Testimony of Dudley Woodbridge
Dudley Woodbridge was sworn.
Mr. Hay--
Were you on the island when the boats left it?
Woodbridge-- I slept there that
night.
Mr. Wirt. -- What party do you mean?
Woodbridge-- I allude to the four boats
with Comfort Tyler, Mr. Smith, and others.
Mr. Hay--
Were you at the boats?
Woodbridge-- I passed them about
dusk.
Mr. Hay--
Did you see any of the men?
Woodbridge-- I came to the island
about dusk. I saw five or six standing about the boats.
I went directly up from the landing to the house, and saw fifteen or twenty
men in one of the rooms of Mr. Blennerhassett's house.
Mr. Hay--
Had they any arms in their hands when you saw them?
Woodbridge-- I recollect to have
seen no arms but two pairs of pistols on the bureau of the room where I
slept, which were gone in the morning.
Mr. Hay. -- Had you no communication
with Mr. Burr or Mr. Blennerhassett about this expedition? Will you inform
us what you know on this subject?
Woodbridge-- About the beginning
of September or last of August, Mr. Blennerhassett, (with whom I had been
connected in commercial business for six or eight years past, under the
firm of Dudley Woodbridge and Company,) called with Colonel Burr at our
counting-house at Marietta. Mr. Blennerhassett observed that Colonel
Burr wished us to purchase a quantity of provisions. I am not positive
that Mr. Burr was present when he first mentioned the subject, but I think
he was. Colonel Burr then went into an inquiry about the prices of
different kinds of provisions, and the expense of boats best calculated
to carry provisions up and down the river. After his making a number
of inquiries and receiving such information as I could give him, he left
a memorandum of such provisions as he wanted, and of the boats which he
wished to have built. They were to be on the Schenectady model, such
as are used on the Mohawk river. The number ordered was fifteen;
only eleven were completed.
Mr. Hay--
What were their dimensions?
Woodbridge-- Principally ten
feet wide and forty feet long; five were to be ten feet longer.
Mr. Hay--
What provisions were ordered?
Woodbridge-- Pork, flour, whisky,
bacon, and kilndried meal; but no article was purchased but pork, the prices
in our market being much higher than those limited in the memorandum.
I immediately made a contract with Colonel Barker to build the boats, and
proceeded to make arrangements for purchasing provisions. The boats were
built up the Muskingum, about seven miles above Marietta, and were to be
delivered on the 9th of December. On that morning, when they were
to be brought down, (the 9th of December,) I saw six or eight armed men
of the militia going to take possession of the boats. I set off for
Blennerhassett's Island, but met Mr. Blennerhassett, Comfort Tyler, Mr.
Smith, and some young men from Belpre, going up to take down the boats.
I informed them of the proceedings at Marietta, and advised Mr. Blennerhassett
not to go up. After some consultation, he determined not to go up,
and returned to the island. I went back to Marietta to get some money
and papers, and returned that evening to the island, after getting the
papers.
Mr. Hay. -- On what terms was the contract
for the boats made?
Woodbridge-- I made the contract
for the boats with Colonel Burr, and agreed to take a draft on New York.
When Mr. Blennerhassett handed me the draft, I expressed my dissatisfaction
at the long sight at which it was drawn, (being ninety days,) observing
that it would not become due until after the time in which the boats and
provisions were to be delivered, and that I wished to run no hazard.
Mr. Blennerhassett, with some warmth, asked me if I doubted Colonel Burr's
honor. When I repeated that I wished to run no risk, he said that he would
guarantee the draft, and be answerable himself, and that in the event of
its not being paid I might charge it to him. The draft was drawn
by Mr.Burr on Mr. Ogden, of New York. These were the boats which
Smith, Tyler, Blennerhassett, and the young men, were going up to receive.
Mr. Hay. -- Do you recollect where
the boats were to be delivered by the contract?
Woodbridge-- Colonel Barker undertook
to bring them, but there was no contract to deliver them at any particular
place.
Mr. Parker. Did you say that
it was the 9th day of December that the boats were to go away?
Woodbridge-- The boats were to be delivered
on the 9th, but those that were at the island went away on the 10th.
