was with my perfect accordance. I hope I shall always be found ready to do what becomes me. I have done so on this occasion and am satisfied.

We are all well, and wish much to see you.

Mrs. A. M. COLEMAN.

Your father,

Write to me.

J. J. CRITTENDEN.

Mr. Crittenden's warm and constant attachment to his friends, and his prompt and frank appeals to them when any seeming estrangement, or apparent cause of mistrust arose, will be exemplified by the following letter to Governor Letcher:

SIR,-In a handbill, published by Mr. James Love, under date of 31st of July, 1831, and addressed to the voters of your congressional district, he represents you as having stated to him "that I was not entitled to the confidence of the party." These terms certainly admit of no favorable or friendly construction, and are calculated to convey imputations altogether derogatory to my character for candor and integrity. From the relations which had long subsisted between us, I had hoped that you would promptly, and without solicitation, have tendered to me some disavowal, or some explanation of the charge and imputations which you had been so publicly represented as having made against me. In this hope, though waiting long, I have been disappointed, and it has now become my duty to ask you for some disavowal that may reconcile my feelings and my honor. Another reason why I did not make this application to you before now, and before you left Kentucky, was the fear that it might, in its possible consequences, lead to some exasperation, or renewal of the quarrel between Mr. Love and yourself, a result I should have greatly deprecated. That quarrel was to me a matter of deep regret; of its merits I may say I know nothing, and it is my wish to remain ignorant. I have known Mr. Love long, and esteemed him as a friend and man of honor; but I may still entertain the hope that he misunderstood your language and meaning in reference to me. I will further hope that your answer to this letter will be so full and satisfactory as to efface from my mind every unpleasant reflection and remembrance of the subject; such as will permit me honorably to resume and cherish those feelings of friendship I had so long indulged towards you. It is right, perhaps, that I should add that I did not receive from Mr. Love the handbill alluded to, nor was it through him that I became aware of its contents.

Yours, etc.,

J. J. CRITTENDEN.

(R. P. Letcher's Reply.)

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, April 10, 1832. SIR,-To your letter of the Ist, this moment received, I respond with pleasure. The statement imputed to me in the handbill of the 31st of July last, of having declared that you were not entitled to the confidence of the party, is without any foundation. With this disclaimer, I might perhaps stop; but from the kindly relations which have so long and uninterruptedly subsisted between us, and which have, on my part, always been cherished with pleasure, combined with the fact of the active frankness and propriety of your communication, I feel justified, in the same spirit of frankness, in saying, as an act of justice to you as well as to myself, that I never entertained such a sentiment, and am not aware that it was ever entertained by any one of your personal or political friends. Of the unfortunate differences which sprang up at the last election I shall say nothing; but I will say the only incident connected with it in any degree, for which I reproach myself, is in not writing you a letter, containing, in substance, what I have now written; but the truth is, I conversed with some five or six of our mutual friends, with whom you were in the habit of constant and intimate intercourse, particularly with a view of making known to you my disavowal of the expressions referred to, and had supposed this had been communicated to you. I should regret exceedingly to do anything, or to omit anything, which would alienate a friend, or inflict the slightest wound upon his feelings. I think I may say of myself, that I am not wanting in attachment, in zeal, or in fidelity in friendship, and I do, therefore, reciprocate sincerely the hope expressed in the conclusion of your letter. With great respect,

R. P. LETCHER.

During the sixteen years in which Mr. Crittenden was absent from Washington, between the resignation of his seat in the Senate in 1819 and his return to Washington in 1835, he was almost constantly engaged in the diligent practice of his profession, this was, indeed, his principal means of support. During this time a murder was committed in Frankfort, where he resided, which led to great bitterness and excitement. Sanford Goins was the name of the prisoner, for whom Mr. Crittenden appeared as counsel,-I have forgotten the name of his adversary. These two men had grown up in the same town, and had, perhaps, been acquainted all their lives; but there was bad blood between them, produced, no doubt, by small and insufficient

