Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-08-27
THE HARDING TRAGEDY.
The Seducer and the Sedaced = The
Father OF the Eob G, Trae
WsmAn.
What Morits Has to Say - lie st,ll
Parsues hIs Yielim-Ths Fathers
Cafd-4H laterVieW,

, One OF the most infamous Of I'll
many crimes the press has been ealle
. upon TO publish is that of the seduetio
Of the daughter Of George c. Harding
. editor of the Indianapolis sSt1ldd
Herald, and the shooting Of her seduce
by the irate father. Mr.. Harding ha
the sympathy, deep and heartfelt, of al
his brethren OF the press, and Is
manifestation of what we think of hin
here we publish the following intervieV
had with the Associated press reporte
Mr.. WOOdSon, in Memphis. Wh,
knows Mr.. Harding well:
Reporter-How long have you known
Mr.. Harding?
Mr.. WoOdson-Since 1856, at whiel
time i was on the Cincinnati Enoaare,
and he was engaged on the Commercial
both as reporters. We first met on oul
way to the Mason county, Kentucky iair
OF that year. A friendship followed tha
has existed ever since.
Reporter-What has been his genera
character as journalist and citizen?
Mr.. WOOdson-He is considered one
OF the best journalists of the west, and
man in all respects above reproach.
Reporter-Where was Mr.. Harding
/ born, and where did he first embark In
/ journalism?
| Mr.. WOodson-He was born in KuOx-
vile, and was a printer. He was q
| cousin OF NJ. d. Potter, former proprietor
of the Cincinnati Commercial, and
through him was employed on that pa
| per IS composition, and was detailed to
report the county fairs, a work he did so
well as to bring him into notoriety. He
was 3 very severe writer, and had very
keen sense of the ridiculous, but never
wrote maliciously. He is very much on
the Artemus Ward style of humorous
writer, and in social intercourse was al
ways regarded by his friends as the
equal of the great Snowman. He was
known TO all the Bohemians as a gene
rous, warm-hearted companion, and was
universally liked.
Reporter-Is he now or was he ever a
clergyman?
Mr.. Woodson-No. The title of rev.
efend given him arose from the estab-
lishment and mode of conduct of his
SFlddy Herald at indianapolis.
RePorter-What do you think of his
present trouble?
Mr. WoodsOn-I think him entirely
justified, and can only account for his
leaving the seducer OF his daughter alive
upon the score of his being crazed by his
great misfortune and anxiety to relieve
his dying daughter.
From the indianapolis Journal
Moritz, the seducer, was interviewed,
and at the close the interviewer saws:
" At this point Mr.. Moritz's voice
swelled with holy horror and indigna-
tlOn at the bare thought that any one
should have charged him with seducing
that thing who could not be seduced-
she was past that point years ago. He
then went on to state, in unmistakable
language, that he regarded her as little
better than q common prostitute, and
intimated that he could point out others
who had held improper relations with
her. The sentiment expressed was ab-
sOlutely shocking even to the hardened
nerves OF the reporters, and there were
points in his story where the man
seemed to gloat over the pictures he was
cODjuring Of the giIl's horrible depravity,
and he seemed to forget that she whose
character he was covering with iniamy
had gone to her rest, and was beyond
even the reach of his Yindictive tongue.
He again retsiled the story of the watch
and locbet, which he claimed had been
bought for her by Moeller, at Crafts, as
the wages of her sin. His theory OF the
cause OF the girls suicide was that she
was driven 10 take the step by her
fathers letter, in which certain eondi-
tions were held out to her that she could
not accept. He claimed to have re-
ceived his information from Sehwbacher
on Wednesday last"
A REPUTATION.
4 reporter called upon Mr.. Reeker to
obtain from him statement touching
the conduct of Miss Harding while she
was under his roof. Mr.. r. is a we'll
known German of the highest respeeta-
bility. and his veracity cannot be cues
toned. He very much regretted that
his name or that Of his family had be-
come mixed pin this unfortunate affair.
but as it was clearly the intention OF
Moritz to drag him in, he deemed it but
q matter of Justice to himself to tell what
he knew about it. A lady teacher of
German, Miss Sieberger, in the Sixth
ward, was staying at his house (which,
by the way, is not q boarding-house),
and at her request Miss Harding was
also admitted. This man Moeller was
at that time paying his respects to the
first-named lady, and continued his Wis
its after Miss Harding's arrival. He had
never observed anything in the latter's
department not stri .tly in accordance
with good morals and good breeding,
aud had regarded her as an exceedingly
fine young lady in every respect. He
Indignantly denied the intimation made
by Moritz that anything improper had
occurred at his house, and no one can
for a moment doubt the truthfulness of
his story.
NORTH A BEAST.
From the Cincinnati Commercials Indian
apOlis Correspondent.
The statement of Nr. Joseph Schwa-
backeT, corrOboratiDg the dying confess !
sion Of Miss Harding, throws light upon
the circumstances of unusual atrocity, !
baseness and treachery |
which accomplished her ruin. Taking |
Of frequent association with |
Mr.. Harding, Mr.. Moritz succeeded in /
winning the favor OF Miss Harding. |
Finding her alone one afternoon, in the |
Herald office, he surprised her with a |
kiss, which she Indignantly resented, |
and under the plea OF making it all /
right, followed her up to the public IL |
brary, and there persuaded her to walk |
west with him on Michigan street to an /
house. unknown to her, !
which he induced her to enter, still un- 1
der the pTetense of talking the matter /
over. An acknowledgment on his part |
of having made her drink too much wine |
several times will explain how be effect !
ed his purpose. The utterly abandoned |
of the man may be gathered !
from the fact that the very evening of |
the day he accomplished her ruin he |
boasted Of it to an acquaintance.
TRIBUTE FROM A FATHER.
Colonel Harding publishes the follow
ing touching and beautiful tribute to his |
He says:
A noble life, full of promise, has gone |
out in shame She loved much, and she |
suffered much. Her sOrrowful soul, re- |
leased from earth-burdens, has gone to
meet its God, to lay before him the cruel |
wrongs for which earth has no redress. |
Poor, fond heart, Ill-starred from birth, |
your tempestuous beatings are stilled, /
your restless longings will trouble no |
more! Hers was a jOyless childhood,
warped and distorted by relentless cir !
cumstances. Her womanhood is blasted ]
in the bud. Despite unfortunate traits /
and unhappy moods, in which she SEEM
ed TO move and act as if under some
weird spell, her underlying nature was
noble, generous, unselfsh, self-sacrific-
ing, with an honest pride, which would
seorn to do mean action.
There were few brighter intellects than
FIorais, and her future was full OF prom
Use. She had a remarkably felicltous
command OF language, and was exceed
ingIy versatile. While she knew moth