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“ TO TH£ PUBLIC IN GENERAL ;
Mui particularly to the Citizens of Edge field
D'Jiriet/*
I AM well aware that ** the public in gen
eral’.' are not in any manner inietefted in the
ditfc c'iccordifpiitewhichcxjfta between Mr.
J-reunah Hatcher and mvfelf, and that “ the
ciiizens of Edg' field didrict," are but very
partially so indeed. But, under cxifting
ciicumrtances, 1 am conttrained in julticc to
my own feelings Ik character, Ic in justice to
mv ftieT.il, acquaintances and connections,
to make my defence, and thereby repel the
attack tur.de aguintl me by Mr. Hatcher.
And having ,‘erer.nincd upon anfwcring his
publication, I venture to hope, .that the
community will pardon me, when 1 use the
addfels in tanking my dfince, which he uf.d
in making flits attack. Mr, Hatcher's pub
t:~n>on, originally appeared in the “ Au-
ClirwnicJe," under date oi the azd
«ber i Ho 6, and was rcpu'olilhcd in the
r*lina Gazette," on the 7th ofNovcm
diowmg. And as the public may be
what adonilhed atmytardincfsjn oppo
char'gcs msdejat that diliance ot lime, per
ne to observe that I had not finally dc
med upon answering th.m at all, until
were repubiithcd as above mentioned in
‘ Carolina Gazette.” Had the pobli
(1 in qneftion been confined r© the know.
C of thole perluns with whom we were
h acquainted, 1 had on my min i a cer
n and thorough convkfion, that filent con
■npt would have been my belt anfwtr, as
,t public opinion ot all thofc, (at loaft the
pprcjudtccd part of tiicm) would have con
igned Mr. Hatcher and his publication to
general disgrace. But when I dilcoVcred
that the want* n, wicked ai d mifcliicvons
vanity of Mr. H itcher hid given his char-
Jr ges a wider and more extensive range than
cither he or I can pretend to embrace in die
circle of our acquaintance, I immediately
(aw and felt the necclliry of offering iome re
marks in exculpation of my character. I
offer theft predatory observations, to con
vince the public mind, that nothing Ihort
of an extreme necclfity could have induced
me to occupy the columns of a public news
paper in the difluiEan of a private and un
important mifutuierllatiding between indi
viduals,
Before 1 enter upon the examination of
the charges made against me by Mr. Hatch
er, 1 beg leave to futunit to the view of the
public, three affidavits, two of them as will
be seen, having relation to the time of the
firlt conversion as mentioned by Mr. Hot
elier; and the third having relation to the
altercation at the meeting.houfe.
State of Sbuth-Carolnti) 1 PERSONALLY
Edge ft id bijtricl. J appealed Richard
Chrtlttnas, who being duly Iworn, depofeih
and faith, That feme time between ibc firft
and 21(f of lure lad, lv was in company
with M.irlhai Martin, and leveral others,
at the store of Lewis Cmtclou, at Martin,
town, when Marlhal Martin mentioned,
that Mr. Jeremiah Hatcher iolt his leg in
the time ot the war, in Burney’s horfc pen,
getting ho les, or words nearly the lame—
Col, Barkley Martin came in, but was not
prefeht when the words were firfl mentioned.
Marlhal Martam again mentioned the fame
wonts, when Co'. Martin ohferved, that re
ports w«te nor all true, and requeued him not
to fay so I his deponent further faith, that
Colonel Martin then left the house, and
took a feat under a tree in the yard, when
this deponent followed him and touk a feat
by him, and there Colonel Martin mention,
ed, that he was extremely furry to hearmen
talk as they did, and further observed, that
he did not believe Mr. Hatcher was ftealirrr
horses when he was (hot; and this deponent
further faith, that he verily believes Col.
Mania was extremely forty to hear what
had pift in the house, and further this dc
ponxpt faith not,
RICHARD CHRISTMAS.
Sworq to the 19. h Novemoet, 7
1 806, be.on. me y
CHARLES' H AMMOND, J. CL
State of South.Carolina, d PERSONALLY
Edge fit Id Dijhiti. J appeared before
me, Ttiomas Swearingen, Efqure, who be
ing Iwo n on the Holj Evangdilt ot Almigh
ty God, depofeih and faiih, That on the
6ih day or July, at Horn’s Creek Meeting-
Haul , he the deponent fell in company with
Jeremiah Ha idler. The said Hatcher alki
ed the laid deponent if he had hemd the re
port that Matlhtl Martin hid propagated
concerning him, and Cot, Martin had not
coiuradkted. deponent said he had
heard something about it—Then the said
Hitcher laid ne hid cams there that day
exp-cLly ler the purpole, if Marlhal had
been there, to have given him a let-down
or attack, and as Marlhal Marlin was not
there, he would not lay any thing to Cal.
