Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-12-14
TALES TOLD
ABOUT DOMESTIC implicitly IN THB
CLEVELAND HOUSEHOLD.
How The Outrageous Campaign Scheme Was
Worked In Wheeling, In Social Circles
and On The Streets.

"Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow,
Hamlet, the Melancholy.
Now that gossip about the domestic re-
lations of President and Mrs. Cleveland
has been revived, it may be interesting to
recall some of the stories that were put
afioat in Wheeling before the election.
Nothing much has heretofore been printed
about tie matter and doubtless now there
are many people who INDUCED in gossipo Of
this nature and assisted in spreading
broadcast sill sorts of silly tales, who Wish
that the matter could be allowed to drop
out of sight and ont of mind, for they no
doubt EEL heartily ashamed Of their part
in the undetermined lying campaign scheme
that it was.
For some time before the election the
air was rife with STOKES concerning domes-
tic troubles at the White House, and you
could hear almost anything in that line,
accordiugt 10 the company you were in. OF
course, the relaters of these little tales
hardly believed anything Of the kind
themselves, you know, but they had got
ten it from pretty good authority, and
they didn't know Just what to think.
Perhaps there might be something in it a.
ter all, ct cetera, ct cetera. This is the
way they went on, and while they appar-
emily wanted to have their hearers think
that they discredited the stories, yet they
iusinustiDgly sought to impress them with
the idea that there was really some founda-
ton for what they told.
THE LADIES Al IT, TOO.
Now men were not the only ones who
circulated such tales, bat in many cases
tie ladies were much the worst and bitter
est, although they did rot display the tact
used by the men. They generally made
bold statements about how President
Cleveland treated his wife, they believed
it all and they knew it to be true. This
was generally their way of telling the
story and they adhered to what they said
even though it caused enlargement from
friends, as in some instances it did.
The reader may ask who these ladies are
but if this article named some Of those who
INDUCED in this gossip, it would create q
ser sstion in society circles, and the ladies
would be made to feel very uncomfortable
indeed. The subject Cane up constantly
at balls, parties, aud other social assem-
blspes; it was heard during the datc 70, over
the card table and at the refreshment
table, in the home, on the street, at the
theatre ard in fact, every place thai
people met.
The stories were first started by design-
ing politicians, transmitted to the mouth:
of partisan citizens, who dressed them up
a little, and then they passed into the ears
of the ladies to whom they we're presented
in such q form that they seldom for q mo
ment doubted their truth, and they re-
pCated them with such srdor and sinceri'
ty that as they passed from mouth tC
mouth, the army of believers became aug
mented, snd many men even repOsed the
most implicit faith in their correctness
The ladies, of course,
WERE INNOCENT
| oftelliDg what was not true, because they
had ben deceived by the talss and mislec
by tbs men into believing them.
Then there is . certain class of people
among whom such stories would have {
great effect, aud these were the people who
mad no means Of getting at the truth OF the
matter. They'heaId the tales veryplsuslbiy
ted, they were given Whist they thought
was good authority, and never seeing o.
hearing any denial Of the lies they natur
ally came 10 believe that there was come
thing in them. The man who ill-treats hi
wife is often the very man to jump ont
another man because he abuses his wife
that is because it is the other mans wife
In this way these lies had their effect.
The stories, as has been stated, wer'
varied to suit the company. Some onll
went so far as to have the President trea
Mrs. Cleveland harshly; others had hin
strik lug her, while others descended Il
regular unsdorned wife beating, and ye
people were 20 foolish as to believe them, o
even worse tales.
Oae man, who, by the way, holds
Government position in WashirgiOn City
and who was retained under the presen
administration through the intervention o
his Democratic friends, came home SOM
weeks befoTe the election, and at once pu
himself s~ssiduously to work to spread
stories atoat President Cleveland abusing
his wife. 1t is reported that he said tn
President had even gone so far as to kicl
Mrs. Cleveland and abuse her most shame
fully.
THIS PARTICULAR FALsIFIER
said he knew this of his own persona
knowledge, and yet he admitted 10 severs
people that he was not even aCquainte,
with President Cleveland and was SCI
dom ever about the White House
This man does not live il
Wheeling but he lives not very far away
He mainly confined his lying to a certai
class of psople who seldom read the paper
and who know little OF what is going o.
in the world, although he did attempt t
circulate his untruths among more intelli
gent people, ard in that way his Ettl
game was brought to light and he wa
called down. Wheeling was not the oDl.
place this particular style of lying wa
carried on, but it was spread broadcas
over the State, and doubtless it had som
effect. No doubt these story ~tellers, 6
least many of them, would now indignant
~ deny tba: they ever told such tales
because they are very likely hearth
ashamed of themselves. On tire insid
pages of this mornings issue will be foun
tOme interesting information conceInin
the e tslss Of domestic infelic.ty in tn
Cleveland household, and it goss 10 prov
thst the lies were worked in the sam