Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-09-26

| HUMILIATION Vi Ills ldullIJs 1hOAS
fore, uncalled for by any public
sentiment, and in despair of inves
tigation as soon as he should have
lit, Mr.. Blaine answers for himsel
to the country.
In boyhood he was a schoo
teacher in Kentucky, his mother
living in Pennsylvania. In June
1850, when he was not quite TWEEN
ty-one he married his wife in Ken
lucky, and left the State calling
to see his mother, she persuaded
him to return, and in August he did
so. He was advised that his mar
rage was not valid under the Ken
lucky statutes, but would be un'
der the Pennsylvania law. He
went to Pennsylvania and was
married again as privately as
possible, but in the church form
and in presence of witnesses. The
first child was born IL months and
Is days after the first marriage,
which was believed lawful and held
sacred. 1t was born in its grand
mothers house and died in her
arms when three years of age. 1t
was the maidstone at this child's
grave from which the inscription
was chiseled simultaneously with
the publication of the libel. The
purpose doubtless being to destroy
this lasting evidence that it was a
libel.
Sensible people can readily guess
at the bottom facts of the whole
matter. Mrs. Blaine's folks doubt.
less objected very seriously to her
marrying a "pOor school teacher. =
The young folks got married all
the same. And now they are all
glad of it. Let all the "pooI
boys" and especially "poor peda'
gogues" take,cOurage from this and
be sure to emulate the example OF
Blaine after marriage, BY working
industriously for the top round of
the ladder of life.
BUT TO GROVER CLEVELAND,
we must now turn for a cOmpari-
son. Before he was nominated, the
New York Sun, the largest circu-
lating democratic paper in the
union, announced its opposition
because of the public record and
moral depravity of Cleveland.
Soon after the nomination, two
democratic papers, one IN Pitts.
burgh and one in Cincinnati, gave
lo'' the Maria Halpin scandal,
IL was '"Ao% nol33+v two papers at
home) and
pronounced true. A committee of
clergymen, headed by Rev. DR..
Ball, of the same place, gave the
case thorough investigation, press
ing their inquiries into the law
Office of Mr.. Cleveland's attorney,
then toProvidence hospital, thence
to the Reformatory, thence among
gentlemen and ladies cOnversant
with the facts, and these clergy
men gave in their adhesion to the
truth of the charges. This was
followed by report from the COM
mittee of independents which
was so negative and evasive that
no doubt was left, and such was
the effect of this that seven religious
papers that were supporting Mr..
Cleveland announced their change
in one single day. Chief among
these was the "Independent" it.
self.
Now what is the Maria Halpin
story: stephen" Grover Cleve-
land, as he then was known, a
bachelor, seduced Maria Halpin
and kept her as his mistress. One
child, a boy, was born to them.
Then Cleveland abandoned her.
With a wOman's despair and in
dignatiOn she sought him and pur-
sued him. Cleveland hired a sub.
stitute to take care of her and the
boy. This lasted awhile, and the
attorney found a way and means
to place Maria Halpin in PrOvi.
dence hospital and the boy in a
RefOrmatOry. She was subse-
quently released, and MIR. Cleve-
land sent her to a neighboring
town and started her in the MILL
merry. Here she took to drinking
and soon became an outcast, living
in disgrace to die in shame. These
are about the facts as stated origi-
nalIy, and as investigation sub
Stimulates them. Well does the
st. Louis Christian remark that
Mr.. Cleveland should have met |
such a serious charge as promptly |
and boldly as Mr.. Blaine did the
libel put on him and his family. |
Note the contrast: The young
school teacher de6ed all objections
md all obstacles, and married the
woman he loved and who loved |
lin. His bridal trip was to the