Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-10-09
MRS. LINCOLN,s VENDUE.

The statement, which We publish this
morning, in relation to the property Of
Mrs. Lincoln and the sale of the most
valuable portions Of her wardrobe and
iewelry, together with the free comments
of the Radical press, furnishes singular
chapter to the history of the times. From
being a matter of mere private gossip,
the conduct and bearing of Mrs. Lincoln
during the Presidency Of her husband,
has come tc be a matter of public dis
grace and scandal Whatever may be
her virtues and graces as lady, or her
DEFICIENCIES in this respect, the press has
nothing to do, and we regard the filings
at her coarseness and vanity by the pre-
tended friends of her late husband, as
entirely reprehensible and deserving of
rebuke.
Bot the subject wears public aspect
which has been put in course of ventila-
ten by Mrs LIS own act, which cannot
be overlooked by people who cherish
the dignity and integrity which should
never be separated from the American
name at home or abroad, in private or in
public. Mrs. L. is charged by Mr.. Thur
low Weed as having charged and received.
from the public treasury, for State din
ner given by her husband to the Prince
Napoleon, three times the amount the
dinner cost by actual contract with the
restaurateur who furnished it. This
transaction shows the first lady of the
republic in the character of petty
swindler of the public funds. 1t is fur
Their charged that the rich and costly
suits of apparel and the sparkling jewels
which are now offered for sale to supply
deficiencies in the lady's finances, were
bestowed upon her as presents, in the
way of compensation for her influence
with her husband in appointments to Of
fee or awarding contracts, whereby the
parties were able to realize immense
sums.
1t is also stated that the parties who
thus purchased this influence have proved
the basest ingrates The New York Er-
press says:
She gave TO the auctioneers partial list
of the now wealthy men in this city, who
besieged her when she was at the White
House to secure for them his influence to
obtain heavy and renumerative contracts,
and whose requests every instance he
complied with. She commissioned GER
tain gentleman to call on these men for
subscriptions to aid her in her distress and
save her the necessity of selling her cloth
ing, but thegentleman was unable to obtain
a cent from the parties on whom he called.
This irritated her to such an extent, that
she permitted the fact to be made known,
that she was obliged to offer her dresses and
jewelry for sale to pay her debts.
So marked was this ingratitude that the
ladies of New York, who had enjoyed her
hospitality at the White House, refused
to take notice of her presence in that
city. Whether this results from con~
tempt for poverty, or disdain for those
who have resorted to unworthy means to
procure costly presents, we shall not un-
dertake to decide But the fact is very
patent that the humiliation of Mrs. l..
is very great, that her sense of degrade
ton Is so oppressive that she assumed in
New York the name of Mrs. Clarke, -
and after that was discovered, she
changed it to Mrs. Morris"
Since the affair has assumed this shape,
the best vindication which Mrs L. can
make, would be to 90 a step farther, and
give the names of all those who obtained
Offices, contracts, trade permits, ETC.,
through her infuence-together with an
estimate of the amounts probably real
lied by them in each case. This will
give the clue to the public to trace the
blame to the parties who ought to bear it
exclusively or share it with her. As the
matter now stands, there is just enough
positively known to give rise to the most
damaging speculations in reference to
her own conduct, which must also more
or less affect the memory of the 'late
lamented"