Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-05-29
TIuE IouNsoN.nARoLD SCANDAL.
How Il s,ar,es ana I,s Terrible Results

stances of great scandal, based on occurrences
said TO have taken place in Greenevile, reached
the CHRONICLE Reporter and under circum.
stances that indicated that they had at least
some foundation. Desiring to act with proper
care and Judgment before giving the rumors
publicity,.we telegraphed to responsible citizens
of Grecneville, asking as to the truth of the
stories. They promptly answered by telegraph
that the charges were false. subsequently the
story reach us again with full circumstances,
and in order to ascertain the real truth, one of
the editors of the Chronicle went to Greene
willie to make an investigation of the case.
THE FALSE RUMoRs
As the names of the parties and the charges
in an exaggerated form have been made pub
lie, we propose now to give the result of our in
vestigation. The card published in yesterdays
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
interested in Greenevile sent us a copy of the
card referred to in proper time.
The story originally started was that Mrs.
Harold and EX-Presdent johnson had had i'm
proper 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.. Harods Louse, and that the ali
son was discovered by. Mr.. Harold meeting his
wife late at night coming from the library with
a blanket shawl thrown over her head. The
story ran that Mr. Harold had suspected 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
halted here asked her who she was, pulled 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
husband, however, anticipated her went to the
back door and there found his suspicious con-
frmed. The report was that they had nigh
words, and that their quarrels had been over
heard. This was substantially the story ms it
originally came out in Greenoville. We may
be mistaken rs 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
mschief-breeder dropped an anonymous note
to Mr. Harold, through the Postofice. intimat-
ing to him that an improper intimacy existed
between his wife and Mr.. johnson. Mr.. Har-
old and Mr.. johnson had been personal and
warm friends for thirty years. Their families
had been intimate for most of that period. Mr..
Harold had lived happily with his wife for near
forty years. She bad his entire confidence and
deep love. For thirty years she had been
sistent member of the Presbyterian Church.
As soon as no road the letter he went
promptly to her, showed it to her and assured
her he did not believe word of it. Mrs.
she could hardly restrain herself At one time
in the evening she was found almost crazy with
excitement, with gun in her hand and declar-
ing she intended to shoot her traduccrs. So ex-
cited did she become that she almost lost her
reason. She repeatedly assured her husband of
her innocence But the idle gossps who infcst
Greeneville and other places took up the scam
dial and talked about it constantly. In a hum
dred different ways was it presented. So pos
itively was it asserted, that some few, always
ready to believe i'll of their betters, believed it.
Mrs. Harold seemed borne down by these repe-
titions of the scandal. About this time her only
of high character and excellent traits, came
home on leave of absence. twas thought best
to keep him ignorant of the ISLANDERS, as il would
only make his visit unhappy. A few days after
mother was dangerously i'll. TWAS 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 mother house after a short
trip, during which Mrs. Harold seemed very
Respondent. But her son, still ignorant of the
ISLANDERS, attributed this to her mothers condi-
ton.
When they reached Mrs. Heiskells cher
mothers name) she was found to be some better
On tho second morning after reaching there
Mrs. Harold arose earlier than usual, went
to her mothers room TO attend to her
her sons sstchel his small pistol. Her
mother supposed she was getting it for him.
Taking tho pistol, Mrs. Harold went out some
distance from the house into thicket, and
there shot herself through the left breast, and
through the heart Three shots wero heard
the alarm was given, and soon after she was
found in u dying condition. 1t was supposed
the fret shot was fatal, it set fire to her cloth
ing which were burning when found. She was
carried to the house but died before she reach
ed it, never uttering word. Her remains were
taken home for interment. The suicide follow
ing so close the other excitement, threw Mr..
Harold, an invalid, into dangerous state, from
which he has hardly yet recovered
WHAT Is THOUGHT OF IT.
Mr.. Harold, who is quiet man of few words,
fears now, that though he assured her more
than once of his confidence in her, she had
some fears that he and others did not entirely
believe her innocent, and that it weigh ed so
heavily upon her as to unbalance her mind.
Her son never heard of the cause of his'mother's
taking her life, until the Rev. S. V. McCorkle
at her funeral sermon very justly and properly
referred in severe language to the terrible les
son the event afforded tie idle slanderers who
had brought about the trouble.
We found all of the good citizens of Greene
Vile, irrespective Of religion or politics, de-
nouncing the SANDER as false. Mr.. johnson de-
cared the lady never had been in his library.
He said she had been a friend of Mrs. Johnson's
for half life time, but that he had not spoken
to her for a week before or at the time of the
alleged visit to his library.
A citizen of Greeneyilc, esteemed for his
veracty, showed us pair ofpants Mrs Harold
had made about the time of the scandal She
had made them for tailor who occupies John
sons old shop next door TO thelibrary and sec
,pAf rpVra hre hann nnRaEEarV