When Colonel Barker was bringing them to Marietta they were taken by General
Buel, as I understood, by order of the governor of Ohio.
Mr. MacRae. -- State what occurrences
took place on the island.
Woodbridge-- I arrived about dusk,
and immediately inquired about Mr. Blennerhassett. I stated to him
that I was ready to adjust our partnership concerns, and that I had brought
down the money and papers for that purpose. We went up stairs.
We were two hours engaged in the business, after settling which I set off
to go across the river home, and met Mr. Belknap at the shore. He
asked me to go back with him -- that he had business to do. I returned
with him. We went both to bed at nine o'clock at night, where I remained,
and did not, as the witness Peter Taylor states, go to the shore with the
party when they went off. His saying that I was there then is a mistake,
as this gentleman (Mr. Belknap) can prove.
Mr. Hay. -- State to the court and
jury for whom the boats were built. Was the contract made for the
company?
Woodbridge-- Yes; it may be so considered,
but it was not particularly specified. Mr.Blennerhassett first introduced
the subject, and Mr. Burr then spoke. As to the use for which these
boats were intended, Mr. Blennerhassett made some communications to me
respecting it. Shall I now state to the court these communications?
(He was requested to proceed.) Late in August, or early in September, Mr.
Blennerhassett
mentioned to me that he had embarked in an
enterprise with Colonel Burr; that General Eaton and some others were engaged
in it, and that the prospects were flattering. Our first conversation
lasted but a few minutes. The next week I was at the island, when
he went into further particulars. From what he stated, the inference
I drew was that his object was Mexico. He did not positively say
so, but I inferred it from several circumstances, particularly from a map
of that country which he showed me. He spoke highly of the
country -- stated its advantages, wealth, fertility, and healthiness.
He asked me if I had a disposition to join. I evaded his question, but
could not forbear telling him that I preferred my situation to an uncertainty,
(which was the same as declining it.) On the way up to Marietta, he observed
that he did not wish me to say anything about his conversation on this
subject. This is the substance of my testimony.
Mr. Hay. -- Do you recollect any further
detail of the plan or object of the expedition?
Woodbridge-- I do not.
Mr. Hay. -- What became of the boats
and the pork you purchased?
Woodbridge-- The pork was taken
and sold by order of the president or government; it was sold, as I understood,
by General Buel. The boats, or a part of them, were afterwards fitted
out by the government for transports, to convey troops from Marietta to
St. Louis.
Mr. Burr--
Do you recollect that I told you that I wanted the description of boats
used in the Mohawk river; and were they not made for shoal water, and to
go up the stream?
Woodbridge-- You did. The boats
were to be calculated for shallow water.
Mr. Burr--You
know Mr. Blennerhassett well. Was it not ridiculous for him to be
engaged in a military enterprise? How far can he distinguish a man from
a horse? Ten steps?
Woodbridge-- He is very near-sighted.
He cannot know you from any of us, at the distance we are now from one
another. He knows nothing of military affairs. I never understood
that he was a military man.
Mr. Burr--
What became of his library?
Woodbridge-- Part of it was carried
down by Mrs. Blennerhassett; the residue was left behind and has been since
sold.
Mr. Burr--
Do you recollect when I was at Marietta? Was it not about the last
of August or first of September?
Woodbridge-- I left Philadelphia about
the middle of August, and on my return I saw you about the time you mention.
I have never heard that you have been there since.
Mr. Burr--
What became of the draft on Mr. Ogden for two thousand dollars?
Woodbridge-- It was paid.
Mr. Burr--
What quantity of pork did you purchase for me?
Woodbridge-- About one hundred barrels.
Mr. Burr--
At what price?
Woodbridge-- It cost about twelve,
and was charged at thirteen dollars per barrel.
Mr. Burr--
What became of it?
Woodbridge-- I stored it in Mr.
Green's cellar, adjoining our store. It was taken and sold by General
Buel, by order of the government, as already mentioned; that is, as I
understood.
Mr. Burr--
Did you demand it of Mr. Green? (The answer to this question was
not heard.)
