment of brigade-major?a distinction he had so fsirly won that It excited no murmur of discontent from those over whom he had been preferred. Indeed, from every quarter the young officer was reaping a harvest of golden opinions. At that period of the American Revolution, there was not one whose prospects were brighter; not one whose name was more frequently on the lips of the brave and the fair. Hod Montgomery lived, there is no doubt that chivalrous soldier would have exerted his great Influence to procure for his favorite a commission equal to his merits. But, alas! the hero-chief had offered up his life as a sacrifice on the altar of liberty, and the voice, so potent once, was hushed in death! Appearances are as often deceptive In the career of a soldier as elsewhere. At first it seemed that the death of the general by spreading the renown smoothed the way to the advancement of the aid-de-camp. It was known that ho u'qu In tVia frnnt rank hv Montgomery's side when he fell. It was known that he was the last in the retreat, and that he had borne along with him the body of his commander, notwithstanding the enemy were close at his heels. This crowning act gave a wider circulation to the story of his other achievements, and the general Judgment marked him as a man eminently fitted for a leader In the trying times to come. The popular opinion thus freely expressed did not fail to reach his ears, and gave a brighter color to his hopes. Alas! how little did he dream. In the intoxication of that first draught from the fountain of fame, how many bitter struggles, how many grievous disappointments, how many gnawing cares, were before him! The malignant demons who crouched, grinning, along the pathway of coming years, were hidden from his mental vision. The warm sun of May nnnroH Ito roillanf hpama orniin/l him The fierce tempests of December were unrevealcd and uncared for. There was before him no magic mirror on whose polished surface appeared an old man, bent and broken by sorrow, hunted down by unscrupulous power, stung by Its reptile minions, wandering an exile in a foreign land subjected to the capricious tyranny of a despot, his rights as an American citizen denied, and suffering even for the bread necessary to sustain existence. He did not foresee that a day would come when an American consul, backed by an American minister, would refuse him the poor boon of a passport to return to the graves of his ancestors, upon the miserable pretext that he, the soldier, the lawyer, the senator, and lastly the vice president of the Republic, was a fugitive from its justice! The ambitious Greek, who won an immortality of infamy by burning the temple at Ephesus, has been outdone in later times. His crime was untinctured with meanness. If it exhibits no other redeeming quality, it was at least daring in its sacrilege. He aimed no dastard blow at a power less man, ana onerea no insuii to tne misfortunes of one he dared not look In the face when his hands were untied, This was crawling down to a depth of degradation that was reserved for Alexander McRea and Jonathan Russell alone?names that will be execrated by the Just and manly when that of Erostratus is forgotten. TO BE ODNTINUBD. AARON BURR'S JURY. A Recollection of the Trial of the Famous Duelist. Only four of the first panel of fortyeight talesmen summoned for jury duty had undecided opinions about j Burr, and only one of those four ex- I pressed himself as entirely unpreju- ( diced concerning him. The other for- < ty-four were so Irreconcilably hostile that the court promptly discharged them, and another panel was sum- ] moned. This second lot, however, was ] worse than the first, and the situation ( grew more and more serious as the | sifting process continued, for one candidate after another expressed open hostility and even hatred for the de- | fendant. At last, when hopes of securing an Impartial jury had almost | faded, a talesman by the name of Morrison took the stand, who, it was ( believed would prove an exception to ( the rule. This gentleman had appar- | ently kept an open mind on the sub- | ject of the prisoner's innocence or guilt, and was willing to serve as a iuror?almost too willing it seemed to the defence?and Mr. Botts rose to cross-examine. "Are you a freeholder?" asked the ( counsel. "Yes; I have two patents for land," answered the candidate. "Are you worth J300?" continued the examiner. "Yes," snapped the witness. "I have a horse here worth half of it." ' "Have you another at home to make up the other half?" jocosely pursued the attorney, and then the audience laughed. "Yes, four of them," retorted the talesman, angrily. "I am surprised there should be so much terror of | me," he continued, addressing the audience; "but perhaps my name may ' be a terror," he added, his voice raising a shout, "for my first name is Hamilton." This "unprejudiced" candidate was then excused and for fourteen days i the weary search continued without success. Not one impartial citizen ' was discovered in the entire second panel; and at this juncture the pro- ' ceedi igs were brought to a standstill. 