The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-03-17

seer ETARY RELKNAP'S
- DOWNE ALI.

= The swift and sudden downfall
OF Secreiary Baknsp, is one of the
saddest aud most terrible episodes
of social aad political life that has
ever occurred ia modern times. AS
q polltlesd offender, Congress may
deal with him through the instru-
mentality OF impeaeEiuent. AS
criminal ,ofiendgr. courts may
determine the penalty that shall
make amends for dis crEsne. But as
crime against society sLd the fam
ny, neither Congress Re5-e41urts Can
adJud1 CATE. The offsnse carries its
Own punishment vi il j., aud that
puGisbmenL, ia more diegraceful
'thagi impeackmenf, more rigorous
than c6n4fneme nt within the walls
of penitaD Iiarvs- - = @ss Ftlaa%
i The story of the Secretary fall
Is a story as old as time. Ihail its
phases, in its inceptien, ills progress,
and IT'S e4iaufitons result, It is the
cid story eF Adm Zand Eve over
again. ZIP .tos tire fine tRat Gen
Belknap went 10 Washington he
stood in an honcra BILE position be-
good citizen, gallant eoldier in the
war, and an honorable nSn. His.
services to- his country were re
warded by an appoin' rnent in the
Cabinet, and the. day before his dis
grace was known there was prob
ably not a person in the country,
|Republiean or Democrat, outside or
THE itveati gatings committee. who
kadsa suspicion OF his moral homes
tx. Mrs. Belknsp was 3 woman
who had been aecastoussdlte move
in the fashionsb fe.wafks s oe society,
VINO had many professA personal
friends who was woman Of N ore
than ordinary abfiity and eve6 eul-
tuFe, and of tn6ree 4hah sofdfiarS
personal. beauty SEQ PhS man end
woman SEEM fitted 10 Aaofn the
high position which tie occupied.
It is evident that at lhe9 time of
theif S4narffagsL seahdAF had been
busy " IT'D. Mrs. BeIkn2p fame,S but
after the IluptIaIs scahaA4 ceased its
defarnat ton. Whatever these Fu-
fnors may have been, or whatever
truth~they may have had, matters
little now They have no imme-
date connection with the present
calamity, although the air is again
full of them. The causes which
have led to the downfall of the
Secretary date bsck 10 the time
when he siren who first fascinated
and then 1'Hined him went to Paris
with wealthy spendthrift friends.
She spent q season in the gay city,
reveling in its pleasures, cSurted
and admired by foreigners, eating
of the apple of pleasure in the Eden
which she had found. The gsj
widow returned to this country,
q 5devotee>of luxury, fashionable
profiigacy. sand personal display,
and in the Washington receptions
she soon became one of the most
Iconspicuous figures. Then follow
ed'the marriage to Secretary Bel
knap Cwho had been previously
married to her sister1, almost before
| the funeral baked meats were cold
The siren had captiRated him long
| before. Her. last ambition was now
gratifed. She was the wife of q
Cabinet officer; but Cabinet Off
cersa salary could not support the
magniflcence; of her style. The per-
sonal adjournment of dresses, dia-
monds, and laces with which she
sought to heighten her fatal charms,
the proGigal expenses of her bril-
liant receptions, the costly luxUries
with which she surrounded herself,
must be paid for from some other
source than her husbands slender
salary, aud then Eve ate of the for
hidden frnit. How she obtained
the moneysto support her luxurious
life has already been told. 3Its was
disgrace, however, which she
could not and would not endure
alone. Shehad facinated her. hus-
band before 1t was no difficult
matter to do it again. 1t probably
did not require great persuasion to.
induce him to- yield to the tempta-
ton and to eat the fruit With her.
The two were. now sharers in the
proceeds of bribery and bIackmail,
and for brief time the giddy
whiri of their sensuous lives was
kept up upon the money extorted
from the posG-traders, for there
must have beenmore than one VIC
tim of the woman's prodigality.
Then came the first peal which in
one instant fOretold the coming
storm, with its inevitable sequence
of shame, disgrace, downfall, and
ruin. The miserable woman, in
the midst of her fineries and splen.
dor, saw with Woman's intutiive
glance the precipice befor her and
the threatened ruin of her husband.
who had been the infatuated instru-
ment she hadsused for the gratiflca-
ton of her desires. She sought to
ward off the blow with her weak
hands. She went with her babe
through the storm aud the darkness
to plead with a member of the Mil |
itafy Confmittee, who was the |
husband.of >oaTe of: her school-day |
friends but all in vain she pleaded, |
and begged, and FaveCl. 1t was ali |
in vain that she cried in piteous |
tones that the fault was ali her own.
that her husband was innocent, that |
she alone should be punished. |
n either her btandishments nor her /
tears could avail her more. The |
blow fell, and swift as lacifer out of |
Heaven the Secretary of War went
to his moral death. The guilty pair
are now Ia Veryamuch the same con-
dition as that of Adam and Eve.
driven out of-their Eden. A stain |
is upon them that can never be re-
moved, and wherever they may
" 0uOCE lHc1EA CELLl6f VIII lOIlOW
them. It matters little, so far as
is concerned, whether
the Secretary he impeached by Con-
gress sof not. 1t matters little
whether he be Imprisoned or not.
He carries his punishment " it'll him
like the Ancient Mariner. His
soldiers record has been honorable,
but it can avail him nothing now.
Her bewitefing beauty and brillian-
cy, her dismonds, laces. and velvets
make no amends for Der grievioas1
fault. It is q sad picture eff wo-
mans siHysvanity and of q mans
moral weakness. It would be Q
more cheerful one if we could only
be convineSd that we should see no
more like Them. But there are 9TH
er silly, tt0ughless, vain women
who win stop st no desire that will
yield them,the opportunity of graft
tying their love of show. There
are other weak, susceptible, irres-
Olute men who will not hesitate TO
crafty them even at the risk of
y FfeK ing zfhRna aeI VOC for Iifo The