Western Sun, Volume 8, Number 42, Vincennes, Knox County, 20 September 1817 — Page 1

THE WESTERN SUN

From the Press of ELIHU STOUT. Publisher of the Laws of the United States. VOL 8. ] VINCENNES, (Ind.) SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1817. [NO. 42.

By ELfHV STOUT, rtBLIIHRR OF THE LAWS Of HIE 1 VI 1 K.O S I VTES.

THE WESTERN SUM, IS printed on every Saturday, at Two l&ollars per alBUiifi, it' pai ! in advance r Twn Hnilapv; nfld Fiftv Pnt at l).

Xni of the year, for whicn a note wiil fr'Vbe required No subscription c.?n be withdrawn untal all arrearages arn paid. Advertiaements c ihspi uously Inserted on the usual tern is. Advertising CUst rhers will note on Aeir advertisements the number of times ey wish thtm insetted Those sent witl out such direction! will be continu ed until forbid, and ntiustbe paid for ae-cordingly.

lamina that no man of even common hdajesty ean envy youi situation. s district paymaster it is Sc ever has been, out ot my power legally to transfer niy duiies ; ami no person, ) presume, except he were i knave or a tool, would receive such a transfer from me. Without baring ever made one, I do acknowledge sir and wit i p, ensure too, that in many instances it has been in my power to employ respectable and suitable persons, to aid me in the Settlement of the numerous scattered militia claims throughout t lie district. But 1 do most Unequivocally deny that I ever selected or employed you. to do or perform any part of

mv (.titles as navn-aster

I

CknOW ledge

To Mr. Benjamin Stephenson, URC 1 V 15 It OF PUBLIC MONIES, AT HDWAR OSVtLLB. sin. ! hare lead your first Sc second numbers, and instead of set big any thing like exculpatory evidence in your ow n behalf, they seem to he prim ipiy compose:! ol supercl ious reproaches and erronious and futile charges against me. 1 nose letters have a deceptive appearance of candour, tnat can only Impose for a mottttUt ail Who have read my lorIticf notice of you will be able to net' Bt the artifice, i will not charge you with Writing them I think 1 know better they are in my opinion written by a man Whose arrogant vat ilty , fee presumption fere equal to your tWn the one betray ins him constantly into errors, the other making hind persist in them Biil with lum 1 have at present nothing to do I only regret that he Should make you app ir so very regardless of truth, and so li different to the s' ante of being convict id of falsehood. Y u Well know that there arc many deel tratioos in those letregardless of every thing but preI it expediency this course he may ileum necessary Jht htme(f& well as you, but it is ad a b'under, whatever opinions it may excit.e there J on should know that it will and can be pi operiy estimated elsewhere T at your w riter & yourself only perservers to rull the people. I might quote many instances to prove . but having I he duties of my office to attend to, I shall rss m-r them in silence with decent coiJ'.iptNo notic e a few particular pointsuAygmptins; to do this I find it diiVienHJIcNasV suit ibl terms to characterise the con hut of both yourself and your writer without Using such as I cannot condescen l to employ. u etc I to s.w thai the most odious and ttnworth; bein ra that h ive ever presumed to be ambitious, did not COUiU not, be more deserving ol the wages of inequity, I might appear to m my who m ty re id this Tetter and be totally unacquainted with the parties, to write too passionately hut sir, it would be true, w hen men will seem to forget that t here is a spirit of virtue and m r d honesty in t.ie people and appeal to them to justify a total positive want of both when knaves will attempt to bubble silly w eak men to bully, or deceitful men toi npose, h surely is not unbecoming those whose minds are oncorrupted, w hose spirits are unextinguished w hose conduct has ever been blameless, to speak plain ami plain 1 shall speak. In your first attack upon me you talked much of being slandered, how app lcahV anv such UUlgU ige can be in y ur last address to me, I am satisfied to let Others judge but to answ er yottr purpose you keep up the t ry. v! y sir v ur taikopon this head and elections and in fcV t.ni no tenths oi ad you have had written fr you is not Yin hut sh r slander Up n me. 1 am incapable of s and? ring you or anv other p SO 1 ; JTOU forced me to come out k so ik the truth, and 'truth is no slander," reft tin ; n ny former letter, I shall pass over all t is atUfTtO , t at vonr handsome charge against me, tor most Illegally k Improperly tranaf ri ; U) duties ! vou seem or your waiter d res tor vou, to exuit in this e' i ge as t'.ou.di you hadi alh gained a victor) but I thmk the phi i dmnle F u ol i is ti ansa rt son wUI u.a.t, ou in uui ui-

that from your own solicitations &c importunities, I permitted vou to become the voluntary agent of a number of individual claiments, who did not attend at the places appointed for the General payments to take plac , in due time. You represented the situation of the ab-

! I

1

eu me dos'

a d apnea red

sentees te be sm h as pi sibiHtv of their ati end in

to express considerable so'iiciiue tljyt they should without delay receivJrcir pay, under those considerationspSno a knowledge of your apparent standing at that time, 1 did permit you to becorrre their verbal agent, but never made you mine no sir yatl tOok upon yourself the fesponsi illty to sitrn the names of the Claim nts or make their marks on the.

