Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-12-13
ROBERTSON.


One OF the M Ost Singular Cases that
Has Ever Come 10 Lfght-Ths We.
man who Gpaced ths white House.
Chicago Letter to the Springfield tMass.) Re-
publican.l
The case Of Rev. Gilbert II. Robert
son, of Louisville, KY. whose sad fall
from grace and consequent deposition
from the Presbyterian ministry the Re
publican recently made the subject oil
some editorial comments, is one OF the
most singular cases that has ever come
to light. 1t will be remembered through
out the whole investigation DR.. Robert
son persisted in the declaration that the
partner of his guilt in the scandalous
sleeping car ride from this city to lndi-
annapolis, on their way TO Louisville, was
woman of the very highest respecta-
bility and social position" He further
declared that his visit to this city was
made in response to request from tins
woman that he would visit her to "ad-
minister spiritual consolation, and that
while with her he came under some
'baleful influence which led to this fall.
These statements were Of such remark
able character that they obtained but
little credence, especially after the nd.
mission Of the delinquent that he had
falsi6ed the facts in the case in con-
versation with certain reporter. Very
few persons, therefore, except those
personally cognizant Of the facts, re-
garded his persistent assertion as to the
character of the woman in any other
light than that Of desperate attempt
to ease his fall by attaching the blame
to the woman-whose name, by the way,
it will be remembered, he steadily re-
fused to give, or indeed any further in
formation than his oft-repeated state.
ment as to her respectability and social
position. Yet it is fact that DIR. Rob
ertson's statement was true in so far as
that the woman of the very highest
responsibility and social position" is no
myth. And it is doubtless also true, as
to the words of her communication at
least, that he was summoned to this city
by her to administer spiritual consola-
on"-whatever that may be. The peo-
ple of Springfield, where Mr.. Robertson
formerly preached, appear to know all
about the matter. The lady in question
is beautiful, accomplished and fasciLat-
ing. She is connected with the first
families Of the State, and has often
graced the White House under former
administration. But she hath devil,
and the peculiarly Of this devil is that
! il goes out after neutrality-suspicious. of
the church to which she belongs. She
has been in the habit of sending for them,
in the absence OF her husband, to ad-
minister spiritual consolation" and Mr..
Roberts. n is the third minister who has
left the church in Springfield which she
attends on her account. One OF them
made the remark that, after being sent
for. he always spent an hour in prayer
that he might not yield to temptation
and probably he didn't. But Mr..
Robertson, it would appear, was
not made of equally stern stuff, and sue
cumbed to the temptation. The matter
has created good deal of scandal and
gossip at the State Capital, as well it
might. and many are disposed to be lem
lent toward the reverend delinquent by
putting themselves in his place.
[Rditorial.l
The case of Rev. DR.. Robertson, Of
Louisville, who was recently deposed
from the ministry for very hagrant
lapse of virtue, proves to have two sides:
One of these-the guilt Of the deposed
clergyman and the justice of his punish
ment-we urged in some recent COM
ments upon the case; the other is pre-
sented in the letter from our Chicago
correspondent, which appears in another
column. The facts as TO the woman IN
the case are, we believe, now published
for the first time, but they are certainly
essential to fair judgment Of the mat
ter. Its such a story as seldom hnds
its way into pFipts-seldomer. we fancy.
than It might trpthfully be told. 1t is net
necessary to speculate upon the reason,
built undoubtedly fact that women,
otherwise OF spotless life, not unfre,.
quently put temptation IN the way OF
their ministers. It 10 not often, proba-
bly,. that such q case as that OF the llli-
pois woman occurs, but the fact is indis-
putable that clergymen are exposed to
greater temptations in this respect than
other men, and that this element in the
ease ought to be kept in mind in judging
any such clerical fall from grace. At
the same time, however, Il sh9Hld be re-
membered that, il specially exposed to
temptation, the minister Is also, BY his
very profession, specially protected
against it; if more likely than other
men 10 encounter Mrs. Potiphar, he is
alsa Rnder greater bonds than other men