The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-01-28
MAY CAUSE A BREAK.
GEN. HARRlsoN's CHILDREN OPPOSED
TO HIS PROPOSED MARRIAGE.
Much bitterness. but No scandai--Insist
n Match Is Dlsrespeotfui 20 Their
Mothers Memory Began BefoYs Harri-
sons Election In 1883.

the Match IL Disrerpoctiui 10 Iheir
Mothers Memory Began Befoye Harri-
sons Election In 1883.
The marriage of Benjamin Harrison
TO Mrs. Dimmick is not approved of by
Mr.. Harrison's family. The statement
that Mrs. Mckee will visit Indianapolis
before the wedding is true, bat sho will
not go 10 prepare a homo for her ia
TIERS bride. She will visit friends out
side of Dor family and will remove from
her former homo the last Of her personal
possessions.
indianapolis friends Of Mrs. Benjamin
Mckee and Mr.. Russell Harrison and Of
the late Mrs. Benjamin Harrison are
surprised and annoyed at the persistent
reports from New York that the children
of ex-President Harrison are r%econciled
to his approaching marriage.
Nothing could be further from the
truth. AS matters stand now tho mar
riage of the ex.president will make a
distinct and possibly permanent breach
in hi family and separate him definite
~ from his children. Neither Mrs, Mo
Kee nor Russell Harrison is on speak
ing .erms with their %stepmother TO be,
and both have interposed M earnest
though digniied opposition TO the pro-
posed marriage.
This opposition arises. they insist, not
from any dislike OF their father marry
ing "a second time, but solely from q
feeling that circumstances connected
with the history of the acquaintance
which leads TO the approaching mar
riage make the event an act Of disrespect
20 the memory of their mother.
Tho true story of the acquaintance and
courtship of Benjamin Harrison and
Mary Dimmick, as told by n whose
authority ia as ~undeniable as would be
that of Benjamin Harrison himself, is
given below. Much of detail that would
be interesting is suppressed because its
publication would serge no good purpose,
but. as a matter of justice to the chill
dren Of the ex-president and to forestall
the flood of gossip and scandal that
would naturally follow the open break
in the family. the friends Of Mrs. Nc
Kee and Mr.. Harrison feel that a plain,
authoritative statement of the facts
should be made at once.
In the first place, it should be stated
that Mrs. Dimmicl's character as a wo-
man is in no way involved in this mat
ter. That she has exercised over the pres
ident an influence which interfered with
the domestic peace of the family and
that he permitted and encouraged that
influence is the most serious charge in
volved.
The trouble really began before Har-
rison's election. During the excitement
of the campaign in 1888, Mrs. Harrison,
at the suggestion Of her sister, Mrs.
Scott Lord, invited her niece, Mrs. Dim
mick, to Indianapolis. Mrs. Dimmick,
it is said. was in very low spirits at that
time, and the idea was that tho life and
excitement there would divert her mind
und improve her health.
Mrs. Dimmick at once began to take
a very active part in the Harrison fam
fly affairs. Her influence over General
Harrison quickly became very strong.
After some months and before the FAM
lily went to Washington, Mrs. Harrison
discussed with an intimate friend here
the best way Of getting Mrs. Dimmick
out Of the family.
When the family was settled in the
White House, matters became constantly
more difficult. Mrs. Dimmick gained
steadily more influence over the presi-
dent in family matters. Mrs. Harrison
suffered what she considered were in
dignities. Mrs. Mckee and Russell Har-
rison sided with their mother. The pres
ident stubbornly insisted that they were
FOOLS hly and causelessly jealous.
Mrs. Dimmick's mother died and the
restrictions of the mourning period de-
prived her Of outside companionship and
threw her more than ever into the COM
pany Of the president.
Finally Mrs, Dimmick was given to
understand, through q relative, that her
continued residence in the White House
was unwelcome 20 Mrs. Harrison. She
appealed TO the president, and he refus-
ed to consent to her departure under
such circumstances.
The quarrel between the president
and Mrs. Harrison became critical. That
1t did not become public was due TO her
own good sense and the efforts Of her
son and daughter, who were Mortified at
the prospect Of a"White House scan
GAL"
Matters were adjusted somehow, but
there continued TO be unpleasant friction
until Mrs. Harrison's final illness be.
gan. Mrs. Dimmick was installed by
the president as nurse. Between her
and Mrs. Mckee, who also lived at the
White Eouse. there was a state of armed
neutrality until the death Of Mrs. Har-
rison ended the strain.
Mrs. Harrison had e~ndeavorod dur
ing her illness TO bring about "a pleas
nnter state % affairs in the family, and
Tor a time Der work seemed TO be sue.
ressful. II is understood that one basis
Of the compromise was that no such
event as that about to take place would
be considered.
Mrs. Dimmick continued 20 live In