Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-09-21
ARNOLD'S TREASON.

ARNOLD'S TREASON.
The Traitors Wife Defended From Compiled.
ty in His Crime.
From the Boston Advertiser
The Hon. Isaac N. Arnold of Chicago,
has written life of Benedict Arnold,
which is shortly to be published in that
city. The author is very prominent
Chicago lawyer and an ex-member of
congress, personal friend of Abraham
Lincoln, and author of life of Lincoln
and the do .nfall of slavery. He is de-
scendant OF common ancestor with Ben
edict Arnold, and while as much as any,
one else he despises the latter's treason,
he admlres and is not afraid to do justice
to his namesake's patriotism and bravery
before he was led to commit his disgrace
tul act. The motto which the author has
placed on tho title-page-
He will give the devil his DUE"
And the closing sentence of the "Intro-
duction"-
'For Gen. Arnold, the patriot and SOL
dier, ask \ fair hearing and justice; tor
Benedict Arnold, the traitor, I have no
plea but Guslty!' -.-
Will show the spirit in which the work
has been writtan.
The Chicago Legal Neaos publishes in
advance chapter from DR.. Arnold book
on the subject OF Mrs. Benedict Arnold,s
connection with her hus bands treason
and the guilt of Maj. Andre. The author
refers to the as pensions On Mrs. Arnold 8
character by Matthew L. Davis in his life
OF Aaron Burr, in which Burr is made to
allege that Mrs.Arnold was not only privy
to her husbands treachery, but that she
"induced him to do what he had DONE"
"This CHARGE" says Mr.. Arnold, ''made
by Burr to Davis, rests upon his statement
alone, and 1t entirely without corrobora-
ton. After describing the arrival of
Mrs. Arnold at the house of Mrs Provost,
on her journey to Philadelphia, Mr.. Da-
Wis says: "As soon as they (Mrs. Arnold
and Mrs. ProvosD were left alone, Mrs
Arnold became tranquilized, and assured
Mrs. Provost that she was heartily tired
of the theatricals she was exhibiting.
Stated that she had correspondent with
the Brstiah commander, and that she
was Disguised with the American cause,
and those who had the management of
public affairs, and that through great per-
suasion and unceasing perseverance she
had ultimately brought the general into an
arrangement to surrender West Point.
Mrs. Provost afterwards became the wife
of Col. Burr, and repeated to him, as Da-
Wis states, these confessions ct Mrs. Ar
mold 49,. Col. Burr and Mis-. Provost
were married IN July, 1852. The case,
then, is this: Mr.. Davis says that Col.
Burr, told him that Mrs. Provost said
that Mrs. Arnold declared she had seduc-
cd Gen. Arnold from fidelity to his flag
and his country. Sometime after this
marriage-how long We are not told
Mrs. BUR- repeated tbs conversation to
her husband, and Burr sometime within
the halt century following repeated the
conversation to Davis. It is hearsay cv-
idencc, three times removed. and repeat
ed with years of intervals between the re-
petitions. AS such, it is is worthless, in
dependent of the notorious character Of
Burr.
"Mrs. Provost may have misunderstood
Mrs. Arnold; when detailing the CONVEX
sation to Col. Burr and may have given
her own impressions instead OF the facts.
Burr may have done the same when re-
peating it to Davis. Everyone at all
familiar with the judicial investigations
knows by experience how utterly relia-
BILE this sort of evidence is Parton, in
restating the4 story, does not claim 70
have any additional evidence but repeats
the tale of Davis with embellishments.
u nc
''This story is extremely improbable
Her youth, being then only twenty years
Of age, renders such completely very I'M
likely. Arnold himself entirely exoner-
ates her. THE mistaken vengeance of
my countrymen,' says he, in his letter to
Washington, ought to fall on me. She
is as good and innocent as an angel
This testimony must be taken cautiously,
for whatever it is worth. But it seems
rather the passionate and impulsive dec
laration of her innocence than an artful
attempt to screen her. Besides, Hamll-
ton and Washington both believed her
innocent, and their opportunities for
judging were bettor than those of any
others, except Maj. Franks" The writer
produces Maj. Franks statement as made
with great explicitness to Mrs. James
Gibson and published in the Shipper pa
pers. Maj. Franks, it seems, was often
one of Arnold's aids and assigned the
duty of acting as Mrs. Arnold's escort
and protector, and SO had peculiar facili-
ties for becom 'ng intimately acquainted
with her character. His testimony is full
and explicit, and utterly at variance
with the theory of Mrs. Arnold's
guilt The possible animus of
Burr's aspersiOns on Mrs. Arnold's in
tegrity is limited at in these same Shipper
papers, in which it is remarked that
Burr's biographer somits the fact that
Burr himself met Mrs. Arnold at Mrs.
Provost's and when she left the house in
the morning offered his escort, which he
pretended might be useful to her in the
then excited state of the public mind on
the subject of her husbands treason
Still less does he disclose what his friends
would not have ventured to repeat, that
on the way he basely made love to this
afflicted lady, thinking to take advantage
of her just feeling Of indignation toward