Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-08-20

HENRY WATTERsoN, the light
horse charger Of Southern journalism.
is reYeling in the cool breezes of Block
Island, and finds leisure during the in
tervaIs between his sherry and his
champAgne-between whist and draw
poker-to give his views on the
Sprague- Conkling affair at length and,
among other things, here is what he
says: s-.sA Esr ss .s..
II make bold to give it as my opin-
ion that there have never been any
criminal relations between her and
Mr.. Conklng, although Mr.. Conkling,
out of q base, overwhelming love of
himself, would rather have il appear
so than confess himself so great fool
as to have gone such lengths. and
wrought such ruin, And-gOt nothing
more than a mOuthful of kisses. |
know that this view of the case is ex-
posed to some ridicule. The licentious
spirit of the time can see nothing bui
its own image behind the curtain thai
conceaIs the presence of a man and 9
woman. When in doubt says thii
spirit, call it adultery Yet nothinS
where the proof seems clearest."
'In this particular business it IL
worth 10 ones while to consider Gov,
ernOF Sprague. He is, and has long
been, a mere s0t. All that his wife
says OF him is within the mark. It il
perhaps true that if he had shot Mr.
CouklIDg dead, no jury iD New Eng
land could have been found to convict
hun. But as he did not, he sinks ou
of account as poor creature, who i'll
treated his wife and left her pretty
much to her own devices.
''She is what she is-Rn ex-belle,
dethroned queen; still young, still
fond OF pleasure; not yet resigned Il
the loss OF position and prestige, anC
CONSCIOUS of augmented charms. Alone
in capital " hIch has never been ovel
squeamIsn or very rigid in its socia
limitations, Mr.. Conkling comes heI
way. Mr.. COnkliug, the friend of heI
father, the Jupiter fOURns or her par.
ty; the most brilliant, aud, apparent
ly, the most dashing among the polit
Ical leaders OF The day, y professional
If not u prOfessed, lady-kIiler. She i
only q woman, after ali, with
wOmsn's limited knowledge and mar
row sphere Of movement, and sh
thinks she sees in this proffered intIm
acy a diversion from her domesIi
grief and y revival of ut least part o
her former self. One step leads Il
another; Intimacy Iipens into famil
iarIty familiarity into indiscre
tlun; indiscretion into reckless
disregard of appearances and publ,
opinion. All Ibis may happen, ofteI
has happened, without the literal viO
lauon OF the commandment which
women are most taught TO consid Ell
and respect. Not surely without 8
loss of GelIc4cy, of real modesty, o.
That pure and priceless flower
OF household love aud hOnor which
worn by the marOn elevated her into
divinity III the sight of her husband
and her husbands friends, bat yeI
Without the vulgar aud volgarizins
physical contact which is never lonl
In showing Itself at the window enc
front doOor, marking off the guilty
woman from the rest in every look ant
line, action and uttersnce. Mrs
Sprague is cold and discerning. q womal
OF the world. ,Sne may have been in
fatuated by MIR. COnkllng's show,
talents. she may have been eDrap
tured by MIR. Conkling's preferences
But she must have known that he
power lay in resistance, in reservin,
something to herself, in drawing III
line somewhere. All women, more O
less. know that little, and it Is prepos
ferrous to believe that this self -poIse,
aspiring wOman-the mother of many
children and with passions quite q
lukeWarm as belong 10 her conditiol
and her class--would give herself com
pletely away, her hold upon her love
Included, and in all these years shoy
no sign Of it in her manners and be
aspect to the rest of the world.
For my part, 1 don't believe it. / be
lieve her to be vain, and to have al
ways been a daring, imprudent VIC
man, and l must say that the prOvOca
ton she has had from her husband
and the course which Mr.. L onklin
has pursued, together with the wretch
ed plight in which know her now t
be, I'LL me with a.sympaihy / neye
expected to feel for her. She is th
daughter of one of the greatest mel
this country ever produced, a woman
In distress, abused and brow. beaten b,
her husband, betrayed and deserte,
oy her lover, and that is enough fo
me.