1 After some discussion, however, the defence suggested that it be allowed to select any one It chose from the 1 last panel, and the acceptance of this unique proposition paved the way for one of the most startling moves in ' this extraordinary trial. Strictly speaking, not one of the proposed Jurors was eligible to a seat ! in the jury-box, but of course some of 1 them were less bitter against the de- ' fendant thaji others, and it was nat- 1 ural to suppose that Burr's advisers would take advantage of that fact and 1 select the best of a bad lot. Nothing 1 so commonplace, however, character- 1 ized their plans, and to the utter ' amazement of all outsiders Burr pro- 1 ceeded to nominate the most objec- I tionable talesmen of the entire list. ' Inexplicable as this surprising manoeu- 1 vre must have been to the general I public, it was, of course, instantly > comprehended by the opposing coun- ' sel. Burr and his advisers doubtless I reasoned that the safest jurors would I be those whose hostility had been i most thoroughly exposed. The very I fact that he was willing to place his life in the hands of his avowed enemies was. of course, the most eloquent i protest of Innocence which a prisoner < could make.?Frederick Trevor Hill in I Harper's Magazine. Z& That man can befit ignore the en- i mity of those who don't understand ' him who goes home to a wife who does. P^ceUaneottisi grading. BLUFF WON FOR TENDERFOOT. Philadelphia's Nerve too Much for Bad Man. "Most of the bad men I met up with back yonder In the days when real bad men actually existed were an veruallle In thoir mnndn In nut It that way, that nobody could figure out Just what they were liable to do In a given cane," observed Abraham Kaufman, former leader of the orchestra of the Taber Grand Opera house In Denver, who put In a good many years In the Colorado camps when they were new and lively. "I fell to thinking of this a couple of days ago when I rea<d a poker story in which a seasoned but desperate gambler took a chance by opening a Jackpot without holding openers and winning out on the play. I saw a tenderfoot take a stlffer chance thaji that with one of the worst men in the West sitting on the other side of the table and get awaf with it. "Pack Upton, who was shot to ribbons by a posse of deputy marshals in 18 88, had a flyer faro layout in Durango, Col., in 1881. Upton was poison all the way through. He had pretty nearly as much Indian in him as white, although the red stuff didn't show in his features, and he had chipped at least nine notches in his slay gun before he struck Durango. It was known about, too, that he hadn't been on the level in his way of Ifdllncr ackfaro 1 e\t Vila vlnHma anH I when he got Into Durango and set up his game he was looked upon by all hands?and Durango wasn't peopled by trouble duckers then, either ?as a man who'd be liable to take some advantages In a mix-up. . "He wasn't liked, but his game was on the square, and he had plenty of play. He did most of the dealing himself, and he often dealt without the services of a lookout, so eagled-eyed was he In watching every move on the board. "Before the little thing happened that I'm going to tell about Upton got Into several arguments with fellows who were bucking his game, and every time the other fellow In the argument had to go back out of the door with his hands pointing upward, for Upton had a miraculously sudden way of getting the drop on people who undertook to start something with him. "No man that Upton ever had an argument with over the way cards slipped out of the deal box was ever permitted to do any bucking at his table again, and no man ever welched on Upton, either?that Is, asked for markers and then when the cards slipped out the wrong way discovered that he didn't have the wherewith to make good. It wasn't deemed wise even oy men wno Knew now 10 snoot quick with both hands to try such stalls on Pack Upton. "Well, there was a hard drinking young chap struck