The avant courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1871-1872, 1872-06-20
The Andy johnson scandal.
Dsns - Death ~ slAnaerou. ror.r..

some two or three weeks ago vague RI.
mors commenced to reach Nashville serious.
| " affecting the reputation Of ex-President
johnson and lady of Grsenville. wife of
the postmaster It that place. We made ii.
quiry; were Informed on GOOD authority that
the statements were baseless, and RETAINED
from making any a1lusion thereto in our coli
umns But the gossips would not desist !;
al manner Of reports concerning the lady
and gentleman mentioned were persistently
kept IN circulation, and We finally telegraph
ed to I prominent citizen Of Greenyille, who
answered several days since, as follows: .i;
: There is not an atom of. truth in the al
legged scandal. Lying tongues have driven
virtaious, Christian lady to, insane suicide.
This is candid statement 3of facts.''
Convinced Of the foul injustice that had
been done, We still forebore. out OF respect
for the parties involved. to give it undue
publicity, but the following dispatch, from
Brooklyn, New York. to the Indian polls
journal. shows that the slanderers were de- 1
tsrmined not to be defeated Of their purpose.
!" 4 few days since it was announced that
Mrs., Emily Harold, wife of the Postmaster
at Gresnyille, East Tennessee, had commit
ted suicide BY shooting herself through the
head 1t with revolver A letter just received t
by resident Of Gresnville, now in Brook
lyn attending the Methodist General Confer
eence, conveys the intelligence that Mrs. Har-
rDld .'lf had been seduced BY ex-President John. i
sen, and that discovery and exposure led her
to he commission Of the rash act. Great
u is expressed by the citizens OF /,
Greenville against the ex-President. and i
pany Of the BEST citizens refuse to speak to \
him on the street, /,
we nave had every opportunity to learn
III the circumstances SO grossly misstated
u the dispatch above quoted, and have no |
lesitation IL saying that, for heartless cruel
y on, the part Of the instigators and perpe-
rators. this affair stands Unparalleled in tue
nnals Of social murder. 1t was frequently {
eferred to by promi.ient East Tennessee Re
during the State Convention oflf
heir party recently held here. and they were
nanim9us in declaring that the reports
1hich rendered Mrs. Harold insane and led lp
er 70 take her own life, were ms false III the 4
lalice OF those who invented them was in i
ppeasible and devilish. All OF these gen Ii
emcn were Mr.. Johnson's' political oppo- b
ents-some Of them his personal enemies-i r
ct they all expressed the firmest conviction d
MS Innocence; all bore testimony to the
1e-tine piety OF the lady with whose name T
Is had been 90 fatally associated. They ex-
ained that Greenville is q gossiping VII
sc OF some thousand inhabitants, and that !.
Mr.. johnson to so much rs bow to lady -
the street Is sufficient to make her the 30 =
81 prey of his enemies. His moral conduct !,
nee ne retired from the Presidential chair =
his home in that place has been irreproach- - :.
le Even had not such been the case. he ~ =.
'uld hardly have been base enough to be- .
" the wife Of his oldest friend-of the " :"
N who toiled beside him ia the same shop 9
9 who was not forgotten in thedays Of his Is Is
ne and prosperity ,-NosxciILe Rn.Y.~ "