Mr. Burr--
To whom did you consider the pork as belonging when seized? Whose
loss was it, yours or mine?
Woodbridge-- It may hereafter become
a dispute.
Mr. Burr-- What
were the boats estimated to be worth?
Woodbridge-- Colonel Barker's bill
for the eleven boats amounted to twelve or thirteen hundred dollars.
Mr. Martin. -- Were you at any time
that evening on the water's side with Mr. or Mrs. Blennerhassett?
Woodbridge-- I was not.
Mr. Wirt. -- You were asked, sir, about
Mr. Blennerhassett's military talents. Permit me to ask you what
were his pecuniary resources? What was the state of his money matters?
Woodbridge-- I believe they are not
as great as was generally imagined. I gave him six thousand dollars
for one-half of his profits of our business. He had about three thousand
dollars in stock in our company's concern. His fortune is much less than
is generally understood. He had not over five or six thousand dollars
in the hands of his agent at Philadelphia. His island and improvements
cost about forty or fifty thousand dollars. It would not, however,
sell for near that sum, except to a person of the same cast with Mr. Blennerhassett.
After building his house, his property, exclusive of the island and five
negroes, amounted probably to seventeen thousand dollars.
Mr. Coleman, (the juror.)-- Explain
again, if you please. In what did that property consist, and how
much money could he command?
Woodbridge-- He had nine thousand dollars
in my hands in stock and profits already stated,and about one thousand
dollars on another account, and the money in his agent's hands, besides
his island and negroes.
Mr. Coleman--Had he no foreign funds?
Woodbridge-- I think he had none.
They were vested in American stock some years before.
Mr. Coleman-- What was the amount of
property he had in these funds?
Woodbridge-- I believe the property
left him by his father amounted to twenty thousand pounds sterling, which
he vested in British three per cent. stock.
Mr. Wirt. -- Is he esteemed a man of
vigorous talents?
Woodbridge-- He is; and a man of literature.
But it was mentioned among the people in the country that he had every
kind of sense but common sense; at least he had the reputation of having
more of other than of common sense.
Mr. Wirt-- What are his favorite pursuits?
Woodbridge-- Chemistry and music.
Mr. Hay. -- Was Colonel Burr to have
returned to the island?
Woodbridge-- I believe so; I expected
him to have returned in about two months -- the time for the delivery of
the boats.
Mr. Hay. -- Had you received any money
from Burr before the presentation of the draft by Blennerhassett?
Woodbridge-- The draft was at so long
a sight that I objected to letting the property out of my hands till I
was secured by the responsibility of Mr. Blennerhassett. The balance
over the two thousand dollars (the amount of the draft on Ogden) was to
be paid by Mr. Burr on his return. He was to return in two months,
and to complete the payment when the property was delivered.
Mr. Hay. -- Did Mr. Blennerhassett
bring you the draft?
Woodbridge-- He did; but Burr made
the contract with me.
Mr. Hay. -- Do I understand you correctly
in supposing that Mr. Burr contracted to pay two thousand
dollars in one draft, and the balance on
his return?
Woodbridge-- You do.
Mr. Lee. -- How many acres of land
are in the island?
Woodbridge--Mr. Blennerhassett owned
about one hundred and eighty acres, which was about half of the island,
and cost him about five thousand dollars; but with the house and all, cost
him forty or fifty thousand dollars, as already observed.
Mr. Hay. -- Was not one of the boats
fitted up for Mrs. Blennerhassett and family?
Woodbridge-- One of the large boats
was. Mr. Blennerhassett had taken a keel boat belonging to the firm
up to colonel Barker's to be fitted up for his family; but, by Colonel
Barker's advice, he concluded to have one of the large boats prepared for
that purpose, on account of its superior accommodation. This was
accordingly done.
Mr. Hay. -- Had not the delivery of
the boats been interrupted by the armed men, would they not have been delivered
to Blennerhassett?
Woodbridge-- I suppose they would
have been delivered at Marietta, where he would have received them.
Mr. Martin. -- Was not the contract
made by Colonel Burr with your firm?
Woodbridge-- It was.
