The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-10-02
THE INFAMOUS HLACKBURN.

/ D.. % " .
His WouId.be Friends Driven 70, the wall
The People of the North IIorrlaed II
the Evidence. ~, ..f--... r
Chicago Tribune. us % 5u
Through the persistent efforts OF the
Cincinnati Gazette, as well as Of the other
leading newspapers Of the North, the pub.
lie Is now pretty familiar with the horri.
bic charges made against one DR.. Luke P.
Blackburn, a Keutpckian, who wasin Can.
ada during the most excited period OF the
war Of the rebellion. It has been shown
beyond all question, from Canadian data
and records, that this DR.. Blackburn in
1884 consplred with agents, whose testi.
mony is Of official record in Toronto, to
introduce the yellow fever and other in.
iectious diseases in the prominent North.
ern cities and among the Union soldiers,
by clothing which he caused to be infect.
ed at Burmuda; that this clothing was
struggled into the United States, and some
OF 1t was actually disposed Of to auCtioneers
and suffers in New York, Washington,
Baltimore, Philadelphia and Norfolk that
It was also part Of the scheme to include
President Lincoln in the list Of victims;
that II failed through circumstances over
which this DIR. Blackburn had no control;
and that he was tried In Canada for the
crime and escaped conviction, though the
crime was clearly proven, on purely tech.
nical grounds. 49, no
Since those eYenttul days, q DR.. Luke P.
blackburn has been elected Governor Of
Kentucky on the Democratic ticket. As
1t was known that this DR.. Blackburn was
an expert in yellow fever cases, and that
he was in Toronto and Bermuda in 1884,
the query naturally enough arose whether
this was merely coincidence or whether
the two Blackburns were one and the
same. The Democratic papers Of Ken!
lucky, especially the Louisville Courier.
Journal, were called upon to throw some
light on the subject, but were as silent as
the dead. One or two respectable Demo.
cratic newspapers in Kentucky were fair
enough to intimate that the truth in this
matter ought to be known, but their edi.
tors were ousted out Of their positions
by the Bourbon stockholders, The
Governor himself was called upon to
state whether he was the same man
as the one charged with the horrible
crime, but he has never opened his lips
10 frame anything in the nature Of denial
or explanation. No charge ever made
against an American citizen has caused
such general outburst Of indignation,
and even Democratic newspapers in the
North called upon the Governor to deny
it in the name Of ordinary humanity, and
save his State from such a burden Of
shame. Still no answer. The matter,
however, has not been dropped. It has
been pressed home to the Louisville Co,tr.
teT.JoWrl.al with such persistence and .vigor
thatit has at last been driven to the wall,
and, after very silly statement that Df.
Blackburn once talked Of such a thing ii
jest, actually admits that "the man de.
famed, the self.same DR.. Blackburn, Is
now Governor Of Kentucky!
Having admitted this much, it is now
incumbent upon the Coria.Journdl as
solemn duty to demand Of Governor
blackburn that he shall disprove the terri.
BILE testimony taken in Toronto. II he
refuses TO do it, or il be fails to doit, it will
be the equally solemn duty ofthe Courier.
Journal to demand that he shall peremp.
toLily step down and out, or Mr.. Waiter
son will be rightfully accused Of condon-
ing the most infamous crime ever COM
mltted in the civilized world.