Martin. At this moment Colonel Martin
k walked up where we were both then enga.
Iw ged in the auovc convolution, and said,
how are you Jerry i Hatcher said, Colonel
1 cannot give yon my Hand, The Colonel re
plied, why Jeiry ? Hitcher said, did not
jon Hand by and hear Marlhal Martin fay
that 1 (meaning himfelf the said Hatcher)
wasfhoiin the act ot Healing Burney’s hor
s fes ? the Colonel replied, ye*. Hatcher ob
served, why did you not contradict it ? The
dm CB. said 1 couid not contradict all, you
told me f> yoarfelt. Said Ha cher,
you so ? Says the Colonel, qo Jerry, you
agm told me you were Ihot taking 3 horfc to make
MF your efcapc as I would h ive done. Then
4 Hatcher pbferved, if he load a pirtol in his
hand he would take the Colonel's life. Some
words of auger aid wsrtnrh occurred, and
I the dcponenc further fwearcth, th it Colonel
t Marti* rcpca«*dly observed, that he never
said that Hatcher was (hot in the aft of deal
ing Burney’s horfw.
THOMAS SWEARINGEN.
Sworn to the ift December, 'I
1806, before me. J
R. TUTT.
State of South-Carolina, PERSONALLY
Edgefield Dijtnd. / appeared John
Boyd, who being duly sworn, depofeth and
filth, that abefe the ziftot, June latt, he
went from fermgn with hi* family, to the
house of Marlhal Manin, on a visit, and in
the evening Col. Barkley Martin and oth.
ers being prefen', a conversation took place
refpefting an Election, in which convcrfa
tion some of the company said Mr. Jeremi
ah Hatcher had beaded of his valour in de
fence ol his country, faying that he had
loft his leg in aftion ; but further obfcived,
that a report was in circulation that Hatch
er’s leg was no: fhet est" in defence of his
country ; that he was shot in Burney’s hbrfe
pen, getting horses, near Beach-Island ;
to whtdh Cel. Martin replied, that reports
were not all true, and that none of them
knew char Hatcher loft his leg in that way,
and that they cughf net to talk as they did ;
the probability of the truth of the report bc
ing urged, Col. Martin in nearly the fame
words, again reproved some of the company
for talking they did, ardndvif-d the per.
fun not to mention it agon ; this deponent
further faith that he had no part in the con.
verfation, nor did he make any reply, ex
cept it was to observe that he was not ac
quainted with Mr. Hatcher in th# time of
the war ; but from his acquaintance since,
and from the charafter of Mr. Gulriv ire,
who was said to be in company, he thought
it could not be true.
JOHN BOYD.
Sworn to the 17th November, "1
tBo6, before me /
CH ARLES HAMMOND, J. 0,
I rauft here aik leave of the public, to
use a plain unadorned style in conveying my
sentiments. lan fully fenfihle of the beau
ty which may be given to a piece of com
pofi km by the use of such pretty words as
fracas and pulffant; bin as I have not the
Command of such decorating words, >Oll
muit hear and read my defence in plain
homefpen back-country language, or net
stall.
Presuming upon your bcnevolerce and
guodnefs, 1 shall proceed to lay before you
a few plain matters of fnft, and rely upon
your judgment, difcrction and good sense
when jl form the concluflon, that fimplc,
naked, unadorned truths, will be more
capti vaiiog than faljstses in all their gewgaw
trappings.
Mr. Hatcher commences his publication
in these words. “ Having had my charac
ter basely and malignantly trsducad by Col.
Martin, of Edgefield Diitrift,” Sec. A
gain, “ This man (alluding to niyfdf) has
thus (landcrcd m« before the public," &c.