Mr. Martin--Do you understand that
Colonel Burr has received any consideration for this sum of two thousand
dollars thus paid?
Woodbridge-- I do not know.
Mr. Wirt. -- If the delivery of these
boats had not been prevented, would they not have been delivered to Blennerhassett
or Burr?
Woodbridge-- They would have been delivered
to either. The company contracted for them.
Mr. Hay. -- If delivered to Mr. Blennerhassett,
would you not have considered yourself as delivering them to one of Burr's
associates?
Woodbridge-- I cannot say what I should
have thought.
Mr.Burr.
-- How came you to suppose yourself authorized to deliver the boats to
Blennerhassett, since I gave the draft?
Woodbridge-- I should in any event
have considered myself justified in delivering the boats to him, as he
guaranteed the payment for them, and he had property to a larger amount
in my hands; and besides these considerations, early in September
Blennerhassett had mentioned to me his having joined Colonel Burr.
Mr. Baker. -- Did you make any stay
upon the beach, on the night of their departure?
Woodbridge-- I did not, for I
returned immediately to the house with Mr. Belknap.
Mr. Botts. -- Were the people peaceable
on that night?
Woodbridge-- Yes.
Mr. Botts. Did you hear any noise like
that of war, the roaring of cannon, or the rattling of small-arms?
Woodbridge--. None.
Mr. Wirt. -- Did you hear any alarm
in the evening about the militia from the Ohio side?
Woodbridge-- There was some alarm in
the evening.
Mr. Parker. Did Mr. Burr leave the
island before Mr. Blennerhassett communicated to you his being joined with
him?
Woodbridge-- I do not precisely
recollect the time of the communication; but I knew that Blennerhassett
had connected himself with him in the same enterprise, and I would therefore
have delivered the boats to him.
Mr. Coleman. Was Mr. Blennerhassett's
determination to go away the effect of your having told him of the armed
men going to take the boats?
Woodbridge-- That information might
have operated with other circumstances.
Mr. Parker. Did you see the president's
proclamation on that day?
Woodbridge-- No; that was Wednesday,
and it came next Friday by the mail. It was handed to me by the postmaster.
I did not hear of its being sent otherwise. I might have heard of
it before, but I am not absolutely certain.
Mr. MacRae. -- Did you hear anything
of it before?
Woodbridge-- I do not recollect distinctly.
I believe that the printer at Marietta, who had been to Pittsburg, had
brought some information about a proclamation; I have some idea that he
might have mentioned that he had seen it.
Mr. Hay. -- Did you hear anything of
a state warrant?
Woodbridge-- No. I did hear that
the legislature of the state of Ohio were sitting with closed doors, in
consequence of something communicated by Mr. Graham, and that it was probable
that the boats would be stopped, and that they would suppress the enterprise.
Mr. Wickham. -- Did you understand
that Blennerhassett's boats, or the people on the island, would
be taken?
Woodbridge-- I did not suppose that
they would go to Virginia, but that they would only stop the boats that
were built pursuant to his contract up the Muskingum.
Mr. Hay. -- What was the cause of his
precipitate flight? Did you hear any particular observations from
any of the party on the island?
Woodbridge-- Mr. Blennerhassett told
me that he would go off in three or four hours; and I heard Comfort
Tyler say that he would not resist the constituted authorities, but that
he would not be stopped by a mob.
Mr. Wirt. -- At the time he said so
was the legislature of Ohio understood to be in session with closed doors?
Woodbridge-- It was; and I saw
the militia of Wood county assembled the next day or the day after.
Mr. Burr-- Was there not some danger
of being stopped by the ice if they had not gone off as soon they did?
Woodbridge-- I thought so; and
that it was also hazardous for Mrs. Blennerhassett to go. Tyler was detained
two days by Blennerhassett.
Mr. MacRae-- Did Blennerhassett that
night communicate his apprehensions to you?
Woodbridge-- He did not.
Mr. Burr-- Were Tyler's party
disorderly?
Woodbridge-- They were
not.
Mr. Burr-- Did they do
any mischief? Were they guilty of any misconduct?
Woodbridge-- None. |