The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1884-10-01
70 HONORABLE MANHOOD AND
WOMANHOOD.

Blaines antecedent character, the Major,
was a good fellow and lover true. One
can not fail to admire and honor him. A
man of singleness of heart and purpose is
hero. Candidate Blaine, speaking for the
Major of 1901, says: ~ was threaten ed
with an indefinite separation from her who
possessed my entire devotion. My one wish
was to secure her to myself by an indissolu-
BILE tie against every possible contingency in
life" That sounds well enough. 1t has
inst the ring to please parents who have
daughters and brothers who have sisters.
Fer to those thus bound by ties of blood to
young womanhood there is music in the
couplet:
True hearts are more than coronets
And simple faith than Norman blood.
But there is a reverse of this which kindles
reverse feelings in the parental and fraternal
heart. The lover at home who is no lover
when abroad is not esteemed altogether adj
mirable-at least not by mothers aud wives
But the man protesting proud love for an
honored mate, who when distance divides
them, expressedly or implicitly denies the
"indissoluble tie" is not true man. His
profession of devotion is a sham, be is I'M
worthy of trust. And if to this denial of the
legal tie is added tender devotions to wo-
men who misunderstood his true position,
the deceiver is complimented by the
attribute of villain,
OF course we purpose an application of the
latter propositions. 1t seems impossible that
the Major Blaine, whom Mr. Candidate Blaine
recommends so highly, should be the
culprit, but he is. According to the candi-
dates own confessions the girl whom he
secretly married on March 20, 1851, (and
whom he claims to have secretly married,be-
fore), was all that woman should be. She
certainly was patient being to suffer the
wrongs she did from him. He left her in
Pittsburg Immediately after the secret mar
riage-left her to Tourney without him in
her sad condition to her mothers home
hundreds OF miles distant. He returned to
Kentucky to Drennon Springs, some sixty
miles distant from the village she had left
in dishonor, to pass himself off as a single
man, to hide his responsibility for the suf-
ferings of the unfortunate woman who had
gone to Maine, and to pay addresses to the
fair ones sroundhim who knew not of the two
'indissoluble ties' by which he now tells US
he was at that time bound. Comment on
such conduct is needless. There is not a
wife, mother or a true man but will set
the seal OF their abomination upon such
character.
But is this accusation against James G.
Blaine well founded? We here adduce evil
dence which we challenge Mr. Blaine to re-
fate. We first introduce a letter from
gentleman who, out of a feeling of friend
ship for his former tutor, Blaine, has since
the beginning of the libel suit been laboring
have lost faith in the man he had trusted.
Hear him:
MERIDIAN, Texas, Sept. 49, 1884.
"Mr. John c. Shoemaker:
"DEAR SIR herewith submit a statement
OF facts to you which may be of some i'm
portance as corroborating evidence in the
Blaine libel suit.
Il entered the Military Institute at Dren
non on the 9th of April, 1851. Ny first in
PRODUCTION to Mr.. Blaine was early in the
morning OF the same day, and before ar
rived at school.
Il was from Logansport, De Soto Parish,
louisiana. l took passage on the steamer
Indiana at New Orleans, bound for Louis
vile, Ky. l arrived at Louisville on the
morning of the 9Th of April, 1851. then
took passage on the little steamer Blue
Wing, which piled between Louisville and
Frankfort, on the Kentucky River.
I'VE passed Carolton, which is at the juno
ton OF the two rivers, between and
o'clock OH the morning of the 9th. Some
time in the morning, after breakfast was
over, learned from some OF the passengers
that there was one of the professors of the
Western Military Institute on board, which
l learned later was Mr.. James G. Blaine.
Some one also informed Mr.. Blaine that
there was young man on the boat going to
the institute to become cadet.
Mr.. Blaine, after hearing of me, then ap-
preached and introduced himself to me as
being one of the professors of the institute
and expressed himself as being well pleased
to meet with me under the circumstances
and that ne would conduct me to the insti.
tute, from which he had been absent several
days.
"The distance from Carolton, at the mouth
OF the Kentucky River, to Drennon's Land
by the steamer, if nay memory
serves correctly, and when the steamer
arrived at Drennon's Landing. Major Blaine
and myself got off and walked to the insti-
tute, which was about one and half or two
miles. Now, as we journeyed along by our
selves, we soon became well acquainted, and
when we arrived..at the institute he gave me
formal introduction to Colonies Thornton
+. johnson and Bushred r. Johnson, Super
intencents of the school. Now, the point
which wish to give you is this: While
we were walking together up to the insti-
tute, Mr.. James G.. Blaine told me that he
was just then on his return from Pennsyl-
vania, where he had been on visit to his
friends or relations. Now, l read in the
papers that Mr.. lie Meyne, ex-Congress-
man, proposes to testify that he was
witness at the Blaine-Stanwood
wedding at Pittsburg, March 20, 1851, and
now you will readily perceive the difference
of time between March 20, 1851, compared
with the 9th OF April, 1851, the very day that
l met with him on the steamer Blue Wing.
There would be about five and a half
days, and he was then, as he told me,
on his way from Pennsylvania. / will
refer you to our Texas Congressman, Hon.
r. L. Mills, or to Senator Richard Coke, or
1 can refer you to the Commercial Register,
as / am merchant. Yours,
"a. J. RANDALL"
1t will be observed that this letter was
written before Mr.. Randall had seen Mr..
Blaine's letter to Mr.. Phelps or his answer
to our interrogatories.
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