Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1872-06-14
TIE FALSE RUMORS.

AS the names of the parties and
the charges i'll an aggregated form
have been made public, We propose
now to give the result of our investi-
CATION. The card published in yester-
days Chronicle, came to us too late on
Thursday night to enable us to send
this statement forth with it, as we
should have done. had the parties in
terested in Greeneville sent us copy
of the card referred to, in proper
time.
The story originally started was that
Mrs. Harold and eX-President John
son had had improper intercourse with
each other for some time. The story
ran that these meetings took place in
Mr.. Johnson's library, which is next
door to Mr.. Harold's house, and that
the alison was discovered by Mr.. Ha-
rold's meeting his wife late at night
coming from the library with Il blan-
ket shawl thrown over her head. The
story ran that Mr.. Harold had sus-
pected the intimacy and on the night
referred to. had watched his wife and
caught her on the street disguised as
referred to. He was said to have halt
ed her, asked her who she was, pull
led the shawl from her face, but that
she had avoided him and gone around
behind the house, hoping to enter by
the back door unObserved. Her hus-
band, however, anticipated her, went
to the back door and there found his
suspicious confirmed. The report was
that they had high words, and that
their quarrels had been overheard.
This was substantially the story as it
originally came out in Greeneville.
We may be mistaken as to some of the
details, but we give the main facts as
we heard them. The statements were
false in every respect.
HOW THE REAL TROUBLE BEGAN.
But the facts that brought about the
suicide are substantially as follows:
On one of the last Sundays of April,
some mischief breeder dropped an
anonymous note to Mr.. Harold, thrO'
the Postoffice, intimating to him that
all improper intimacy existed between
his wife and Mr.. johnson. Mr.. Har-
rold and Mr.. Johnson had been per-
sonal and warm friends for thirty
years. Their families had been init
mate for most of that period. Mr.. Ha-
rold had lived happily with his wife
for near forty years. She ha0 his en-
tire confidence and deep love. For
thirty years she had been an active,
exemplary and most consistent men,
Der of the Presbyterian Church. As
soon as he read the letter he went
promptly to her, showed it to her and
assured her he did not believe a word
of it. Mrs. Harold read the letter and
was so indignant that she could hard
Iy restrain herself. AT one time in
the evening she was found almost era
w with excitement, with gun in her
hand and declaring she intended to
shoot her traducers. So excited did
she become that she almost lost her
reason. She repeatedly assured her
husband of her innocence. But the
idle gossips who infest Greeneville
and other places, took up the scandal
and talked about it constantly. In a
hundred different ways it pressed. So
positively was il asserted, that some
few. always ready to believe i'll of their
betters, believe it. Mrs. Harold SEEM
ed borne down by these repetitions of
the scandal. About this time her on
ly son, Lieutenant in the U. 5. A,
young man of high character and ex-
cellent traits, came home on leave OF
absence. 1t was thought best to keep
him ignorant of the ISLANDERS, as 1t
would only make his visit unhappy.
A few days after his return, word came
to Mrs. Harold that her mother was
dangerously i'll. 1t was determined
that Mrs. Harold should go to the sick
bed in Rhea county, rather than her
sister living with her, as the visit
would take her from the scandal and
give her rest. Her son accompanied
her.
THE SUICIDE.
They reached the mothers house
after short trip, during which Mrs.
Harold seemed very Respondent. But
her son, still ignorant of the ISLANDERS,
attributed this to her mothers condi-