National Republican., 1875-06-04
MORE MEcKLEFBURG FRAUDS

lISSSAl hS SohiaGOhS piO'S IuoNINtSSlhi-
MORE MECKLENBURG FRAUDS
To our article of May 90 exposing the
gigantic fraud connected with the alleged
Mccklenburg Declaration of Independence
of May 20, 1115. we have naturally ex-
pected TO see.some attempt at rejoinder. The
crushing weight Of our argument, fortified
at every step by irrcfragible history, has
silenced all effort for an argumentativc
reply, and opened at the same time volley
Of mosl silly and contemplate abuse, mer-
iting no notice whatever. The rebel gath
eriDg and insane rebel bowling of that day
at Charlotte have only served TO excite the
sympathy of all unbiased scholars for the
crazy historians of North Carolina, and to
mantle with the blush Of shame the checks
of all true Americans that blatant treason
still has voice in the Tar heel State. The
remarks we are about to make, however,
are partly intended for the ediication of
two ambitious men, as editors, in the chrys-
ais state, young and rising journalists, and
partly TO still further expose the Mecklen-
burg fraud and show how history is made
in North Carolina.
In the New York Tribune of May II
may be found copy of the so-called Neck
lenburg Declaration of Independence, with
fac SimileS Of the signatures of certain al
legged ''signers" of the Declaration" at
tachcd 10 it. We have to inform the young
editor OF the Tribune and the people of
North Carolina that these signatures. con.
sidered as parts of the pretended "Decla-
ration" are entirely fraudulent. They
have all been invented since the year 1924,
when the first list of alleged ''signcrs' was
trUmped up by DR.. Winslow Alexander,
and published as part Of an address by him
at Hopcwcll church, in Mecklenburg county,
on the 9TH of July of that year. The list
of supposed "Signers" has since been en-
larged from time 10 time to crafty the
vanity of certain Mccklenburg families,
and lattcrly they have taken to the invcn-
tion of fac S'maeS of the signatures as de
rived IRON other writings to which the
names Of the "signers" are attached Un-
happily, scme of the alleged "signers" are
''leit out in the cold" so far rs regards the
fac simile', and the Tribune seems to be
puzzled TO account for the fact. In its
charming simplicity it wonders, for in
stance, why the name of Rev. Hczekiah
J. BalCh Zone Of the alleged committee of
three who prepared the pretended "Dec-
laration } is not represented by tGr simiIe
The answer is easy. DR.. Balch died in
1I1G, and theinventors Of original history
in North Carolina in 1924 could not find
any specimen Of his handwriting from
which 10 invent a ,fnc Simie signature,
otherwise they would have proceeded to
have done so with as much gravity
as they now enter old gravcyards and
engrave old lies on new tombstones. 1t
is no wonder that North Carroll
nian knows nothing of the history of
his own State. The balance of our re-
marks are intended partly for the informa-
tion of the rising young editor OF the New
York Herald, and to put finishing touch
upon the exposure of the Mecklenburg
Centennial rebel fraud. 1t is within easy
recollection that the New York Herald
of May 20, published, by way of illustrating
its extraordinary enterprise, q fac simiIe
of hand-bill said to have been distributed
in North Carolina previous to the year
1900. In brief it was described as the
oldest publication of the Mecklenburg
Declaration of Independence of May 90,
177j, and said. to have been issued after
the adjournment of the Provincial Con-
gress, and old printers were said to agree
that, judging from the style and variety of
type, it could not have been issued until
about the end of the last century. Great
stress has been laid by the Mecklen.
burghers upon the authenticity of this
haDd-bill. But when copy of the
New York Herald of May 90, con-
taining the fac simile, reached Knoxville,
Tenn, it struck the venerable editor of the
Knoxville Daily Press and Herald as being
familiar TO his eyes, having but recently
seen it in an old scrap.book sent to the
Press and Herald Office by Hon. +. S. Heis
kell TO be rebound, and the result of the
Investigation is thus given in the Press and
Herald of May 23:
Accordingly we called on Col. Heiskell at
his residence, last evening, and found him at
home. With a cordial welcome he invited us
to enter his study, and we took n seat by the
old gentleman's side. Col. Heskell Is a yete-
ran Journalist and practical printer, and is now
in his eighty-ffth year. He is the..father of
Hon. J. D. Heiskell, the Attorney General of
the State. We opened the New York
Herald ON his study table and asked him If he
recognized the revolutionary relic handful.
The old gentleman's eyes twinkled merrily. as
he instantly replied: My dear sir, / set up and
printed that handbil;' and turning over the
bill which had arrested our attention. = =
was in partnership with Mr.. Hugh Brown,
under the firm name of Heiskell & Brown, ia
the printing business in this city for q period
of thirteen years, from 1916 to 1929. About
the year 1s25-certainly not before that date
we printed the handbill you see on an order
from DR.. J. G. NJ. Ramsey, who 10 still an hoH-
ored resident of Knoxville. l recollect dis
tinctly setting up the type myself
You can see our imprint plainly enough repro
duced in the HerddS fac-simile, 'Heiskell 4
Brown, PrS' .. ....-
"Wenext called on DR.. ]. G. NJ. Ramsey.
= He stated that he recognized the
handful. Some time about 1898 or 1895 Col.
William Polk, of Raleigh, n. c., sent in a
pamphlet and a paper containing the Meek
ienburg resolutions, and other matter pertain
ing to the Meeklenburg Declaration. The
pamphlet was gotten up in poor style, and
so DR.. Ramsey had Messrs. Heiskill & Brown
print the three resolutions in handbills."
This statement stiffens the patriotic gush
and romance of the handbill into corpse
forever, and lays it out alongside of the
breathless, pulseless lies which have been