Delaware Patriot & American Watchman

Binns makes me laugh. He is, as the play actors say, the greatest gag that ever lived, and he is very clever in some of his stage tricks. He got up the doleful and lamentable story of the bloody murder of the six militiamen, which set Mr. Adams himself weeping--Mr. Secretary Barbour's heart melted, and Mr. Rush sobbed aloud, Binns and Clay alone of the cabinet, winked at each other and laughed in their sleeve at the hoax. In the last Democratic Press, we have at the top of the column, a black coffin with a brief account of the execution of the six militiamen--doleful and distressing--six coffins--white caps--pathetic speeches--assurances of innocence--prayers--bang.

Binns, Binns, how can you make such a fool of yourself in your old days? or rather, why will you pay so poor a compliment to the intelligence of Americans, as to play off such wretched slight of hand tricks upon them? You are engaged by the cabinet to enact these parts--this is your line you will say--but it is no excuse for a magistrate, and a sensible man to put on this mockery. We all know that the six men executed, were deserters and mutineers--regularly tried and regularly condemned according to immemorial usage. We know that Jackson was at a distance, and only approved the sentence as in duty bound. Now, if you want to be pathetic, provided it can be done without injury to the Adams cause, sing out "the last dying speeches and groans of forty six American citizens, inhumanly killed and wounded by the British soldiers, at Dartmoor Prison, together with apologetic report of Mr. Charles King, the agent, justifying said barbarous act, and pronouncing it correct according to "military usages!!"

Here you will indeed be on the side of justice and humanity, but not in abetting traitors, mutineers and deserters.

Noah.