Here is a held, positive, and unqualified
eha>gg made agairut me in the face of my
country, and in a public ncwfpapcr. It
has long and frequently been remarked,
that Mis easy to make a charge, but ex
tremely difficult and sometimes impoflible to
dUprove and refute it. Nothing more is
neccflary in the firli case than a mind given
Op to depravity, vice , and unfeeling cruelty,
while the latter requires a fortunate con-
Gurrenca ct circumltances to weaken, re
move, and destroy the imputation of
guitf. Tims situated, the falie and daring
actwfer often triumphs over injured inno.
ccnce. The cunning and vuary accuser
generally weighs well the attendant circum
itance.’, before h« opens his budget of falfc
charges. Mr. Hatcher has in his publication
difcovereil a depraved, vicious, and un
feeling mind ; hut 1 believe no person will
hazard the opinion, tim he has displayed
mvc'h art or underttandtng.
Bit to return to the charge made against
me by Mr. Hatcher—“ Having had my
charafter basely and malignand, traduced
by Cyl. M.»rtm o! E.igdi»ld dUtift,” &c.
Now I will examine his (I4.lc.nent, which
he offers to prove the above charge. It
is in tlicfi words, 11 some time toward* the
latter end of June, in Msrtintown, Edge
field diftrift, in a company of men, in which
were Col. Martin, Marshal Martin, Bri
ton Mims, end John Key, all particular
friends or Col, Martin except the latter.
Briton Mims audibly made use of these
words, or {ulrKrttiuly the fame, viz:
“ jerry Hatcher had his leg (hot off by a
negro or oveifeer, in the aft of dealing Bur
ney’s horses out of his horlc.pen—Marfha!,
don’t you know it to be fy ?" Marlhnl
Martin replied, ‘ I have heard fo.’ Mims
favd, “ don’t yon believe it to be so
Minin again replied, 1 do.” Now ad
mittirg this to be a correct statement of
the conversation, (b it that it is not may
be hen from the and-ivit of Mr. Boyd)
1 will alk whether it supports the charge
made against me by Mr. Hatclier, as above
mentioned ? Is there any tcft.mony of
my having said one word relative to Mi.
Hatcher on the occafiqn ? Was it by being
present that I became guilty ? If so, then
Mr. Kev and Mr. Boyd were tifo guilty
ofJpfakirg defamatory words of,Mr. Hatch
er, although they were silent. As Mr.
Hatcbcr has not related any thing which I
said on that occillon, he ought in tender
confederation to the doubting opinion of
the public, to have given some glimmering
of proof by which he meant to have attached
the crime (if nay there was) in speaking the
words to me. He fays in another place,
“ Having heard of the above conversation
(meaning the conversation at Martin-town)
which he viewed as completely fanflionrd
by me.'* Would it n*t have been liberal
*\ and fair in Mr. Hatcher to have given hi* {
rcafons for supposing that I fanAioncd the
convcrfation. It certainly would, but
hi* object was to impofc a falfe statement
upon the public. In teftimeny of this as
sertion, let me again call your attention to
the affidavit of Mr. Boyd, by which it
will appear that I did aAually disapprove
of and check the conversation. 1 will also
call your attention to the affidavit of Mr.
Chritlmas, by which it will appear that on
another occaflon, I checked a similar co”.
verlation. Can it be foppefed that Mr.
Hatcher was ignorant of the part which I
took in the said conversation ? Certainly
not, but h#d he given the whole converfa
ticn to the public, the antidote and poison
Would have gone together, and that did not
ftjuare with the deicfted policy which go
verned him in making the accusation. O !
what a (hameful outrage upon juflice, decen.
cy and truth ! ! How dead to every hu
man* and liberal feeling rnuft be the mind
which can thus trifle and wanton with the
good name of a fellow citizen ! For the
honor of human nature be it fpeken, fitch
minds are not common.
Mr. Hatcher is not more fortunate in the
conversation which happened at the meeting
honfe. I must here uantft the attention of
the public to the affidavit of Mr. Sweann
gen, by which it will appear that 1 did not
on that occasion, aferihe to Mr. Hatcher any
criminal or improper motive. I said then,
and I again repeat it, that Mr. Hatcher,
several ycais ago, when be aAcd as deputy
She rift' under me, informed me, that “he
'was shot in the horse pen, attempting to
make his ejeape. 1 only charged Mr. Hat
cher with the coramiffion of an acl which I 1
fuppofrd natural and innocent, and open his
ow n words to me. If the fa A Was not so,
he rnuft blame lumfelffor having told me so.
