John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

15. VIII: Having had no sleep the night before last, the last Night was the longer, and for many months I have not risen so late as this morning. Mr Dickinson called here and introduced a young man from New-York, by the name of Hone.— While he was here, Mr H. G. Otis called, but supposing me to be engaged, left word that he wished to see me on the part of Mr Martin— As I was going out, I met at the door Mr Bailey, with a young man from Philadelphia, by the name of Rogers, whom he introduced— I went with George to the Senate chamber, to see Mr Otis— He was engaged in business there, but told me that he would call on me at the Department, after the adjournment of the Senate, which he did— He then said that Martin had called upon him yesterday, apparently in great irritation, and complained that I had forbidden him my house; and had requested him to see me, and to assure me of the propriety of his conduct. He had related to him what had passed the Evening before, between him and my Son George— Told him that he had been perfectly satisfied with George’s explanation and had considered it as an affair entirely settled— He had therefore been astonished at the offence which I had taken, and had wished Mr Otis to say to me, that Martin’s conduct had only been such as the vindication of his own honour required— He said that it had been his intention to treat my Son George with the utmost civility, and delicacy— That the note he had written to him was in the most respectful and friendly language, and that his motive in sending for George to meet him alone at Strother’s was precisely to avoid every appearance of formality; and to confine his request for an explanation, entirely between themselves. Otis then proceeded to tell me of his acquaintance with Martin, who lodges and messes at the same house with him at Georgetown— Martin he said was first introduced to him by Mr Goldsborough formerly a Senator from Maryland, and a relation of Martin’s— On his coming here this winter, Otis had heard that he had come in pursuit of a young Lady, whom her friends had sent here to be out of his way— He had observed that at one of Mrs Adams’s weekly parties, Mr Martin did not come—that at a subsequent one he proposed to come, and did come with him; not without some apprehension on Otis’s part, that he might be thought by us to be introduced by him— Afterwards the incidents occurred at Gales’s and at my house, which gave rise to this affair with George and which Otis related to the minutest point exactly as George had told them to me— But last Saturday Otis said, Martin had come to him in a state of high excitement and told him he had been informed that my Son George had reported his having been told by Mr Otis, that Martin had asserted to him that there was an engagement of marriage between Miss Johnson and himself. Otis said he had told Martin he was sure there must be some mistake in the matter— He had never said so to my Son, and he was confident George never had reported from him, what he had not said— And he had then told Martin the incidents which did occur, and from which this misunderstanding appeared to have arisen, as he now told them to me. Martin had then left him, and yesterday came to him again with his new complaint— He seemed to hope that I should upon being informed of all the Circumstances, acquit him of any intention of disrespect to me, and revoke the interdiction to him of my house. I told Mr Otis that I was disposed to make every proper allowance, for the excesses of a young man who appeared to be frantic with passion. But the peace, and quiet and health of my family had been too grossly outraged by Martin, to be forgiven on a mere declaration by him that he intended no disrespect— As to his call for an explanation upon my Son, I had told him I should not interpose in that— But in the first place the young Lady herself explicitly denies, not only that George ever said to her what Martin called upon him to explain, but that she ever told Martin, that George had made such a report to her. George therefore had never said any thing which 491Martin had any right to call upon him to explain— Martin had done him precisely the injury which he had complained of having received from him. He had imputed to him a false report, upon allegations themselves false— And as to his forms of proceeding; his plea of polite language was ridiculous— I repeated the terms of the Note—the summons upon business, and without delay; the direct intimation to him at Strother’s, with a horse-whip on the table, that he had it from the most unquestionable authority that George had said so and so—and if he had that he must retract it or fight him— Here was an avowed unequivocal, contingent challenge—given upon false pretences—and sent in a manner, as if purposely intended to alarm my whole family— I was not much versed in the forms appropriate to the code of honourable murder, but of this I was sure; they never authorized a Gentleman to send for another to come to him in the Night at a tavern, alone to give him an explanation, or to fight him— As to the report that Fanny Johnson had been sent by her friends to my house to keep her out of Martin’s way, it was quite groundless. She was here at the earnest invitation of Mrs Adams, and myself; being an orphan Grand-daughter of the late Governor Thomas Johnson, of Fredericktown, Maryland, and daughter to a first Cousin of my wife’s— Martin had visited at my house, as many other Strangers do, in the Winter, and had been invited to Mrs. Adams’s weekly parties. After what had taken place, his company at my house could no longer be acceptable; and as to his assuming to enjoin upon my son George to spare the feelings of Miss Johnson, in my opinion he would have been better employed, in enjoining it more effectually upon himself— Otis said he had suggested himself to Martin, that delicacy to the young Lady would not consist in making her a subject of public talk— That the circumstances which I had mentioned presented a case very materially different from that stated by Martin— He understood that I would not re-admit Martin to my house, but upon his acknowledgment that he had been wrong. He, Otis could therefore no longer with any usefulness interfere in the affair— Martin had asked him for a certificate of the propriety of his conduct, but he should now excuse himself from taking any further part whatever in the transaction— And with this he left me— I received a Letter from Lewis Williams Chairman of the Committee of Claims, asking further explanations upon the subject of Captain O’Brien’s case— Mrs. W. S. Smith dined with us. Mary Hellen is recovering, but does not yet leave her chamber.