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ATURD AY, January 5, 1)^8^
GEORGIA t>TATE GAZETTE
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indep'endent register.
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FREEDOM of the PR E S and TRIAL by JUR Y, to remain inviolate lorever. Lcnjitiuuon oj G tctgih.
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U U G U S TA: Printed by JOHN E. SMITH, Printer to the State \ E£dys y Articles of
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[ Wajhington, Wilkes County ,
Nov . io, 1787.
Mr. SMITH,
zequeft you to publish the following letter,
which, (that no injury may be done to the
sentiment and intension of its author) is a
literal transcript of the original.
HENRY KARR.
Greene County September qtb 1787
1 Plea/e your honour
I am Tory that my firft letter to you is a
piatter of dispute amongst ourfeives but as I
SSce Some thing of our good Cetizens Agriev-
I find myfelf Bound to inform your honour
Some thing of rhe Curcumftance of the Mat
ter —after the murder was Commited in this
country by the Indians I as Liet Colo was or
dered by Colo Karr to call for the firft devi
sion of fix companys to go on a Scout over
the River*two of these companys did get no
tice in time one of those companys that got
jotice turnd out neither oftker nor private
ifter my return I made a report of defaulters
foraeof them ware tryd by a court tmarcial
none of them were find—Except a Mr Bar- .
nard and a Mr patrick one lived witlhin four
mile of the ocone and the other within fix
md as I had Difcreminate power to turn back
any such as lived near the frontcers—l ftiould
ajßually have turned back the aforefaid Mr
lirnet and Mr patrick—had they mett at the
ice of randevoufe unless it had a been their
:afure to go and yet I exped their property
ar will be Executed and colo Karr who Ex- "
les these finds had never cauld on those com
nys however Defaulters altogether— not
ithftanding said company lyes altogether on
jechee—Now I beg your honour in your
fdom would mitigate said finds at least un
you wuld get fartTieer information as I am
*ll afliurd it. would give fatisfadion to the
eateftpart of the Inhabitenfe—reports Seem
try Alarming and our fromeer but poorly
rniftied with men provision and Amunition
>lo Karr has removed hitnfelf into wilkes
>unty and Disposed of his poftions and pro
rty in this county —and Stiil aflame the
mmand to the great Diflatisfadion of the
habitence' of this county Nothing has hapend
1 this quarter —if you har our has any thing
>m the nation Alarming I would beg for
count of it I aip Sr yr obt
sorge Mathews H S Ab Landers
george Mathews
Gover commander
in Chief
Lieut. Col. ABRAHAM LANDERS.
SIR,
A T this period, when the Bate of my
pg\ country requires union of sentiment,
find reciprocal amity, to pervade and infiu-
Jence the bread of every citizen, it is with
I e*pofe to the public eye the fore-
/ h e
I going letter which will appear to be the re
sult of a mind governed by qualities direftly
opposite to those I have just now mentioned ;
but as the preservation of my life is not more
valuable to me than the approbation of my
* fellow-citizens, I find myfelf impelled, by
i an irrefiftable impulse, to lay before them the
misrepresentations of malevolence which pri
vately attacks me ; moreover, it is my duty,
as afting in a public capacity, and I confider
; myfelf lefponfibleto them for that part of my
conduct which flows from my employment as
an officer.
Previous to the ele&ion for officers for
Greene county in the year 1786, you 1 old
me you were informed I intended to offer
mvfelf a candidate for said county, to which
you urged me with a fricndftiip and earnest
ness, adding, that you intended to offer your
felf, and proposed to give me your interest on
| the occasion in case I would give'you mine.