I can only fay, that neither Mr. Jones nor
Mr. Evans, in their affidavits, fay a (ingle
femence which goes to contradiA Mr. Hat
cher’s ftaremenc to me. They do in pretty
concluftvc terms (how that Mr. Hatcher was
not in Beach. I (land for dishonest or impro
per purpofer. I never charged him with
any, and I think the public opinion will
warrant me in saving, that there is no tefti
niony to warrant the charge made agairft
me by Mr. Hatcher, I think rhe public
opinion will go further, and fay, that Mr.
Hatcher had not tolerable ground for accu
fadon—that his accusation is falfe , ground.
Irfs and mlltcious , Mr. Haicher tells you
th.it he is not on friendly terms with me,
and yet he insists and tr.akss it a ground of
accufatior, that 1 did not Ilcp forward as
his friend and contradict the conversation in
Martintown. Was I bound to do it for my
bitter enemy f No, I was not. Had I not,
would it have been a good and fufficient
c mfe of attack ? Surely not. Then, w hen
I am found doing more than my duty ; when
lam found doing /office to my enemy , what
will the public think of that enemy, when
he is found guilty of making a faife charge
»ga<nft me at • moment like this.
As 1 came forward with much reluctance,
and solely with the intention of putting the
public in poflVffion of a true statement of my
conduCt, arid having done it in as brief and
1 c. ncife a manner as lay in my power, 1 (hall
I hasten to a conclulion.
Mr. Hatcher onac flood high, in ray opi
nion, and although he has conduced himfelf
in a very illiberal manner towards me on
several occasions latterly, yet I am loth to
believe that he has not b'en imposed upon
in some part of the publication which he
has given to the world. I know that it is
too common now a. days to go all lengths in
favor of the strong patty. But juflice de
mands a decent deportment on all luck occa
sions- Mr. Hatcher’s* cbndaCi has not been
governed bv decency, jnfitee o r propriety. —
It he had used due diligence he rnuft have (
heard the part which I took in the convcr
f.stion at Martintown. It therefore remains
wi.h the public from the whole of the la As,
to form one of two opinions, that Mr. Hat
cher has ushered upon the world a hasty,
partial, garbled and falfe statement, through ,
his own meet fully and inattention ; or, that
knowing the whole; he meanly chose to fup
pref» the part which went to place my con
duct in an honourable point of view. Aik- I
• inor natdon of the public for having thus 1
long occupied their attention, I (hall leave
them in poficflnm of the fads, and at liberty
to form their own conclulion.
l am the public’s rnott obedient servant.
BARKLEY MARTIN.
LONDON, November y.
The attempted aftaffination of the French
Emperor, is thus stated in a private letter
from Lei pile:
“ It appears, that when the French Em
peror pafled through Wcimer, he was iired
at from a window, by a person unknown.
The hall, unfortunately, trifled him, on
which he instantly ordered the place to be
given tip to fire and fword—ami, we are fur
ry to add, not a house is (landing tidier in
Erturth or VVcimcr.”—We do not answer
for the cause, but the effeA is certain.
tfIRSM
NEW.YORK, January 6.
Captain Dayton, of the brig Julia, from
Sr, Andero, in Spain, informs us, that af
ter Bonaparte had entered Berlin, he appoin
ted twelve commiliioners, to whom were in.
trusted the care of the city police, and the
temporary government of the Republic of
Prussia.
Th* King was represented to be la a Gtaa
tion which involved his pcrfcnal Lfcry—be-
ing furroundcd by fchc traops o'France, **£ .
hardly a pcffibiiiry of effecting his efcapc.
The Emperor Napoleon wss Arid to he on
his return to fari*.
The Ruffian*, after some corsmunicaticn*
with- the French array, were retiring to.
wards their own territory, after witnelsing
as idle fpeftators the difaficis of their ally,
and were aht ut to rr.ske an irruption tot©
the dominions of the Grand Seignior, whose
integrity Bonaparte was prcpaiing todelend,
BALTIMORE, December 30.
Extra of alerter from Wajhlrgton, es the
zjth of December, iBod.
