Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-10-16
An Old Virginia Scandal.

NJ II. G oUV ERN EUR MORRIS
THROWS LIGHT ON THE DARK
WAYS OF RANDOLPH OF RoA-
NoAKE,
The Chicago Times, having re-
Gently published the full text of a
well-known and scurrilous letter
addressed years ago by John ram
dolph of Roanoake, 10 his cousin,
Annie Randolph, after her mar
riage to the Gouverpeur Morris of
that day, Mr.. Morris namesake
and defendant has just sent the
following short and sharp com
mentary upon it to the editor of
the Times. Students of our earlier
national history will read 1t with
interest:
New York, September Sin
your issue of the 4th inst. you
print letter from John Randolph,
to Annie Morris nee Randolph,
and her rejoinder to the same. If
there is no especial objection you
would confer an obligation aud
! satisfy legitimate curiosity by
informing me how this correspon-
dence came in your pc session.
The letter from Randolph was des-
troyed many years ago at Norris
ania, and we did not know of the
existence of any copy. In the
heading published in your paper
you seem tn assume the fact that
Miss RandoIph was tried in Vir-
GINA for infanticide. This il en-
tirely erroneous. The whole charge
Was the merest Pigment of John
Randolph's disordered imagina-
ton. The facts were these: John
Randolph proposed to his cousin
and was refused. His brother,
Theodore, was accepted, but fell
into a decline and died before
marriage. Ezra. ed by his rebuff.
John Randolph devoted himself to
making the lives of his brother
and cousin as miserable as possible,
and his success must have been
gratifying In the extreme to his
vicious nature. AS head of the
house he had possession of all the
property and his immediate fami-
ly were at his mercy. Finally,
having exhausted all other means
OF torture, he turned his cousin
out of the Bizarre house and left
her penniless on the mercy of the
world. In this strait she was in
vited by Thomas Randolph to live
with his family at Monticello, he
ALEC making her an allowance.
Thomas Randolph had a very
large family, and like most Of the
Virginia gentry at the time was
embarrassed in his affairs. Anne
Randolph, not liking to be a bur-
den on an impecunious man, came
to the North looking for employ
ment. While in Newport she met
Gouverneur Morris, who knew
her sad history and, first plying,
then loved and married her. The |
appreciation of John Randolph's |
course towards his cousin held in
his family is shown by little in
cident of Anne Randolph's visit
to Monticello. John, seeing that
his victim was escaping him came
to Monticello to make, as he said,
an amend to Anne. Thomas Ran
dolph ordered him off the place,
and being met by a demur, and |
being somewhat "ehoeric and |
hasty,' enforced his order with a
pistol. Tradition says that the
best time on record from Month
cello down Carter's mountain TO
Charlottesville was made by John
Randolph on that occasion. The
history OF the correspondence pub
lished by you is briefly as follows:
John Randolph left Morrisania in
peace and amity with all
the inmates of that house, and
drove towards New York in
Washington Irving'5 carriage,
which was returning from deliver
ing message. What John did
during his drive is not matter Of
record, but judging from his usual
habit he stopped at all the taverns
on Third avenue, as did probably
his driver for between them they
managed to upset the coach, and
Johns shoulder
The dislocation was reduced by
DR.. Post at Mrs. Bradish's board
ing-house. The operation caused
John much pain, and he became
quite frantic. Brandishing his
dirk in his hand he strobe about
the house calling down vengeance
on all his enemies and on tae
public enemy, and, finally, driving
the weapon into the wall, he