Durango from Philadelphia who didn't know any more about the underlying spirit of a. western camp than he did about branding steers, but he had a knack of stowing away champagne at $8 a quart that beat anything Durango had ever seen previous to his arrival. What he was doing In Durango nobody knew. He proba y didn't know himself. He landed there with about a thousand dollars, and this sum lasted him fully three days. "He had not gone up against a single gambling game in order to get himself broke so suddenly, but he was a basket orderer from the uplands and even a thousand doesn't go a great distance when each quart cost $8 and everybody within sound t)f the orderer's voice Is in on the opening. The fool boy blew all of the hangers on of Durango off to the $8 wine until he was broke. Then he went to his hotel and took a snooze Dver It. He was a kid of about 21 or so, slender smooth faced and boyish looking, and he was rigged Out In tenderfoot raiment that was only allowed to get by In Durango because its wearer was a spender. "When the youngster woke up at the end of this three-day whirl in Durango he didn't have the price of an eye-opener, much less of one of those baskets he had been ordering so profusely. However, he wasn't exactly the kind of a fool boy who'd attempt to make a borrow from the fellows who had helped him to go broke. He fixed himself out with a shave and hot towels and turned up In the hotel office as spick and span as if he had another bundle the size of a horse collar to blow in on his favorite prescription. It was about nine o'clock at night when he made his appearance in the hotel office. " 'I guess I'll see If I can't tap a bank some,' he said to the hotel clerk. 'Where's the nearest bank?' " 'Well, there's Pack Upton's across the way,' said the clerk. 'He runs a square game, but you don't want to get tangled up none with Pack or he's liable to make a lunch off you.' "'Bad, eh?' said the tenderfoot. " 'Pizen,' said the clerk. 'Real pizen.' " 'Oh, well,' said the tenderfoot, maybe he's not so bad,' and he strolled over the way to Pack Upton's. He had never been 'n there before, and Upton had never clapped in eye upon him. "When he walked in beside the six covon niavers sitting around the table at which Upton was dealing, there were half a dozen men standing behind the chairs dropping bets down jn occasional cards they liked. Once In a while, when these standers wouldn't reach the cards they wanted to put their gold on, they'd call out in low tone to Upton. 'Pack, just put i marker on such and such a card for me," naming the amount they wanted to go on the card. If they lost they'd toss the gold over to Upton. And none of them failed, either to have the gold by him to toss over. "The Philadelphia tenderfoot walked up behind the crowd of men standing back of the chairs and peerpd over the shoulders of one of them In order to have a look at the case keeping of the chap sitting down In front of him. He studied the Use fbr a moment or so. and then he looked straight up at Upton, who was halted with his finger on the card In !he dox, waning lor an Deis 10 De iaia down. " 'Just put a marker on the ace to win a hundred for me, will you?' the tenderfoot said to Upton. "Upton looked up at the youngster, whose face was entirely new to him, and nodded. He put the marker on the ace open. The next turn brought the ace out on the losing side. The tenderfoot didn't bat an eye. " 'By Jove,' he said, coolly yawning and stretching, 'the luck sure is against me. I can't even win a bet when I make one for fun.' "Upton looked up at the lad peculiarly doubting whether the tenderfoot was fooling or In earne*.*. "'How's that?' he Inquired. " 'I said,' replied the tenderfoot, jusi as 11 ne were laiKing aDout me weather, 'that even when I bet for fun I can't seem to get anything.' "Upton's face darkened, and the men who were standing around the tenderfoot edged away as by a common impulse. They thought they sniffed something coming. " "Where's your hundred for this marker?' inquired Upton, flicking the marker from the ace. "'The hundred?' said the youngster in a wondering kind of a way. 