The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1879-09-25
ARNULD'S TREASON.

/
ARNULD'S TREASON.
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 snfail of slavery He is de-
scendant Of a common ancestor with Ben
edict Arnold, and while as much as any,
one else he despises the lattcr's treason,
he admlres and is not afraid to do Justice
to his namesakc'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
der, ask 4 fair hearing and justice; for
Benedict Arnold, the traitor, ! have no
plea but Guslty!'
Will show the spirit in which the work
has been writtan.
| The Chicago Legal Nesos 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 PERSONS On Mrs. Arnold's
character by Matthew L. Davis in his life
OF Aaron Burr, in which Burr is made to
allegc 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: GAS 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 corresponded with
the Brstiah commander, and that she
was disgusted with the American cause,
and those who had the management of
public affairs, and that through great per-
suaslon 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 of Mrs. Ar
mold . ... Col. Burr and Mrs. Provost
were married IN July, 1882. The case,
then, is this: Mr.. Davis says that Col
Burr, told him that Mrs. Provost said
that Mrs. Arnold declared she had scduc-
ed Gen. Arnold from fidelity to his flag
and his country. Sometime after this
marriage-how long we are not told
Mrs. BUR- repeated the conversation to
her husband, and Burr sometime within
the half century following repeated the
conversation to Davis. 1t is hearsay ev-
idence, 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 conver
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 thejuoicial Investigations
knows by experience how utterly relia-
BILE this sort Of evidence is. Parton, in
restating the story, does not claim to
have any additional evidence but repeats
the tale Of Davis with embellishments.
IMpKoBAB1LITT OF MRS. ARNoLD's GUILT.
"This story is extremely improbable
Her youth, being then only twenty years
OF age, renders such completely very un-
likely. Arnold himself entirely exoncr-
ates her. THE mistaken vengeance
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 impulslvc dec
laration of her innocence than an artful
attempt to screen her. Besides, Hamil-
ton and Washington both believed her
innocent, and their opportunities for
judging were bcttor 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-
tics for becoming 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 animue OF
Burr's aspcrsions on Mrs. Arnold's in
tegrity is limited at in these same Shipper
papers, in which it is remarked tina,
Burr's biographer "omits 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
husband and her helpless condition, to
help him in his infamous design. Yet
this is fact if the family tradition is
true. And being Indignantly repelled
he treasured up his revenge, aud left a
story behind him worthy Of his false and
malignant heart, to blast this amiable
lady's fame when there might be no one
to disprove or deny It,"
Gen: Arnold:s biographer goes on tc
argue further that the conduct of Mrs
Arnold on the discovery OF her husband g
treason is utterly inconsistent with guilt
"That woman of her years, still almost
d child, should have been capable of i'm.
posing upon Washington and his aids is
incredible. 1fguilty, when Arnold an
eating guilt would have been destroyed
and when Washington gave her permis.
sion to go to her father In Phllladelphia
, or Join her husband In New York, ii con
scious of guilt what would she have done