The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-10-04
WHITING IT DOWN.

WHITING IT DOWN.
The ease with which the most trivial in
cident often grows into "a story of huge mag
nitude is so well known as 10 be trite bu
cases where really truthful story of larg
proportions under skillful manipulation i
made 10 grow smaller by degrees and beau
tifully less until il vanishes in mid air ar,
less common A feat of the latter kline
just now evokes the skill of the Republican
press 10 Gisslpate the miserable net of false
hood in which their presidential candidate
has become entangled in connection will
his unhappy Indiana libel suit. The fol
lowing, which we find in the La Sale Times
shows the manner adopted for this delicate
bit of manipulation, all the country edi
tors" skillfully following the more elaba
borate form set them by the metropolitan
TriJunes:
The manly and straightforward statement
of his love and marriage which the vile
scum Of his opponents have tried to make
appear dishOnorable made by Mr. Blaine
has turned 10 him the esteem of all honor
able and true men This miserable SANDER
has had only the effect of making his popu-
larity greater, and if ever any doubts were
entertained as TO his integrity OF character
they are now absolutely removed. His an
swers TO the interrogatories of the defend.
ants in the libel suit against the Cincinnati
indianapolis Sentinel have had such an
effect that democrats who before were so
blatant and certain of terrible exposure
have absolutely subsidized and feel ashamed
of themselves, as they should be. Last NJ on
day while in Brooklyn fifty prominent Me-
thodist clergymen, led by Bishop King,
without previous notice waited on Mr.. Blaine
and declared TO him that they had examin-
ed into his life, public and private, investi.
eating every charge made against his hon
or, and they found absolutely nothing to
shake their confidence in him.
Now the truth in regard to Blaine's Indi.
ana libel suit and the story of his love and
marriage is as simple as A, B, G. By way
of retort TO the Buffalo charge of lechery
against Gov Cleveland the indianapolis
Sentinel charged that Blaine was in the
SdIlt DDdl-lHul lt was ultllltt III
1851 and three months afterwards his wife
had baby. Blaine pretended 10 be out
ragged by the scandalous statement and un-
dertake TO bully its author with $4,000
libel suit. The Sentinel man wouldn't scare
worth cent but quietly proved up the
place and date of Blaine's marriage and Of
the birth of his child, and then asked What
next" The response was 1.-The manly and
straightforward statement of his love and
marriage" above referred to in his letter to
w. w Phelps and his sworn answer TO the
interrogatories of the defendants in the H.
bel suit; and there he makes the humiliat-
ing confession that the .SeRtine5'S statement
as 10 the place and date of his marriage
and birth of his first child was correct, but
he makes the extraordinary addition to the
story that he had also been married in
Kentucky to the same lady in June, 1850,
and that the reason why he was again mar
ried at Pittsbnrg in March, 1851, was that
in his ignorance of its necessity he had
neglected 10 take out license at his June
and competent legal authority,
"along in the ensuing winter" mad advised
him that that marriage was illegal and
void and therefore he had had it solemn
lied again. Now this statement is unfor-
open 10 several grave criticisms.
Firstly, al his Kentucky marriage, which
took place on Sunday evening, he says
only two witnesses were present-his own
cousin and his wifes sister-and both are
dead. Secondly, it was not
true that his marriage, if otherwise regular,
was void for want of license, for any
reputable Kentucky lawyer would have ad.
vised him TO the contrary. Thirdly, it is
absolutely false that he was not aware that
the laws of Kentucky required license
until "along in the ensuing winter" for
within a month or two of his own alleged
he signed bond with his broth
er.inlaw 10 enable the latter TO take out a
license 20 marry his wife's sister. Fourth
~, II Blaine really pelleved that his irreg
ular marriage in June 1850 was valid lin
the sight of God or Scotch marriage"
such as the laws of Pennsylvania recogniz
ed he must have known that an indispen-
sable requisite TO validate such marriage
was its open acknowledgment by the par
ties and living together as man and wife,
whereas il is well known that Blaine did
not SO acknowledge the woman or live with
her, but passed himself off as a single man
and even tried TO engage himself TO anoth-
er woman. Filthy is it not patent
from Blaine's whole conduct in the affair,
that if there was a marriage at all ON the
Both OF June 1850, it was intended by him
as mere mock marriage, =" OF which, how.
ever he took vile advantage, and that,
as the Indianapolis SoHtiHd declares itself