Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-11-26
who IL ResPOnsibIe for the Forged
LeIterl

Letterf
Whatever punishment may be me ted out to
the immediate author of the Chinese letter
forgery, the members of the National Demo
cratic Committee, particularly Messrs. Hewitt
and Barnum, must bear the odium of having
given il notoriety and influence in the presi-
dental campaign and no further "explana-
tions" on their part will tighten their burden.
The facts in regard to their connection with
the matter are such as admit of no denial, and
will bear repetition in full.
The forged letter first appeared in printed
form in the New York newspaper Truth, on
Wednesday, Oct. 20, but failed to attract any
attention, even from newspapers of its own
party. According to the official statement of
the Democratic National Committee the orig
inal letter was taken to their headquarters on
Wednesday afternoon and examined by sew
eral eminent Democrats, including Messrs.
Barnum and Hewitt. The same evening Mr..
Hewitt, in a speech at a Democratic mass
meeting in New York, read a copy of the let
ter and said
Some people may incline to pronounce it
forgery. | have seen it. | am familiar
with Gen. Garfeld's signature. 1 have com
pared it with his letters in my possession,
and have no doubt it is genuine. If it be
forgery it is the work of a consummate artist
but if thought after examination, there was
the slightest doubt of its authenticity, l
should not refer to it."
None the less emphatic was the despatch
sent out over the signature of Chairman
Barnum, on the same eyenin 6, and published
the next morning in the Springfield Repub-
lican and all the leading Democratic journals
of the country;
New YORK, Oct. 20
The following is published in Truth this
morning. The letter is authentic. 1t is in
General Garfeld's handwriting. Denial is
worse than useless. 1t should have the wild
est circulation among all classes as it I'M
masks the Republican hollowness and hypoc-
risy on the labor question through their chief.
He declares himself adverse to the laboring
mans interest, and in favor of the Employ
ers' Union, advising them to employ the
cheapest labor available.
WM. Fl. BARNUM
Here followed the letter.
The original letter, of which the foregoing
is true copy, is in Truths possession. 1t
was mailed at Washington, by the Republi-
can candidate for President, to Henry L. No
rey, q prominent member of the Employer
Union, Lynn, Mass, At his death, which re-
Gently occurred, it was found among his eff
fects. The envelope enclosing it, the origin
al of which is also in Truths possession, is
marked Personal as carefully as the letter
itself is marked Personal and confidential"
b.
1t was these simultaneous announcements
by Messrs. Hewitt and Barnum which called
public attention to the letter and gave it in
huence in the campaign. On the very same
| day that these announcements were pub
lished, General Garfelds denial also appear
ed, denounoing the letter as q stupid forg-
| cry" On Friday it was announced by des-
patches from Lynn that no such man as H.
L. Morey had ever lived there, and that no
such organization as the Employers Union
had ever existed there. On Saturday, Oct
| %, Truth published fac-simile of the forged
letter, and on the same day there appeared
in all the manufacturing regions of New Jer-
sey and other doubtful states a flood of hand
bills and circulars containing printed YER
sions of the forged letter. These documents
emanated from the National Democratic Com
mittee, who thus gave the matter their Off
cial and independent endorsement. On Sun
day morning, October "a, General Garfeld's
letter to Chairman Jewell, written as soon as
the fac-simile could reach him for examine
ton, was published:
MENTOR, o., Oct %, 1880.
To the Hon. Marshall Je,oeH:
Your telegram Of this afternoon is received
Publish my despatch of last evening if you
think best. Within the last hour the mail
brought me the Autograph copy of the forged
letter. 1t is the work of some clumsy villain
who cannot spell or write English, or initiate
my handwriting Every honest and manly
| Democrat in America who is familiar with
my handwriting will denounee the forgery at
sight. Put the case in the hands of ablest
detectives at once, and hunt the rascal down
j. A. GARFIELD.
On the day following the publication of
this letter, Mr.. Hewitt, in speech at Roch-
ester, said;
II thought knew General Garfelds views
on the Chinese question, but in the exRminR-
ton of that original letter found my knowl-
edge confirmed. have compared its sigma
ture with Garield's signature to three other
letters in my possession, and l believe it to
have been written by the same hand that pen
ned the others. First of all, Garfield says it's
the work of a clumsy villain. Here is an ex-
act Photographic copy of the letter. The
body of that letter l never thought was his !;
! it's the signature. If the detectives are on