'I thought I Just told you that I made that bet for fun, to see if there was going to be anything doing in the way of luck for me.' "At this instant every man sitting around the table was ready to drop to the floor .to flop low while the bullets were flying. It looked like a sure case of dead tenderfoot. Upton studied the youngster Intently for a moment, his features working with anger. The boy stood looking at him in an innocent kind of way, with his hands In his trouser pockets. After about thirty pretty quiet seconds of this Upton's dark face creased with a grin. " 'Son,' he said amusedly to the tenderfoot, 'you make a hit with me. Here, take this'?reaching Into the drawer and pulling out Ave double eagles?'and see what you can do with It up the block,' and he handed the perfectly self contained tenderfoot the hundred. "The tenderfoot accepted the coins with a murmured word of thanks for 'the loan,' went 'up the block' to another faro bank, won $600 Inside of an hour, returned and paid back Upton the hundred and had that very evil proposition for a staunch friend during the remainder of his stay in Durango." DENATURED ALCOHOL. Claimed to Be Far Superior to Oleo Products. The denatured alcohol bill recently passed by congress and sent to the president for his signature Is more far reaching In Its effects than the public generally imagine. Denatured alcohol is alcohol mixed with ti sufficient quantity of methyl or wood alcohol or other materials or mixtures to destroy Its use as a beverage or basis for drinks or medicinal purposes, says a Washington special to the New York World. It can be made from any grain, the refuse of sugar beet factories, potatoes, fruits, cane and cassava. Grain alcohol now pays an Internal revenue tax of $2.07 a gallon. Denatured alcohol will pay no tax. Its advocates expect that it can be manufactured and sold as low as $4 a ton. One bushel of corn, costing not more than 40 cents, will make five gallons of alcohol. Illuminating oil costs from 14 to 16 cents a gallon, and denatured alcohol can be manufactured to sell at from 8 to 10 cents a gallon. The first bill for denatured alcohol tL*oa IntrnHIn fhn honan hv Poitrp. sen tat I ve Murdock of Kansas, who was elected on a platform of "redheaded men are needed In congress." The advocates of denatured alcohol expect that It wjll revolutionize heating, lighting and power generation. They expect It will give farmers a new and better market for grains, sugar beets, cane and other products from which alcohol can be made. They also expect It to? Supplant gasoline and naphtha In generating power for automobiles, launches and small engines. Supplant kerosene as an llluminant, because it does not vitiate the air, and there Is less danger of explosions. Cheapen naphtha, gasoline and Illuminating oils. Cheapen paints, varnishes and perfumery. Increase the manufacture and sale of alcohol lamps and chafing dishes. Cheapen the cost of alcohol used in the arts. Experts say that denatured alcohol will either force the Standard Oil monopoly to reduce the price of gasoline or will displace gasoline altogether. Alcohol Is a much cleaner fuel an>l Is very much less dangerous. Gasoline mixed with a certain amount of air forms a low gas which Is highly explosive. Denatured alcohol will burn but it will not explode except under compression. Over 500 gallons may be made from an acre of potatoes. It may be denatured by the application of any one of a half dozen cheap chemical elements. There has been a great deal of complaint among yachtsmen and automobilists over the exactions of the Standard, which has Increased the price of gasoline steadily until the retailer has to pay 22 J cents for the best quality. The stuff that sells at retail for 13 and 14 cents a gallon is almost useless tor automobiles and motor boats. The present gasoline engine, with only a slight alteration, can use alcohol as a fuel. A gallon of alcohol will supply more horsepower than a gallon of gasoline. Morgan And Pfjttus.?"The action of Senators Morgan and Pettus in voting against the rate bill has had no efTect whatever on their political fortunes," said Milton Humes, a lawyer of Huntsville, Ala., at the Raleigh yesterday. "Senator Morgan having been a general in the Confederate army, a leader in the efTort to wrest the state from negro domination in reconstruction times, and for thirty years in the United States senate, is truly the grand old man of Alabama. He votes as he thinks right, no matter what his people may think, believing that he is not their delegate, but their representative. I remember that some years ago the legislature Instructed him to vote a certain measure, but he refused, and little was heard of It. At the present time the people of the state are In favor of the rate bill, but there Is no criticism of either Senator Morgan or Senator Pettus. They will remain where they are until death overtakes them."?Washington Post.