Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1856-10-29
Fremont not Eligible to the Presidential

New York Erpress, that there exists strong
probability that Fremont was not born IN the
United States, and therefore, is not constltu-
tionallv eligible to the Presidency. We IN
yite attention to the article in the ErPress,
which says:
W1ERE FREMoNT WAS BoRN-Ne need not
beg pardon of the public for freely discussing
where Fremont was born, because under the
Constitution of the United States, man must
be born here. in these United States or have
been here when the Constitution was adopted,
in order to be its President. Hence, If, as
alleged, and as believed by many, and as cir
cumstances indicate. the French father of Col.
Fremont took the mother of Col. Fremont out
of the United States, with the intent to live
abroad the SON born abroad as Constitution
aNy disqualified for being President.
1.-THE Biography of Mr. Bigelow, (editor
of the Eceniag PosO the inspiration, doubt
less of Fremont himself, has now reached
Richmond, Va. and, suspected, nearly
all of it that relates TO Fremonts origin Is tc-
sion, or to quote the Richmond DispGch:
eft reads like novel It is quite desti-
tute of such a prosaic elem-nt as fact The
LEGISLATURE of IIrginia nerer sanctioned the
;separation Of IEr. and Ars. Pryor ty passing
an act of dioorce. We have examined the
Acts of Assembly from 1901 to 1917, (Fre-
mont was born, according to his biographer,
January 2l, 1913, and in all that time there
were but two divorces granted, neither of
which was Mr. and Mrs Pryor.
1--WE know nothing of the circumstances
of their marriage We never heard that the
old gentleman was rich or gouty. He kept
sort of pleasure garden for public entertain
ment, which is not consistent with the idea OF
being a nabob. In short, We know the dl-
voree part of the above story Is untrue and we
don't believe one word of the remainder Of 1t.
We only allude to the subject to vindicate the
truth of history, and do justice to the State
and individuals, unjustly assaled in the above
paragraph"
staid State like Virginia never divorced par
ties-for the reasons given in the biography,
that the parties had influential friends. TIE
Act. of assembly disclose the fact, and stamps
the lie on the Biography"
The Richmond Wig publishes the will
and testament of Pryor. to show that no such
divorce as alleged took place, The will reads
thus, as recorded in the Hastings Court, 923:
Il, John Pryor of the city of Richmond.
do make and ordain this writing as and for
nv last will and testament hereby expressly
revokng all other wills and testaments, here
tofore made by me. Whereas, under q well
founded impression and confident belief that
sny late wife, Ann Pryor, had departed this
lie, have intermarried with Elizabeth Graves
who alone is recognized by me my wife,
none other having any just claim upon me, or
my estates, in that character, I do will and
direct as follows:
He marries, because he believes his late
wife was deadl' The father of Fremont ac-
cording to the biography, was wandering with
the mother of John G.. Fremont among the
Indians of the Notwithstanding to our
Vermont correspondent, French Canadians
but according to the Richmond Wig the faith
er fed with his wife to France! Now, where
his son was born we have a right to know by
proof unquestionablc, for every presumption
is against his being born in the United States
''These are painful facts to approach and
to discuss, but when such a monstEous imro-
sirion is attempted as this upon oar Northern
people, we shrink not om it. 1t is duty
we owe to our country and to God, and we
will discharge it fearlessly In the midst of every
storm and the more fearlessly the fercer is
the abuse or threat Il Is not true that the
mother of COL Fremont acds diUorced II IS
not q fact that he acas born in .Suc0nnoh
Charleston, as aUedged or if it is it can be
proved 1t is fact that the Frenchmau con-
nected with the mother of Fremont left Rich
,nond s'to wander" somewhere-but where
we do not know.
"Now, gentlemen. it is of 10 use to abuse
us, but meet our facts. To tell US we lie"
will not lie down the will of Col Pryor or the
Richmond Legislative record, that no divorce
was obtained To tell US the birth place is
not matter of proper discussion, Is to fly in
the very face of the constitution of the Uai-
ted States; for it is our constitutional right to
kaow beyond all cavl where candidate for
the Presidency of the United States was
born"
Fror Correspondent Of the Richmond Wdig,I
RICHMOND, Monday Aug Is, 1856
SIR:-The political position of Col. Frc-
mont, and the Memoir of the Life and I'd
sentures of .jehn Charles Frenloat. 10y John
Bigelow, make it my painful but boundcn du-
ty to publish the following statement:
John Pryor, captain of artillery in the
Continental army, owned and kept livery
stable AID public garden in this city, called
Haw Market. Major Pryor, in his old age,
married Miss Ann Whiting, of Gloucester
county About the year, 1907, w, s. and
w. S. P, pupils, and Francis Fremont,
teacher in Haler's Academy, boarded with
Major Pryor.
She (thc mother eloped with Fremont, and
was not heard of for many years. Pryor died
in the year 1923"
TWe> have eliminated this communication,
vouched for by the editor as from an old resi-
dent of Richmond, because we mean to con-
fine all our discussions on this subject to the
birth place of Fremont, to the exclusion of
all other offensive points. Tile 7tght to k4ao,o
sehere Presidential aspira,t acds born zee
repeat is Constitutional l,rtvjIegc, and zee