But it was like
getting a ghost out of prison. They pretended there was no such man,
and never was such a man. They will say so at the Department now!
Perhaps they do not know. It will not be the first thing in the
service of which the Department appears to know nothing!
There is a story that Nolan met Burr once on one of our vessels, when
a party of Americans came on board in the Mediterranean. But this I
believe to be a lie; or, rather, it is a myth, _ben trovato_,
involving a tremendous blowing-up with which he sunk Burr,--asking him
how he liked to be "without a country." But it is clear from Burr's
life, that nothing of the sort could have happened; and I mention this
only as an illustration of the stories which get a-going where there
is the least mystery at bottom.
Philip Nolan, poor fellow, repented of his folly, and then, like a
man, submitted to the fate he had asked for. He never intentionally
added to the difficulty or delicacy of the charge of those who had him
in hold. Accidents would happen; but never from his fault. Lieutenant
Truxton told me that, when Texas was annexed, there was a careful
discussion among the officers, whether they should get hold of Nolan's
handsome set of maps and cut Texas out of it--from the map of the
world and the map of Mexico. The United States had been cut out when
the atlas was bought for him. But it was voted, rightly enough, that
to do this would be virtually to reveal to him what had happened, or,
as Harry Cole said, to make him think Old Burr had succeeded.
Pages:
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240