John Page to St. George Tucker, 29 June 1806

On June 8th, 1806, George Wythe died from arsenic poisoning, and was suspected to be murdered by his grandnephew, George Wythe Sweeney. On June 29th, 1806, John Page writes to St. George Tucker regarding the recent murder of George Wythe and discusses what he believes could have contributed to Wythe's grandnephew poisoning him.

In his letter, Page begins to Tucker regarding an offer from the latter's brother to accept shares in a North Carolina Goldmine company (which he ultimately declines), before transitioning into the topic of George Wythe's murder. Page acknowledges that he does not have all the details of Wythe's murder but expresses how disturbing an incident it was and his worries about how youth of the present day are growing up without following the rules of morality established by Christianity. He expresses his concern that Sweeney had decided to reject the ideals of Christianity, which in turn could have led him to disobey the law by committing acts such as forgeries before eventually poisoning his uncle to receive the assets from his will.

Letter text

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My dear Friend

Rosewell June 29th. 1806

I beg your pardon for delaying so long any acknowledgements for your friendly communication of your Brother's kind offer of some shares in the N. Carol^a. G.^d mine C.^o but I assure you that I did immediately sit down & write a long letter to you, on the subject, which, as I understood you were not in W^msburg, and it contained my high opinion of the Goldmine & any Advice to you , take the shares offered to you, & M^r. G. Tucker, and as before I heard of your return, I thought any letter too long & too bold in its attempt to influence your better judgement ???? case in which you might possibly be a loser by attending to my Advice, I burnt it & resolved to write another, informing you that I had written to your Brother, thanking him for his friendly attention to me, and that I had returned the pamphlet according to your desire & that not being able to raise Money, I could not accept the shares he offered. Since the Receipt of your letter, I have received three from him; one of the last night. He desires me to present him affect.^y to you. He engines after the case of Chancellor Wythe, of which, as I know only enough to shock my soul, without knowing how far I may rely on the horrid tale. I think I must refer him to you for a correct & particular relation of this tragical Affair. I shudder when I think of it, and fear for humanity and the wounded honor of my Country! Good God! What may not be the Situation of their Country, if youth of the present day should grow up to Manhood unrestrained by a beleif in the Christian Religion, & without the happy influence of domestic examples of pure Morality & Religion, which have been known through life to have a powerful restraint on many, on whom a Religion which they

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disbelieved could not possibly have any. I was told by M^r. DuVal a few days before I left Richmond that M^r. Wythe had declared to him his belief in Christianity, adding that it was his only consolation, and the Lord's Prayer his daily address to God. and I find that in his funeral Oration M^r. Mumford states that two years ago he had heard him make a similar declaration. But unhappily for M^r. Wythe he had so long been reputed atheist, that there is reason to suspect, that his Nephew thought him one, and therefore, relying on his superior penetration & Wisdom, he might safely reject Christianity, and dread no future consequences of what is called sin and that therefore if he could but elude the Eye of the law, and the slow and cautious steps by which it pursues offenders, he had nothing to apprehend, should he poison his Uncle, and prevent his altering his Will, which was made in his Favor- As to this young Man's Forgeries, when religion is out of the way, I can see nothing in our law that could restrain him or anyone else from a free exercise of that lucrative Employment. But for a cause of Religion, I myself could not have done a better act for the benefit of my Wife & Children, than to have joined with L. and others, and died in the Penitentiary consoled with the pleasing reflection that I had handsomely provided for my Family, in a way permitted, nay chalked out by our Laws, & I could, if under no religious ^impressions tell my Wife & Children, that no one would think the worse of these for what I had done; and indeed that they would always be respected in proportion to their riches, and that both I and they would have been despised had I left them poor. that therefore the riches I had acquired for them could secure them respect in this World and that as for my ????, they need not trouble themselves about it. that they ought to enjoy their hearts desire in all things, and say "Let us eat & drink for tomorrow we die." And indeed if I had only a vague conjecture about the being of a God & a future State, I think I should look upon Morality as only a good countenance to restrain others from injuring me, and mine, & from interfering too much with me when in pursuit of favorite Gratifications, & I should wish

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for a despotic Prince to preserve a greater degree of order, & security of life & property than could possibly exist if the most enlightened part of my Countrymen should ever so become as inreligious as myself. But believing as I do in a divine revelation, I had rather perish with my Wife & Children through absolute want, than that any one of us should do one unjust or dishonest Act. I believe that Poverty, sickness, & death itself, are far from being Evils, & that sin alone, is an Evil to be dreaded. I look upon all humane Wisdom as insignificant compared with a proper knowledge of our Creator and ourselves; and all human Contrivances to preserve the Liberty & happiness(?) of Mankind without the heavenly and of the Christian Religion, totally vain and fallacious. But, that, whenever that Religion is properly received and regarded, there, the People must be made free from sin, & will require no Government which is not perfectly compatible with perfect Liberty civil & religious. I have therefore been at a loss(?) to account for the strange Phenomenon of Philosophers, Philantrophists, and Republicans avowing their disbelief in the Christian Religion. For my part had I ten thousand more doubts respecting it than I ever had in my life, I should wish to see it universally received as absolutely true & divine. And had I found the old & New Testament in a street, & no other copy of it, translation, or Paraphrase had ever been sent, and no account of Completion of Prophecies or ??? of Martyrs, or the living Testimony of the Jews been exhibited, I should wish to receive it as sent down & dropt from Heaven amongst us. There could be no Injustice, no ill will amongst men, no Wars between Nations, but universal peace & good will must prevail amongst the fraternised nations of the Earth, if they would but believe in the scriptures and obey their heavenly precepts. I have run on beyond my intended bounds, hurried away by the interesting subject before me, which I always have much at Heart, for my Children's Sake, my Country's, and for the sake of the whole human race. Present us & our best wishes to M^rs. Tucker & your Family & believe me y^r sincere Friend John Page