  SHOUT TREASON In 1807, Aaron Burr, former Vice-President of the United States and an eminent if controversial political figure, was tried for treason in Richmond, Virginia. He was accused, by no less a personage than President Thomas Jefferson, of plotting to separate the states beyond the Alleghenies, conquer Mexico, and establish an empire in the West. Presiding over the Federal Court of Appeals was Chief Justice John Marshall, ardent Federalist and foe of Jeffersonian Republicanism. The trial of Aaron Burr reflected the bitter feud between these historic political factions; his acquittal was a victory for John Marshall in his opposition to the President tempered—at least from the defendant’s point of view—by the jury’s equivocal verdict of “not proven guilty.” FRANCIS F. BEIRNE is a resident of Baltimore, editorial writer for the well-known Sun papers, and under the pen name of Christopher Billopp writes a column for the Baltimore Evening Sun. He is, however, a native of Virginia, a graduate of the University of Virginia, and was a Rhodes Scholar to Oxford University, 1911–1914. Other books by Francis Beirne include The War of 1812, The Amiable Baltimoreans and the commentary for Baltimore, A Picture History. Francis Beirne has captured in this absorbing book the drama of the trial itself, the undercurrents of personal and political rivalries, and the color and atmosphere of the capital of Virginia during that summer, 150 years ago, when the eyes of the nation were turned upon it. A glittering array of personalities was brought to Richmond by the trial, among them John Randolph of Roanoke, Andrew Jackson, General James Wilkinson, Washington Irving, Winfield Scott, and Burr’s beautiful daughter, Theodosia. As compelling as any is the profile of Aaron Burr himself, brilliant, resourceful (he acted frequently in his own defense), but also somewhat mysterious and erratic—a fascinating character in the nation’s history. Hastings House Publishers |
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