Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-12-30
WAR TO THE KNIFE.
BETWEEN COZ. SPRAGUE md HIS
LOVELY SPOUSE.
with an Incidental Reference to My Lord
Roscoe, of Canonchet Celebrity-Goy.
Sprague Details His Future Course of
Action -"Where There Is SO Much
Smoke There Must BE Fire"-The
Truth About the CanOnchet Affair.

Truth About the CanOnchet Affair.
providence Special dec, 2O to Chicago Trb-
mel
GOV. SpraSuc has at last decided to
make war to the knife in the coming di-
vorcc suit of his wife against himself,
and those who have been saying that his
defense would not be an aggressive one,
will find themselves badly fooled. 1t is
truethat,
UP TO THE PRESENT TIME,
his lnclinations have been in the direc-
ton Of simply charging his wife with
neglect of family duties, but now his
purpose is to make the bitterest kind of
a personal fight against his wife and
Gambling, and, unless he is badly fooled
as to the nature of the evidence at his
command, the developments to be made
at the trial will exceed in richness any
thing heretofore limited at
TONIGHT
Gov. Sprague made to the Tribune repre-
sentative the first statement regarding
this matter that has passed his lips. In
deed, as he said, it was only to-day that
he decided upon the course to be taken
His entire time heretofore has been taken
up with legal affairs relating to his estate.
His highly interesting statement, this
evening, was as follows:
'After the collapse of my fortune, |
came home, and wanted to resign my po-
sition in the Senate, but was not allowed
to, and served the term. My family af-
fairs were somewhat unsatisfactory. so
far as
THE DEPRECICTIoN OF MY EFFORTS
in public and private were concerned.
Mrs. Sprague was never part of my
business or my politics, and as to her ac-
tons and movements, was to great
extent unconscious. She was abroad dur
ing great portion of my married life,
and while was in politics my house here
and at Washington was conducted almost
entirely by her.
THE THING THAT WEIGHED UPON ME MOST
| in my domestic affairs was that, while
able to manage everything connected with
my political and business life, could not
control my domestic affairs That was a
great modification, but aforementioned
it to single person until l found Conk
ling in possession of my household at
Washington. Then Icallcd upon Mrs.
Spraguc's personal friends and the
friends of her father to save her from
what had before been able to protect
her.
WHEN CONKLING WAS INTRODUCED INTO
MY HOUSE
| found it utterly impossible to control
her, or save her from the subsequent con-
sequences AS to the details from that
time to the time of Conkling's being
driven out of my house, | prefer you
should gather them from others" When
questioned as to his plan of action in the
coming trial, Gov. Sprague said: ''Mrs
Sprague's petition will be negatired-
every part of it. There is nothing in it
based upon facts, Taking that for grant
ed, the action that l shall follow is forced
upon me by the character of that peti-
ton
"Shall you show facts
IN RELATION TO ANYTHING CRIMINAL
between Senator Conkling and Mrs.
Sprague?" asked the reporter.
"You arc a funny fellow to ask me
that" rejoined the governor sin all this
smoke there must be a good deal of fire.
[ SHALL SHOW THE WHOLE RELATIONSHIP
and connection-and it has been constant
from the summer of 1878, other than at
Washington
"Have you any letters from Conkling to
Mrs. Sprague?"
IL have lot of letters, but have not
examined them yet, so | can say nothing
on that point. | have been
RELUCTANT ON ACCOUNT OF THE CHILDREN
to examine the situation, but have come
to the conclusion that, if they grow up,
they would never thank me for course
that would palliatc great crime, because
it would destroy their moral and intcllec-
tual life if they were forced to be sub
iected TO it. / shall leave no stone I'M
turned to bring Mrs. Sprague's whole life
out, and
THE GROWING INIQUITY, IN MY BELIEF,
Is THE CONKLING RELATIONSHIP.
The Tribune is the first paper to which
have had anything to say on this point.
You may say that l shall never consent
to the divorce proceedings being held in
private, nor to any compromise of the
CASE