I replied it was not my intention to engage
myfelf that year in a military capacity, far
ther than what I (hould confider my duty as a
private person, and to make any effort to in
fluence men in elections was repugnaut to
my principles. How far your apparent withes
agreed with your real ones will presently ap
pear ; for though, no doubt, you were an
xious to reap fuccels by means of my interest,
it will be obvious you never intended I (hould
gain any by yours. However at the pressing
desire of rhe principal inhabitants of rhe coun
ty, who honored me with a tender of their
fuffrage6, I was induced to declare myfelf 3
candidate, and the election was determined in
my favour by a large majority, notwithstand
ing the inliduOus intimations of some, who
represented me as a man unfit for a superior
command, whose principles are too dcfpotic
and inimical to republican government, and.
who will have his orders unconditionally
obeyed. But, as all my orders, had they
been executed, tended to promote public se
curity, it is evident, my motive was the pub
lic good; therefore, no good member would
grumble at obedience, were he a friend to
his country, or even to himfeif.—But that
which causes hesitation, relay, divisions, aud
animosities, proceeds not altogether from the
'd-;potijm of the officer, (as it is termed by
some, which good men would call punftnali
ty) it originates in the clalli of PUBLIC
GOOD with particular ii.tereft, personal indo
lence, party influence, and family aggran
dizement ; to which add mean spirited pride,
that enemy to necessary subordination, with
out a uniform observance of which good go
vernment cannot exist.
In the summer of the aforementioned year,
(1786) I had directions from Governor Tel
fair, General Twiggs, and General Clajke,
to order you out to the frontiers on a recon
nomiug party, and in obedience to their com
mands 1 fem you orders suitable to the duty
, which you were to perform. You tvld the
officer who delivered you the order*, it waa
not I who was to be obeyed ; it w.?« you.
That I had no right to command as I lived out
of the county ; it was >ou who ought tocom
m nd ; and accordingly you began to exer
cise command ; for you ordeied the officer
never to fli«w you my orders again, nor at
tempt to put them in execution.- Here th©
man, to whose bread ti ue patriotic virtue is
a ft larger, fat ifices the service of hi* country
to perl'onal dillike, or to the vain w th of
being considered and eftatliflied full colonel
of the county ; but here you overthot your
mark, for you deligned to gratify your spleen
or pride, or both, b* contemnitw the i era
as mine, not considering vour contempr of
them extended to the aforementioned gentle
men by whose authority I gave them, atad
your crime was of the greater magnitude,
in proportion to their fapeiior authority and
rank. In conlequence of this mifeondufc E
a reded you, and you continue - in aneft until
the time of the alt Indian t eatv, when, ar the
mediation «»f certain gentlemen I reftmed you.
It here follows in its place r<> mention or
ders given by me to Major Philips, to march
' to the frontiers with what men he cou rt raise,
and dedroy all Indians he should fall in.
with. Mr- Barnard or Barnet, whom yon
mention in your letter, hearing of this expe
dition, publicly declared he would oppoferhe*
p oceedim * of this party : In tonfcquencc of
this deck; .tion, be was directed to continue
„ at home, that the operations of the parry might
not be obftnitfcd. However, to this direc
. t ion he paid no a* ertion ; but at the frme
time that Major Philips fell »n with a company
of the enemy, Mr. Barnard appeared to | ;o
tca them, made ready, refenred It piece,
and fwoie he would fho' the firft man who
would at cm > to kill an Indian. This is
well attelW by Major Philips’* party, who
in consequence of the above opposition re
turned, and nothing was done. Here, fol
lowing, also, you give a fpccimen of your
duplicity, unfyffiematical conduct, and, of
your afting without anv fixed principle; for
though it is evident that gall is nor more rtif
agreeablc to your palace obedience is re
pug- am to youi will When I give order*, yet,
you deftred orders of me in picfence r s Mr*
Fuz atr ck and Captain Grifbam, in n edi-
a r elv foil- wmg the failure of the aforemen
tioned expedition, and fetn.wplv rcmrr:fe
rated the fl te of thecountrv, favirg “ What
fliall be done ? If nothing is done, we (hall
fall a fr-crifue to the Indians.” ‘*ocb *rre
your expreffiops, reiterating your desire that
I should give you orders togo again! l the ene
my. Now, who wotfhl not fuppofr you
willing to afl with atdor ard vigour under
any legal orders in the service of vout coun
try t but lu-Vv far fticb a fuppufition accord*
with your true leutiments, your conduit haa
made appear, anu it will presently become
09E6 couJJpicugui* However, I iffiued wf
[No. LXVII.J
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