The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-31
The Scandal Against Horace 0rccley's
Fame,

press our ineffable disgust at the scene which
transpired on Monday last in the Surrogate
Court of Westchester county We fancied
that faint light of decency had dawned upon
the jackals who have won immortal infamy by
lighting over the dead lion, Horace Greeley.
Hope told flattering tale Once more the
curtain is brutally drawn aside that the world
may gaze upon dying man and listen to his
momentary incoherencies. In the name of
all that is just and sacred why should this
be? What good is accomplished, what
object is attained, saving that of gratifying
vulgar curiosity? 81 stand here" said Mr..
Alvin Johnson, when called upon to testify,
'as the most intimate and warmest friend of
the dead Horace Greeley, and think that
ought not to be catechised on q witness stand
as to matters which would scandalize the men,
ory of my dead friend. am also the friend
of his orphan daughters, and protest against
this cruel dissection of Horace Greeley's life"
Mr.. johnson speaks not only for him
SELF but for every honorable man and
woman in America. We protest against
this cruel dissection of Horace Greeley's life.
And, further, we ask who among the great
journalists friends, except Mr.. Isaiah L.
Williams do not protestp We have right
to know who insists upon exhuming corpse
and forcing its exhibition upon an indignant
public that is now testifying its respect for
the heart and brain of that corpse by erecting
statue to their memory. In the his
tory of wills there never was more
linn fOv
plumber is comprehensive to the average
mind, but wrangling for the purpose
of covering ones self with mud and gaining
nothing but the contempt of every self
respecting human being is comprehensive to
no mind whatever. There are creatures how
ever, who do not attain happiness until they
have dragged honest souls down to their own
level God made them for some good pur-
pose, but He alone can solve the mystery of
their existence. That the tragedy of Horace
Greeley's death should be converted
into CHASTITY spectacle seems as
cruel as it is unmerited by every
act of the dead lions kindly life.
Who are the prosecutors of this scandal? The
daughters? No. The executors of the will of
1871? They have publicly asserted that all
disagreement would be avoided by deed from
Ida L. to Gabrielle M. Greeley and an ar
rangement with Mr.. Greeley's brother and
sisters. All this has been promptly done.
Brother and sisters have never taken any
action against the will of 1872. Is it the
Children's Aid Society? Mr.. Charles L.
Brace has issued card to the effect that this
society no longer insists upon the claim
for $4,000. Thus the only party in interest
under the will of 1871 who had not signed
the case did 80 before last Monday. There
was no party in interest under that villa fact
which deprived its executors of any right to
appear; nevertheless in face Of this fact, and
in spite of the declaration to be satisfied with
the terms set down by them and granted by
Miss Greeley, MIR. Storrs, one of the
executors, appears, thereby duplicating
the other executors, Messrs. Manning and
Sinclair, the latter of whom denied in our
columns being privy to the prosecution. Since
the Schleswig- Holstein question, the Louisiana
imbroglio and the Credit Mobilier middle we
have had nothing perplex us as does this
inconceivable persistency of nobody knows
who in a desire to break Horace Greeley's last
will, drawn up at time when he was writing
brilliant editorials, acknowledged by him when
Miss Lamson, a lifelong, disinterested friend,
pronounced him perfectly sane, and known
to have been in accordance with his coherent
wishes. Of course there is opportunity
| Gov hao Mr.
ley's melancholia but we refuse to receive
statements of his insanity coming from those
who are not experts and though for weeks
before his death he had never had lucid mo-
ment-a supposition completely disproved by
the articles written by him for the Tribune as
late as November 10, four days after the date
of the will-we should protest with equal
vehemence against controversy engaged in
for no other apparent purpose than to wiring
the hearts of two orphan girls by putting on
record the sad delusions of their fathers ex-
hausted brain. When Mr.. Williams produces
as an evidence Of his old friends insanity
how grateful that old friend must be and
what loving friendship it is to be sure that
old friends preference in the contested will
for his elder daughter we are simply amazed.
Is it strange that Mr.. Greeley should have
confided in the daughter who from age and
experience was best fitted to take charge of
property, and whose devotion to her sister he
had never had reason to doubt? Mr.. Oliver
johnson testifes that on more than one
occasion Mr.. Greeley referred to Ga
brielle as his favorite child. That this pri-
vate statement should be made public is bad
enough, whether Mr.. Greeley really meant it
or not; but that it should be brought forward
by Mr.. Williams in proof of his claims passes
understanding. If this confession proves any
thing it proves that Mr.. Greeley's affection
for the younger daughter, who is still o