The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-08-13
The Antlrcw johnson ktnnder-- The
Originator OF the Charges against
frsaidsaf Jessneon and Mrs. Harold
sSsi TifaJ.

a
Rfesidsaf JOHNSON and Mrs. Harold
On Trial!
fsnnessse csFfs'rShd.S stsls If he Cincinnati com
There ii more idle gossip ab6ut oHe's
neighbors. iii 4 town OF d thousand inhabi:
tants titan, In !, city Of hundred thousand.
| 1t was Mistake; PERHAPS; that rJohilson SET
| tied in Greenvlle If er he camc ddf,h from
the presidency. He Is able to live in Il larger
place than gossip loving, tale-beuring
| scanda-mongefing. tattle-pcdding commtl-
nifty like Greenvile. They have to talk to
keep well mp there, and, as in all small towns
| i Is matter of little concern whether there
| IS any foundation for The talk or not. In q
place where everybody attends to other peo-
pies business more than TO bis or her own.
it Is matter of difficulty for public man
n prominent mark for all keep iis skirts
| clear OF scat,.ali Il sEil' bh remembered that
when Boutwell, entered Nottii tat5lira to
talk about the finances an announcement
went the rounds of the papers that Andrew
johnson would reply to him. 1t was his inten-
ton to have done SO, but he was prevented by
n fresh outbreak of the scandal which first got
into print two months or more ago. At that
time the particulars Of the suicide OF Mrs.
Eflily Harold were published. Mrs. Harold
was the wife of Postmaster Harold, of
Greenvil!c. was Il member OF the church in
good standing, and esteemed asa pure Chris
tan lady. That she was such, and that the
connection Of her name with Scandalous sto-
riCS about johnson broke her heart and
caused her To take her own life, * still the
cp'uinr rs such as trCw her longest aud
best. The il'irnG;atc rat,sc OF her takin"
her life was the receipt ly her hj!>ln''d Of
an anonymous letter warning him that the
relations between his wife and CX-Prc>ident
Johnson were not what they should be.
This preycd upon the mind of the woman
so deeply is 10 callse mental alteration. and
enc night she put herself beyond all earthly
trouble. There the umtter ended for tire
time being. lllt her husband and friends have
been I!i-iIy Engaged in iclrcting out the
autlicr TT il'is Anonymous letter. They
found tie SUPPOSED atthor Il short time ago,
and had him arrested for libel. His tfrrliml-
nary examination commenced Il week ago
last Tuesday before three magistrates at
GrcCnvillr. The defendants mllne is Il. G..
Ilarur. The proof It's to the handwriting OF
The anonymous letter WIS Of i circnlnstanial
character, and based partly on the opinion
Of experts who compared II with specimens
Of Barnes handwriting. But the cTiticiic",
a> is usual before magistrates. was not kept
pertinent TO the issue: 4 Vide range WAS
taken, and a general Investigation of the
merits of the case gone iui". The truth OF
the charges against Johnson and Mrs. Harold
WAS investigated. and sonic Hs%carrG done Of
| rather II plain character. rs is reported, by
two negroes and white man. Just what
they swore to h;l- not been made public, but
it was of q sufficiently alroCious character to
cause the arrest for perjury of Ill three of the
witnesses. The trial proicf t'ii the tri!l for
perjury promises TO inyove many residents
of the pElcc in the examination, and produce
much bitterness and strife, and send tholl-
sand stories travelling through the k.iid. As
FREE complication. the parties arrested for
perjury have sued their prosecutors fer
$4,000 damages. Hume has tour lawyers,
enough 10 sadly t1ngr any cslsc and they pub
fish Il rennteSl that ."al publications Of any
matter pr,iudic'af .tn tie prosecution
or the defendant OF any Ole mi 'catcd
be suspended until the conclusion of the
trial. And then, il the rights OF either
party should require it. Il full aud accurate
transcript of the evidence in the case Will bc
furnished for qualifications" II Is Il matter oil
dccp regret to the friends of Mr.. johnson
| aud the Harold family that necessity should
| drive them litG 'uttt tn fjndirac The CHAR
acicr OF the dead and the Iiyfiig. Trey also
regret the wide range the trials will take,
| and that many innocent people will become
| involved III the legal complications, and
| much rrandel slirrrdnp. These unfortunate
matters have fallen IL Il heavy weight upon
| Nlr. johnson. His friends are unanimous Ill
| their belief that nc is innocent, but however
conscious II man may lie Of innocence. and