r '

reeeipt roils oi the Ci they belonged, and it diti of I his that I pal w hich ororm ed

rather delive

lor whom yoo had sighed. This the stati ment of your agency and leave it lor the public to jttde wj I ma le anv transfer to vou wnid.i

acted for me or represent! 1 i nd m ted for, the individual ci iments. I sanctioned the arrangement it is true, to accommodate the ci. i nents, which I had a ric; !it to do when vou signed their names k I also reported the payment as made.

nanicS to which is upon the vaiiyou the money.

f 'thful y to give or ditTerent mdi . i(iuais

ir is will i t h er vou

j I do not khoW, nor have 1 evel enquired

Whether you did or did not, g'w

money to its real owners : no? situ you were Sc ai, is i' of my impor iti this enquirV it is of no Imrtoi

t.ie t d as tance

nou

presume i

stood be for 2 for com?? ivours to ror

monev

f). -S ir

to me. Ijtit I situation vou pie, as a can your utmost

desires that at nh and the talk about

been serviceable auxiliaries to ; purpose ; and were I to ju Ige from i the matter in y yn eleCtlonei ; a.!dresses you could make them se the end in VlCWj m v not tliis accou it for yojtr anxiety to etposs tssion oi it I I w is fully authorised to do a 1 1 did do ; if in delia ring tiie money to the men, vou performed your duty with equal faithfulness, there isnoroom for blame. Now sir in all your struggles to locate a crime upon me, pause for a mo n. ,t, and reflect whatyou havedonefor yourself sec howrver willing you may be for the sake of malignant self gratification toptunge into a vortex, if there be a chance for getting out of it ! How lone; is it since vou or your advocates chat4 ed me with being severe, morose, and unaccommodating ? It is not longhair v; t vou are now furnishing the very in iter which proves the false of I i former charge also If I hadeVu thus, Would 1 to accommodate the absent claiments, have suffered you to si ,n their names and paid you the money lor them ? no sir and vou know it But think I beseech you : before it be too late for although you may have sin nighty elevated, u ging you on : yet perhaps it is easier at your StQ ;e of life, to retreat than progress md safer too. Tnat man must be callous to the mora) turpitude of crimes, who can ever be urged to prcslst, when conscious of the fate that must await him. This advice is suggested by yourown ideas. You sav 1 do not snow tna' vou have paid the m y ! I will repeat that I do not, nor is it necessary as the case stands, that I hould know. There are competent witnesaes to the transaction It was not done in secret, it was done in open daylight and ur if there be one individual fir n .v iom vou may possibly have withheld ais money, he may coinm nice suit againat vou. and not only recover his pay but if ie does not moose to admit it. he may expose you to the penalties oi the

the the

a ir mor

dust , . ot an e:;l ceamrV

tieed . V lat s.r, do you l)e.ievdytfs; nfi ;'crs niist think of voll ? whel ttT P

discover a pretence to praUe them 10 one sentence, and in the next an endeavour to brand them with false musters in order to aeuuit yourself? You tell me to read

vour circulars. 1 have seen enough

of them to surfeit, when you were electioneering you promised to use your best exct tioub to gratify the wishes of

law for forging his name, & fraudulently with-holding his money will be proof of the original design. You may now have some view of the situation into which your writer may have thought it serviceable for himself, to place you, and if he continues his friendly endeavours he may yet place you in even a worse one, were it necessary I could show the impropriety and inconsistency of a great part of all you have said, that can in any degree effect me. I will content myself with a very few instances. You sign your name to the pieces that have been addressed to me -- Yet I have intimated that I believe you are not the writer. To show why I believe so ; and show the inconsistwT3$. or falsi hoOd of t. e declaration you mate" tii it ft u a i e not become familiar to complaints, 1 . i ; publish a lettei from your Own dear self; and as it is here published letter for letter from the original, 1 hone

it will in part, do away any cause I J might hereafter have to correct your Statements, hope h will refresh your 01 mory. improve your mind, Sc convince j the public whither you are accustomed to complaints or not Hern it is.

K k KSKIA, Audi 8, 1815. TIT KH SIR. While at Washing city I communicated from time to time niV constituents the Snformati n I recv ive ! from r. Brent paym ister General, respecting the pay to the rangers and militia ot Illinois he tOid me thai early in the winter !.e had s -r L on o. ;! for a part and on the 3 )th of uprii he communicated to me irom a letter he had received from you, thy.1 you bad then drafts soiicietit to pay o ali the troops f v cryJKciiption except abou $8 0 ' j on inweetoirn I fout d great ipe. itisiHClion from soine narts of

