eir guilt was withheld, and they were
finally discharged. The Spaniards were very nervous about the affair,
and were even afraid lest travellers might dig up Owen's body and find
the dispatches hidden in his collar; which, said De Lemos, they might
send to the President of the United States, who would of course take
measures to find out what the money and the ciphers meant. [Footnote:
_Do._, letter of De Lemos.]

Wilkinson's motives in acting as he did were of course simple. He could
not afford to have the murderers of his friend and agent tried lest they
should disclose his own black infamy. The conduct of Judge Innes is
difficult to explain on any ground consistent with his integrity and
with the official propriety of his actions. He may not have been a party
to Wilkinson's conspiracy, but he must certainly have known that
Wilkinson was engaged in negotiations with the Spaniards so corrupt that
they would not bear the light of exposure, or else he would never have
behaved toward the murderers in the way that he did behave. [Footnote:
Marshall, II., 155; Green, p. 328. Even recently defenders of Wilkinson
and Innes have asserted, in accordance with Wilkinson's explanations,
that the money forwarded him was due him from tobacco contracts entered
into some years previously with Miro. Carondelet in his letters above
quoted, however, declares outright that the money was advanced to begin
negotiations in Kentucky, through Wilkinson and others, for the
pensioning of Kentuckians in the interests of Spain and the severance of
the Western States from the Union.]

Carondelet Refuses to Give up the Posts.

Carondelet, through De Lemos, entered into correspondence with Wayne
about the fort built by his orders at the Chickasaw Bluffs. He refused
to give up this fort; and as Wayne became more urgent in his demands, he
continually responded with new excuses for delay. He was enabled to tell
exactly what Wayne was doing, as Wilkinson, who was serving under Wayne,
punctually informed the Spaniard of all that took place in the American
army. [Footnote: Draper MSS., Spanish Documents, Carondelet to Alcudia,
Nov. 1, 1793.] Carondelet saw that the fate of the Spanish-American
province which he ruled, hung on the separation of the Western States
from the Union. [Footnote: _Do._, Carondelet to Alcudia, Sept. 25,
1795.] As long as he thought it possible to bring about the separation,
he refused to pay heed even to the orders of the Cour