National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-06-06
BURLINGAME TALKS.
He EXPLAINS HIS FAMILY AFFAIRS
To His Cronies Of the Thought Exchange-An In
teresting Sunday Evening SeSsiOn-Isaac
Cohen to the Rescue-Dr. Boyd
and Mrs. Myra Hall.

1
At the evening session of the Thought
Exchange" at No 233 Pennsylvania avenue, last
| evening, quite crowd was attracted to hear the
personal explanation of its president, MI Franklin
! Burlingame, regarding his recent domestic COM
plications TIE REPUBLICANS representative wa
among the early arrivals, and was somewhat sur
prised to behold the ''Simon Tappertit" of th>'
labor riots of this city, Isaac Cohen, disguised
| in a clean shirt and ms allied as door
keeper. Dropping his nickel into "Ike'S" ba kc',
| the scribe sought a retired corner anG
waited for the performance to begin About
eight o'clock the meeting called 10 order. and,
advancing to table in front of the assembly Mr..
! Burlngame opened the exercises by reading
selection from the poems of Lizzie DOten, entitled
g Truth Triumphant" He then said that it had
been suggested to him by his friends that III jus
| tice to all parties concerned
| A PERSONAL EXPLANATION
in regard to the very unpleasant things published
in the daily papers should be made by him that
| it was very diStasteful to him to touch on this
matter which had caused him much sadness and
grief Of heart; that for himself he would say that
he had committed no act he was ashamed of, OF
| that under the same conditions he would not
repeat tomorrow. Taking up copies of the SID.
and Post he read the statement OF his wife,
thereto, and said that he would proceed to
swer the allegations against him seriatim. Going
back into the past he related how, some time ago,
his wife brought woman into his house whom
she insisted should sleep in the same bed with
! her; that this woman was most disgusting pei
son, who was uncleanly in her person, smoked
pipe, and was almost constantly under
the influence of laudanum; that in
consequence of this he took another room, and
from his new quarters heard this woman, who
gained most surprising influence over his WIFE,
planning with Mrs. BuIlingame to take a large
house and go away from him to carry out their
ideas of free love. In explanation of this new
fe tture in the he rccounted that nearly eight
years ago he had, while seated by his wife at a
meeting of free thinkers risen up in his place,
nounced himself to be
A FEEE-LovER
and inffdel; that ever since his wife had been
in full sympathy with his views regarding religion
and free love, and in words and theory she had
advanced as far in this direction as himself Re-
ferring to Mrs. Hail. he said that he had first met
her at Tallmadge Hall, where he heard her speak,
and found she was in sympathy with the same
ideas he was trying to advance: that they talked
! the matter over, and concluded to do what
they could to initiate new order of life;
that in this his wife fully consulted and, after
the question of removing TO another house was
discussed from her uttcTanccS he fully expected
her to come with them, until this woman secured
such an influence over her; that after leaving his
former residence and still believing his wife was
coming to them, he sent food to her every day by
his children, and visited her, but she refused
to talk 10 him. Upon leaving he told her if
re wanted to speak to him to send
him word, but that she had never done;
that the charge that he had abandoned his
wife not true, as when he moved he left i'll the
house every article of convenience that she would
require, and had since been notified by her to
come and take them away. Referring to the
statement that he had left his wife because she
had lost her magnetism for him, he said that was
style of talk i'll which he did not indulge. The
allusiOn to Authorization" nc said, referred to
the woman VINO had
PSYCHOLOGICAL HIS WIFE.
Taking the allegations regarding his treatment of
his children, he said he had never neglected or
refused to provide for them or his wife; that in
the matter of family discipline he had his own
views, and they clasned with his wife's ideas on
this subject, but he had never abused or NAL
treated his children, though he had had occasion,
topunish them perhaps somewhat severely for fail
ing to obey their mother; that while he might have
sworn some around the house, he had never used
any vulgar or indecent language, and challenged
any one to say that they had ever heard him use
any such language, or even tell a smutty story.
Abiding his wifes allegation that she had been
compelled to labor beyond her strength, he said
that she not obliged to attend the newsstand
at all that the disease from which she suffered was
produced by her setting in front of q register
and having stream of hot airstriking against her
back. In regard TO her work at home he said
that he had performed most of the housekeeping
duties himself, and could do anything in that
line except
WASHING AND IRONING;
that he had had many as forty two servants be-
fore he became convinced they were a worthless
set, and for the past ten years had not kept one
prefcrring to do the work himself Referring to
the charge that in February last he brought Mrs..
Hall to the house and insisted on her living with
them, he said that the only time this lady had
been i'll their house upon one occasion
when she and Judge Maddox had been
invited there to dinner. Mrs. Burlingame
refused to receive her or to see her. and acted in
way that caused him to feel much hurt During
the course of his remarks Mr. Burlingame was fire.
quently so much affected as TO render it necessary
for him to stop and recover his compoSure. At the
conclusion of his explanation he stated that he
was ready to reply to any questions that might be
asked and one or two in the audience awaited
themselves of the permission.
ISAAC COHEN,
who had been sitting at the door and sweating the
gate money" between his unctious palms, then
arose and said he desired to criticise the eXpana
ton. Taking his stand at the presidents table he
rubbed the bald spot on his bullet head and said
that the press of Washington had been guilty of
unfairness in not stating both sides of the Bu--
lingame matter. Taking up the city dalies in
detail, he abused the star for its comments Mr..
Burlingamcs card, and went for the Post in q
style most fearful and switched off 10 the Sunday
journals long enough to pay his respects to them.
At the conclusion of string of ungrammatical
g. bilngSgatc," which he hurled at reporters edi-
tors, and newspapers generally, Ike" gasped
for breath and dropped into the nearest chair
having swcated down three-ply picadilly collar
in his ptcoratiOn.
DIP. BOYD,
that able scientist who introduced a bill in the |
C mmOn council of Washington TO prohibit mos
quito farming then took the floor and howled out
his idea OF the press of the Capital. Referring to
proposition III Sunday paper TO treat all free |
lovers to q bath in the Eastern Branch, he became
frantic, and, waving q huge club, said he was
free lover, and would like to see any one under !
take to carry out that programme with him.
MRS. MYRA HALL
(tEe lady in the easel then spoke, and gave |
history of her acquaintance with Mr.. Burlingsme !
and of ner labors in New York and Washington. |
TO the allegation that Mrs. Burlingame |
was believer in the doctrines of free love, she |
said that it was known to herself and Others that
Mrs. Burlingame had been waiting for the return
leave her husband and live with him, thus