ious to now how t-ie busme' . is, as soWro blames me and some blames you i presume that you have not been able to change the drafts, or othei wise Mr. Bi ent have made some tnisl ike, as have been told that you hare hot yet got the mony picas rite me. Yours Respi e filv. B ST?HEMSOK. T B Cant. Bottinpjhous's company s muster roll was sen- lo ms amounting to upwards of 558 o o v hich sum I ree'd. fMi Brent and have paid to the men since my retu .- . ihs. kc. B. STEP'IKXSON. I should be erlad to hear from vou Which would enable me to satisfy the men of the will be satisfied. The fiat and curious manner in which it appears you wrote epistolary letters would cause no man to believe that you WTOtS the I it 2d numbers before nu nti med. Tiiis circumstance ma$ be some ftpology for your inconsistency and self condemnation but when i revert to the excuse lor your signmg false muster rolls it will be of HO avail cither to you or to the ai ip v. Your reasoning (il 1 may be exc used for so calling it,) betrays a total ignorance, or a total want of sincerity,

! upo . both the false musters and your own responsibility it betrays aheer ignorance il oubelievi- what you say SnetrtA--I pocricy, if you do not, what dutiesjPL the government commissaton k pay jpu as Inspector to tee performed ? wa re you ' to receive pay and hold rank to inspect

forms or ttibstctnte ! Forms ot which

! tn- Government furnished models to satJ isfy and please themselves, or stibttUHce of which they know nothing, until they be presented 'TWas to examine and inspeet the sttdttance sir, not to look at the size of the paper, or the number of Stl ait lines on it. You ready think you were

only responsible for form ? no vou do not ? you or vour writer must 1 think know jetter. By saying so however, you en-

deavour to throw the whole weight ot the substantial matter of the Bolls upon

vour ftiitmrtitrtate officers stranero ni

those men, you gained their suffrages, & as your present situation proves, used them with your best exertions no doubt, for your own advantage. If your writer had not motives and feelings of his own, he would not make you appear as he has would it not have been more creditable yes honorable under present circumstances for a man to have even sunk under the calamities of his friends, than to have plunged himself into ruin, under the false and pretended hope of drawing his adversary after him, unhappy man, dependant on one who will lead you into the thorney path of error and inconsistency one who rather resembles a volunteer than a soldier regoiariy enlisted, one who says what he chooses -- one who will deem it prudent to desert you, when his own safety requires it -- and one too who will, if I mistake not show you in the end, that it is only for that he now cares, Unhappy man, your writer makes you seek protection and safety in even slandering the dead. Col. Whiteside is now in his grave else I should appeal to him for a contradiction of your tale respecting the servant.-- He was a man and would not swerve from what he believed to be right. I had proceeded so far in reply to your two first numbers when your third came to hand, a few hours since. It appears to be composed of the very same materials as the proceedings and my observations on them will without alteration apply to it without any regard to your own character your accomplished

WT JU)

r m kes you aim altogether at con

g Up Something to criminate me

a I this were it even so will not shi.'ld either of you, But sir, you well know 'tis not so and when the whole matter be sifted whether you. know it or not the faint roll will be far to establish its total incorrectness. As vou reallv annear to

I.

nr mu pedier Verted

nut kc

i at a loss for some plausible ex.

ents that may for a moment be perd to suit your hon'eti puipose and n have again brought forward the U n led charge of a transfer of duties, 8cc. will without hesitation fur-

nish you with my own eertificate of the facts read it sir, and make it appear any t r.iij that can cover vour shame or your guilt. I, Ambrose Whitlock, D is. paymaster do hereby certify that I did permit Benjamin Stephenson then called Major B njamin Stephenson, since the Hon'blc. Benjamin Stephenson, delegate in congress, now Benjamin Sthephenson, Esq. Kece'r of public monies, district of Kdw rrdsville,(l am thus particular least the public may mistake 'the man) to become personally accountable and responsible lor signing of ins ow n notary free will, the names of sundry individual claiments for pay, on account of services rendered in the years 1812 Sc 1813 and that I paid to the said Penjamin the amount due the said absent dam ents w hich he promised faithfulfy to deliver them and each of them, A. WHITLOCK. Now sir if you can find any other man under similar tin umstances, who arranged matters as you did, and at this time entertains the same compunctions of honesty that appears in you. w ith regard to delivering the money to its lawful owners, 1 will if he appears as you have, give him also a certificate of the fact. You say I have trusted to some who are Unworthy, omitting your own name, I dfy you to point out another, however if there be any give the name and it will afford me pleasure to math it with yours. What must your friends think of yfcm when they read these letter and revertA the manner and circumstance in which ' you must have made them believe you got hold of their money ? Did you not tell them that it was for their accommodation and convenience that you had taken it upon yourself to sign their names I and what is it natural to suppose they should tHrik of you now, w hen they see your pitiful attempts to brand n;e (four years afterwards,; with a crime for suffering you to carry this money to them ? Can vou believe that those men or the public will ever view a man worthy of their confidence in any respect, who permits himself to be made guilty of suchf inconsistant and disgraceful conduct UyF his own writer too, who to serve himself " mav say any thing and ail shall be of no avail. Trulv sir, this waiter ofyoura has made you stand before the public in a singular iiwitKli Magnanimity would