Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-05-08

Democrat had been within reach there
would have been a tragedy. To his
aged father he remarked: my God,
this is awful; | cannot live under such
an imputation, and he sought to tear
himself away that he might at once
hunt up the author. His father, how
ever, chung to him, and succeeded in
exacting a promise that he would not
shoot his traducers, but nothing that
was said or done could make Harding
.torego the determination to seek out
Light and demand a retraction. That
he did not find Light prior to Sunday
evening, and then found him at his
residence, is due most likely that Mr..
Light is seldom upon the street, and
that he attempted his life when he
found him is no surprise to those who
know how sacred to Harding is the
memory of Flora, his daughter, whose
life was wrecked in early womanhood.
She was an only daughter by a former
wife, and when there came a separa-
ton between father and mother she
chung to her father with rare devotion.
Then came the despoiler in the person
of Sol Moritz; shame and sorrow as a
natural consequence, and in the agony
of her desperation she swallowed a IA
tai dose of poison and died in the arms
of her father, forgiven and blessed by
him. This was in August, 1874, and
the attempt of Mr.. Harding to kill
Moritz and the sympathy showered
upon him in his terrible bereavement
of the whole community are still in
distinct remembrance.
From the shocks of this loved ones
death he has never recovered, and his
family and friends have noticed with
alarm hal at times it affected his
mental equilibrium. OF late years he
often complained of brain trouble.
and numerous visits to the Hot
Springs seemed only to give him re-
lief.
This morning Mr.. Harding came
part of the way down town with Mr..
j. II. Woodland, to whom he related
the circumstances of his visit Sunday
night to the house of Light. He was
incoherent in his talk, and said that
his whole life had grown into his dead
daughter, and that he could not live
under the infamous charge which
Light had printed that he had ruined
her. His manner was wild and dis
connected, but the one thing of his
talk was the wrong done him and his
daughter.
Mr.. Woodland tried to induce him
to return home, but failed, and lett
him as he entered the pawn-shop,
which is directly beneath the Demo
crat office, in Miller's Block.
Previous to the shooting Mr.. Wood
ard informed your reporter of his
walk with Harding, and stated that
he considered him dangerously insane.
AS might be expected, the promi-
hence of Mr.. Harding and the at
tempts which he has made upon the
life of Light excites a greater local
interest than even the Gordon ar-
rington fasco, and it is the all-absorb-
ing theme.
Last night Mr.. Harding occupied
Tate's old quarters in the Jail and was
resting quietly, the attending physi.
clans having got him under the inhu-
ence Of opiates. 1t should be stated
that Light denies writing the obnox-
ious matter in the Democrat which
infamed Harding to his present mood,
but credits it to Mr.. Hathaway, who
contributes occasionally to that paper.
No matter who is the author, it is ex-
tremely unfortunate. and is liable to
work further mischief.