causes in the beginning. I doubt if they could themselves have accounted for their animosity. Matters grew worse and worse between them, and finally Goins heard that his enemy had threatened his life. From this time he was forever on the watch, and found himself dogged and waylaid at every corner,—at morning, at noon, and nightfall: whatever corner he turned, or street he entered, the man stood before him. Exasperated and half crazed by this, Goins came out of his house at a very early hour one morning, and the first object he saw was his adversary on the other side of the street, opposite his house. Completely carried away by passion, Goins seized a stick of wood, pursued and caught up with him, and being a much more powerful man, he literally beat him to death with the wood. These are the circumstances of the murder, so far as I can remember them, but their accuracy is not very important. Goins was tried for murder, Mr. Crittenden defended him, and he was acquitted, and is, I believe, still living. The case, and Mr. Crittenden's argument in favor of the criminal, were much discussed at the time. The most effective ground taken by him in favor of the prisoner was, "that a man had not only a right to live, but to be happy," and that for many months Goins's life, so far from being a blessing to him, had been an unspeakable torment. There had been no moment, night or day, free from the apprehension of sudden and violent death. He could not enter his own door at night without finding this, his enemy, skulking around the corner; he could not leave his wife and child, with the sunrise, to go to his daily work, without seeing this terror before his door. Was it any wonder that he had been driven to frenzy and to a deed of blood by such a life? Prejudice was, I think, very strong against Goins in the beginning of the trial, but under the influence of Mr. Crittenden's eloquence and the masterly manner in which he pictured the horrors of Goins's life, during the months which preceded the murder, public opinion veered round completely, and Goins was not only acquitted, but received back into the community with sympathy. This may seem rather a trivial detail and Mr. Crittenden's argument of but little value, but it made a great impression on the audience and the jury. In my after-life, when I saw men and women oppressed and terrified, I have remembered that we had all a right

to life and an equal right to be happy. The last great claim, however, is often weakly yielded to the strong hand of power, and often trampled underfoot.

About this time Mr. Crittenden's brother Thomas was very ill in Louisville, and he was summoned to his death-bed. His family affection was very strong, and the death of this brother was felt for years. The following letter was written at his brother's death-bed:

(J. J. Crittenden to his wife Maria.)

LOUISVILLE, Tuesday, December 25, 1832. MY DEAR WIFE,-Prepare yourself to hear the worst. My brother Tom is still alive, but that is all; a few hours is all, perhaps, that remain for him. All human aid seems to be in vain. I never knew, till this affliction taught me, how dearly I loved this dearest, best, and noblest of brothers.

Death has no horrors for him, and if ever a Christian proved his faith by a triumphant death, he is doing it.

'Tis but a few hours now till the arrival of the stage from Frankfort. If Mr. Edgar comes in it he may arrive in time,— he is most anxiously looked for.

Mrs. MARIA CRITTENDEN.

J. J. CRITTENDEN.

CHAPTER VII.

1832-1836.

Letters-Appointed Secretary of State in Kentucky in 1834-Letters-Benton's Resolutions as to Fortification-Letters.

(James G. Birney to J. J. Crittenden.)

DANVILLE, February 11, 1836.

EAR SIR,-I little expected when I had the pleasure of

lament the loss of our amiable and distinguished fellow-citizen, Judge Boyle. I lament it not only on grounds common to our countrymen generally, but because he was an interesting and pleasant companion, and we concurred in opinion on the subject of slavery, and as to the means of accomplishing the relief of our State from its suffocating pressure. Just before I went to Frankfort, I had a free conversation with him in reference to it. He was then considering favorably an invitation, which our newlyinstituted society for the relief of the State from slavery had given him, to act as its presiding officer. I doubt not, had he lived, that he would not have hesitated, after hearing that you had consented to serve as one of our Vice-Presidents. Last Friday, our board of managers came to the decision of tendering to you the station which had been offered to our distinguished friend who has been removed from us. Our secretary, Mr. Green, told me he would write to you on the subject immediately. I know not, my dear sir, that I ought to calculate on exerting any influence over you. If I have any, however small, I will hazard its exhaustion in a cause like this, where intelligent patriotism and enlightened philanthropy have such lofty conquests to achieve and such pure rewards to reap. I trust, sir, it will not be in vain that I have added the earnestness of private solicitation to the official tender that will be made, especially when, I doubt not, I shall be warmly seconded by your excellent lady. I propose bringing the whole subject before the public in a series of letters addressed to the Hon. Charles A. Wickliffe. They will be untainted with anything like bigotry, or fanaticism, or uncharitableness towards those who may dissent from my opinions. Indeed, I propose treating the subject entirely in its political aspect. May I ask of you to