Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-09-05

Aho uiCuuS Vi OouatOE WILSON muSt To-
gard him as exceedingly unfortunate, If he
does not so regard himself When it was
first asserted that he had been~a Know
Nothing when that party was at is zerith,
he made an evasive denial of the charge.
This denial was met by statement from
Gen. Albert Pike, who had been member
of the Known Nothing Convention in Phil
adelphia in 1856 with Mr.. Wilson, of the
act of his membership in that body, which
could not have been unless he had gene
through the regular process of joining the
order. A few days after the appearance of
Gen. Pixies statement, letter from Mr..
Wilson TO number of German citizens of
Brooklyn was published, in which he posi-
lively denied that he had ever been Know
Nothing. Thereupon Mr.. Frank W. Bird,
of Boston, who had previously asserted
that Wilson was Know Nothing, proved,
point by point, every assertion he had
made, with fulness of detail which left
no doubt as to the truth of the charge. Mr..
Bird says:
"You were first proposed as member of
the Know Nothing Council in Natick, and
blackballed. But 1t being considered by
yourself and friends important that you
should be either Governor or Senator, An
son Burlingame, Charles W. Slack and
others of your intimate friends proposed
you for admission to the Council or to
"that concern" in ward Ten of Boston.
You were proposed, and Charles A. Phelps,
as am informed on good authority, pre-
sided at the meeting. DR.. William Cor
nell protested against your admission, and
made speech oppos- ng you, on the ground
that you would cheat them-that you
would not be true to the party. You
were, however, admitted that evening and
initiated"
This testimony is plain, positive and d.
rect. Henry Wilson was Know Nothing.
But now comes another strange chapter in
this Know Nothing story. Mr.. Wilson now
denies having written the letter addressed
to the German citizens of Brooklyn, and
pronounces it forgery. The New York
Tribune says: "There remains a mystery
about the matter which ought to be cleared
up. Mr.. Frevert, with whom the cores
pondence was held, has placed the letters
in our hands for his own justification.
The facts are these: On the I'd of July, Mr..
Frevert and eleven other Germans of
Brooklyn wrote to Mr.. Wilson, announcing
themselves as favorable to Grant,
but desiring to be informed
whether Mr.. Wilson was ever
Know-Nothing, as reported in some pa
pers and denied in others. On the 9th of
August Mr.. Frevert received Ill reply the
letter which Mr.. Wilson now denounces as
forgery. 1t is dated in Natick, August
&c, postmarked "Boston," and bears the
frank of Senator Wilson. 1t is written in
German, and signed "Henry Wilson per
II. A." 1t is impossible to state whether
the frank is a forgery CT not. If it is, it is
sufficiently successful to pass the scrutiny
of the Boston and Brooklyn postoffices.
Senator Wilson will do well not TO content
himself with simple reputation of this
letter. The facts are important to him, and
should be promptly stated. The so-called
forgery is a categorical reply to the letter adj
dressed to him by Frevert and others. 1t pur-
ports to have been written, not by his hand,
but by that of an amanuensis or secretary.
1t comes unstamped from Boston, bearing
bis frank. 1t is written to his political
friends, ard published in his interest. lift
is forgery, it is forgery for his benefit
alone, founded on information which could
only have come from him or his friendly
correspondent. A crime has been commit
ted to assist in Mr.. Wilson's election, and it
behooves him more than any one else to
ascertain who has committed it." Poor
Wilson! he founders terribly, only to sink
deeper in the slough into which he has
recklessly plunged himself.