Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-09-08
A CRTEL LIBEL.

The hope has been so generally enter
t&ined that this would be an impersonaI
and clean campaign, that there wa.
reason. to believe the social scayenger:
would respect the public desire But here
comes Chicago paper that has more
sense, if 1t chooses to exercise it, than tc
be taken in" by u story il could have
verified if true IN five inmates by tele-
graphic dispatches TO indianapolis, and
tells long yarn about the grandfather Of
General Harrison, on the maternal side
being a disreputable character. This
grandfather, it is asserted, was killed
while in the act of committing robbery,
and after his death it was. discovered that
he had long been a thief, and had con-
cealed much plunder. His name is given
as g Driftwood," and the article concern
ing him appeared in the Chicago Tribune,
under the guise of correspondence, and
closed as follows;
So you see Benny descended from a good fam
iy Would it not be possible that if Ben had
to-day burglar instead Of a Presidential can
didAte2
The Iater-Oeedn took pains to at once
telegraph to Cincinnati and ascertain from
a perfectly reliable correspondent the ex-
act fact and the answer received was as
follows:
The Tri6aae story is cruel lie. General Ben
Harrlsons mother was Elizabeth Irwin, daugh-
ter OF Archibald Irwin, one of the best families
OF cincinnati. J. X. CHAMBERLAIN.
In the life Of General Harrison by GEN
eral Lew. Wallace, the ancestry of General
Harrison's mother is given and it is with
out blemish in any Of It's members. Citi-
zens who knew her parents we'll come for
ward and testify to tAeirnnstained reputa
ton. Driftwood johnson, better known
IS Driftwood," was citizen of Cincin-
natl, and did leave daughters who are still
living in CoyiAgton, KY, and for that mat
Ter, are highly respectable people. But
General Harrison's mother was in no wise
related to the Johnsons. As stated, her
name was Irwin, ard her father, Archibald
Irwin, man of good repute and fine bust
ness standing. Charles Duffield, of 1920
Groveland Avenue, Chicago, was an old
acquaintance of the family of General
Harris0n's mother, ana knew them we'll at
their home in Mercersburg, Pa, and when
they lived in Cincinnati In card pub
lished in Chicago on the 9th of August
he gives the 7ri53ae story the fiat lie.
He knew Miss Irwin well, and her parents
also, and declares the family to have been
one of the best of the country. He was
present at the marriage of Miss Irwin to
General Harrisons father, and was and is
4 friend Of the family. The brothers and
sisters of General Harrison were Archi-
bald, Jennie and Carter B., and two are
living to give the lie to the cruel SANDER
upon their mothers fair name
That the Chicago Iri5usae should descend |
to the disgraceful level of publishing the |
libel is enough TO make decent people |
thrust it from their doors with the tongs.
Even were the story true, it could net in
anywise reflect upon the. character of Gen.
eral Harrison. But it is proven untrue,
and the members Of the family living pro-
pose TO make it nncomfortably warm Tor
the rascal who has charged that Elizabeth +
Irwin, woman of remarkable beauty and
great personal accomplishments, and whose
parents were honest, respectable and. re-
specting people, was the daughter of an
Ohio river robber.
Let 1t be said to tAe.aredit of the reputa-
Bile Democratic journals that they refused
to publish the scurrileusstory -itremained |,
for a-so-called Republican paper with free
trade ieanings TO give il to the world.