The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-06-26
THE DAILY DISPATCH


QX L1nL1sl.,.>ss >x s,yS.A1. -
TAaysday nfsrntsg, Jasc 10, 1890.
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IS There 10 discrepancy 70 n,, .ss
hiosraphies Of Fremont which have oeeh puonsn
ed o. TO his birth place some OF the seccun '.,
ss.. that he was born In virginia, others IN south
Cerolre. and others again In Georgia The 70.
lowing, from The Boston IeiegfaPa " ssa W w
miann f,h.,,~, fremont waa born At Savannah
x-e.sss r.."srv 81. 1873. His parents we've re
a Merit IT, Va. but ~ the time efhi birth
,s.1N - on journey, through the Southern
statas His father was born u hr ,hs Enrsh willis
navsne ~ "a Join his relatives In 81 Domingo,
Sn We ,rwsrds escaped and came to the tinted
< States. 81 Az. t.ste and couside.
sn, Il wanting he soon made friends and
ss.s,'d sm,Joyment At Norfolk, Va be tound
he ADV who became his wife. and who 's descllo
ed a 4 Young Virginia lady Of remakeoie nsaa.y
Aud Il Il added that they were marr1eo vos NJ!
20 the y,ishes of her family. John Charies tIs.
mans ras their Oldest child. There were two
other chiIdren--a daughter, who died a ,ne aye %
seyenteen. and son, the youngest cnna' WIZ
died 1t the age of twenty. .,;,a.sr
,.(sol Fremouss sather died when these eniiaIen
uera ali verv Young the oldest being but tour
vaars az ace leaving his bereaved family IN very
.lensndent and destitute circumstances Inc WI
dos removed with her children ana poses'y "o.
Norfolk 70 Charleston. s. c., where she nxeo he'
permanent residence
We have no disposition in the general to meddis
with the private hstory of people; but wnen
that private history relates to men presensea 'o'
the highest office In the gift of the nation ana Is
brought to light by the press. 1t is nothing more
than proper that 1t should be in the main correct
1t Is due to truth and history 1t would be indeed
strange II 90 young man as Col. FREMONT were
elected President. that the simple record OF MS
psrentags and birth had either been lost entirely
to history, or so recorded as to present
hardly single fact correctly.
To the good or bad fortune as it may be OF TINS
CITY. ii Is connected with the history o. Coie.
mel FREMoST's parentags About the nrst OF
the present century there resided in this city
a revolutionary veteran, who had served faith
fully In the war of the Revolution. This vet
eran was Colond JOHN PRYOR. He lived
ON the ground which lies between the canal
and the river, west of the Petersburg railroad de-
Dot, and east of the Armory. He had there sur
rounding his house Q garden. where people were
admitted for a small fee, and where refreshments
could be procured. This was called "Pryor's gar.
dem" The old Colonel was . victim of rheuma-
tsm and locomotion to him was difficult. lie
moved with q shutting step, and took long time
to 90 o very little way-indesd he was disabled,
stiflimbed old soldier and his physical forces had
from exposure and hardship suffered no little
abatement
The veteran Col PRYOR took it into his head that
b needed wife, and that he would be much bet.
tef off with one, than to remain q rheumatic old
Bachelor, with no one to love. rather no one TO
mend his linen and sew on his buttons. So he
sought the hand in marriage of young girl-wh0
she was it is not material to know nor does our nfor
mant remember whether she was very beautiful or
not Suffice it to say she yielded to the suit of the
veteran soldier, and became Mrs. PRYoR-mistress
of the garden, and mistress of long framed build
ing, said to have resembled very much that dwsl l.
ling SO long occupied by the late JAMES GRAY, and
which was pulled down to make room for the fine
by Mr. GRAY. Its main feature was somewhat
were long wings, of smaller dimensions, except
their length, than the centre. At the extremities
of these two wings stood two offices, apparently
to promote the harmony of the general design.
Weare the more particular in describing the
building, because as will be seen, Judgment was
made in one of these offices by al enemy of the
Colonels domestic happiness.
At this time, there lived in Richmond a French
teacher named FREMONT who taught in the acade-
INV of the celebrated French scholar and gentle
man. GlRARDIN. NJ FREMONT is described as
having been a small swarthy individual. with
some French peculiarites strongly developed
Some of the Oldest inhabitants say that Colonel
PRYOR employed Monsieur FREMONT to teach biz.
youpe wife French Certain it is, that he rented
of the Colonel one of the little offices above de.
scrited, and took his meals, boarder. at the
Coloners table. What progress the lady made In
studyiny French is not known but, during the in
terviews with her teacher, there grew up IN her
breast sentiments and feelings inconsistent with
her relations to Col PRYOR. How long this state
of things existed, we are not informedi but the re-
suit was, that Mrs. PRYOR and M. FREMONT fled
from the city to Norfolk, and there. for time,
lived tocether-he, it is understood. pursuing the
vocation of upholsterer, which was supposed to
have been his original trade. They did not, how
ever, reside long in Norfolk, but went to the
South--where the candidate for the Presidency
was born--possibly to Savannah, though some re.
ports say Charleston.
We cannot say whether the parties were ever
married. Certain it is that old Col. PRYOR was
never divorced from his wife, who thus left him
more fororn than he was when she married him.
The question arises, could there have been a le-
climate marriage without divorce?
It is proper to add that Col. PRYOR, after some
time brooding over the bad treatment he suffer
ed in the desertion of his wife, assauged bis grief
by marrying another young woman, who remained
with him until his death-he dying, it is hardly
necessary to add, without issue. The abduction of
his first wife by the Frenchman, who showed not
the slightest regard for his prior claims,
subject to the old Colonel These incidents in the
life of the progentor of the freesoi candidate for
the Presidency, show that he was at least dis
eiple of Free Love, if not of Free-Soil.
Security against Failing Houses.
The city of Charleston has an officer, whose du
ty is to superintends building, for the purpose of
guarding against accidents and seeing that build
ings that In course of construction are suffi
centiy strong for the business to which they are
70 be devoted. When man is about to build
house he has to inform this officer of the fact to
inform him also of the location, the dimensions of
the house, and the material to be employed in its
construction, where upon IL tho plau In not contra