** Captain Shaw writes the Sccrttary of
the Navy, that Gen. Wilfcirfon arrived
at New.OrlcEns cn the 27’h Novemter,
ai.d had (hewn him such letters and had
given him such intotmation as induced him
to ccnfider it his duly t« make every pre
paration in his power, to pnpa;c for his
defence as w ell agaift an attack item above
as frtra the lea. That he had «lkcd ftcni
the (hipping a fopply cf 40c festner—that
he intended to arm finh vtffels in port as
were fit for cannon—that he meant on the
arrival ot the boats wi'h the defeerding
trerps to arm them j that weak ss was his
fotcc, confiding of one ketch and four gun
boa is ) he fliouid be mdrr the nectffity of
dividing it, and fending a part to the
jßalize to meet thjs cxpe&cd approach of
vcO'cls which arc to appear as Americans,
but ate. in truth commanded by the officers
of a foreign m-ticn.
“ General W. writes the Secretary of
War, tfat Colonel Ctfhing is defeendirg
with »hc troops from Natchitoches, that
the Red River was lew ard that his pro
gress would he flow; that the agents es
colonel Burr had declared that he would
fcon appear with a force of ycoc men, (at
led!;) that Burr had proceeded too far to
recede ; that his adherents had pledged
their lives and lertums in aid of his enter
prise—and report fays, that «01. Burr had
an agent at each of the courts of London
Tarts *rci Madrid ; that prior to the death
of Pitt the plan wa“ digefled and agreed cr< ;
but that the fame ccunte-ancc h. d not been
giver to the prrjcft by Fcx. Gen. WiJ_
kir.fcn writes that he was placing Orleans
in a poflnre of defence ; he csprefled n© fear
for its fafety—-I under Hand that 1300 mili
tia had been ordered A vne time past to af
feroblc at Natchez, and to take post there
until further aiders/*
NORFOLK, December 20.
COMMUNICATED.
It is indeed curious to hear ©nr politicians
exclaim against Ihe ir.cnflrous injustice of
France tcw;nds Traflia and Rufiia—-two
barbarous, bloody minded courts, that
have pillaged, robbed and murdered, every
neighbor within their reach, for thefc hun
dred years back, and that have used every
effort to ruin France itfelf. The day of
retribution, divine retribution, has com#
home to one of them ; ;rd if Bonaparte is
a fccurgc, sent by Heaven to punish the
injuries of ill.fated Poland—lt 1 her depre
cate her own ccnduft, ard Leg for only
one half the mercy fli* bellowed. Freder
ick without rtafen or pretence, rebbed the
Empire of the two Biitfm —invaded and
subdued ddtncelffi Poland—carried effher
population cf whole territories to fill up
his own, and tore near a hundred thousand
young girls fiota the arms of their friends
and drove them like (beep to great diflan
ces, to he married to men they never saw,
and whose language even, they'did not
understand ; and this man was called Fred
erick the Great I The bloody Catt,ari»c,
with her infernal Suwarrow, punil|ud all
rest fiance, all dc'lcecof country, aliSpiot
ifm, uiih dea.h ! witness the npfeble
maflacres at Warsaw, lanistl, OxJSpiy,
&c. & if Rufiia has not waded ihrr>tJpfaU
kinds of iojuftire and muider, td
feflicn of the Ottoman Empire, it is
France has laid nay. Let us then a *iiA~
mericans, reserve cur pity, not
great robbers cf the world, but for thfife
who have been ribbed. For my pan I Lc*i
lievc, that Bonaparte has been express ly
commifficaed from on high to punish a set
cf wretches who have violated and dlfgtaccd
all humanity, mercy and peace.
Herald,
It is confidently reported that certain
members cf congress have written to their
correfporde.nts in this city, that Mr. Bun’s
fchetnc of t*vclnnontTjng the V-’efcrn Conn
war formed d.urirg Mr. Pitt’s ad
miniftratbn, rod under the express func
tion of that tninifler, who was, according
to this report, to fupp];,* him with troops,
ammunition, from Canada to *fF rt
the reparation cf Ihe Weftern from the Ea-
Hern States, ar<d cftablKh a new gevenmert
at New-Orleans, under the direction efMr.
Burr. -Halt. V tlcgrapbe.
A !gr*er from New - York faj s, —“ By »
Ttfle! both Nsntz, we have papers to the
7th November, which give accounts ok
the French having marched out of Berlin, of
which they had pofltdlon fevers! days, at
tacking the Prussians, and after a lev r C en
gagement, which isOed two days, obtained
a complete viflory, having killed and taken
upwards of 80,000 —The king is among th<
number ot wom-d d, & the queen a captive,
—This veffcl also brings necounis that iky
king of Holland, with his army, hrd enter/
ed Copenhagen/ ’ —r — E kiln del pi la €az. tl*
■4 1 . t (