The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-21
MRS. BENEDICT ARNOLD.
STORY OF THE LIFE or A TRAIT
OR's WIFE.
beautiful, Light-Hearted, Thought
less and Gay, She Had No Love For
the COntincntnIs and Was Not I'm
sympathy WIN Their Designs.
From the Phiiadelphla

the Conttncntnls and Was Not In
Sympathy with Their Designs.
From the Philadelphia Record.
Was tho wife of the famous (or infa-
mous) traitor a sharer in her husbands
plots? Did she fan with him or he with
her? Was she the Lady Macbeth of the
revolution, or was she sinned against?
Alexander Hamilton believed her inno-
cent of crime. Il not of blame. and so did
Robert Morris. Historians such as Sparks
and Reed have united In declaring that
Mrs. Arnold was more sinned against
than a sinner. Poor Mrs. Arnold Was
there ever such an Internal Hllain?"
wrote the finanoier Of the revolution In a
letter concerning the treason of the trail
tor.
Margaret Shipper. the young wife of
Benedict Arnold. was a Philadelphia girl.
She came of family that was known as
one of the elite of the city. Wealth. lux
ury and flattery were about her from her
earliest years. This youngest daughter
of the man who later was chief Justice of
Pennsylvania, the pet and baby" of the
household the toast of the young British
officers while their army occupied the city,
was only IS years of age when Arnold first
met her Beautiful and fascinating, she
was the type OF what would now be known
as society girl"
In her home the continentais had been
held up to ridicule. They were Doors, and
wanting in all the graces of the we'll
dressed, smooth hammered British officers.
Their clothing was ill-htting. their man
ners coarse, and they were not accustom-
ed TO the best society" She heard Moth
ing of the rugged devotion and deep,
strong patriotism of the continental lead
ers The sympathies of her family were
all with the more aristocratic tories, and
right to her became synonymous with lux
ury and display.
Before this young girl appeared Benedict
Arnold, some ten years or more her senior.
There are letters eXtant which show the
general feeling of her family toward this
young officer, who differed so much from
the rank and file of his companions. Not
word concerning his character. nor one
of his moral integrity, but all were of his
tine figure, his brilliant and dashing man.
ners, his ability to dance well and to con-
duct himself properly in tho presence of
such refined people as Margaret Shippers
family. The young girl was taken and
apparently took her family along with
her There is a published letter. written
by Arnold from the camp al Raritan to
Margaret Shlppen In February 1873, not
long before their marriage. in which he
gives full play to his feelings There are
bitter illusions TO the leaders and harsh
complaints at their failure TO recognize
and do justice to his merits and we may
be sure q young soldier as deeply in love
as Arnold doubtless was would not have
written In that fashion unless he had
known IN Just what manner his letter
would have been received He knew her
admiration for the dashing relocated
men, and IL may be she had expressed her
wish that he was on the other side, but
there is no record of her ever having writ
| ten such words TO her lover His own let
tiers show by their expressions his knowl-
edge OF her real feelings I'm the struggle
| The unconscious influence of the society
girl must be considered among the ele-
ments that led to the downfall or rather
| TO the revelation of ArnOds character for
| he was a traitor not because he betra we'd
| his country, but he betrayed his country
| because he had already become traitor.
me marriage, which soon followed. in
| creased the perils OF Arnold His wife
| sun chung TO her friends, who were on
| the other side OF the struggle, and through
| her her husband was brought into fire.
| quent contact with the enemies of his
| country. 1t Is highly probable that more
! than once he listened to expressions of
wonder that such man as he should be
| content to remain among the Doors. 1t
| was no cause of wonder that he should
| not be appreciated by them. The simple
| truth was they were incapable of appre-
cating such a man. who in ability and
grace so far surpassed them all.
| III such words were spoken, Arnold
| found no antidote In the counsels or ex-
| ample of his wife She had none of the
missionary spirit in her nature, and could
not understand what such coarse and
rough men wanted. For herself a gay
| time was the only happy time, and she
| had no taste or desire for the narrow life
| American generals.
Nor was her influence alone with the
young British officers. AT the very time
| when the little party of Washington ar
| rived at West Point Lafayette reminded
| the general that Mrs. Arnold might be
waiting breakfast for them and that they
| had best hasten, and the leader laughing
| ly responded: "Ah, you young men are
| all in love with Mrs. Arnold and wish to
| get where she is as soon as possible. Go
| breakfast with her and do not walt for
The correspondence Of Maj Andre with
| Mrs. Arnold often has been quoted as
hon taas huA gt Ia. rat4
| which was then going on, but a candid
/ judgment can only pronounce Ii all a part
| Of the life Of the light-hearted woman
| She simply must keep In touch with the
| gayer life of the world outside and An
! dre's letters, bright, witty and full of Cos
sip were only, portion Of that
| When Arnold knew that his plot was
| discovered he FASTENED to his wife's room,
| quickly summoned her, and under the ne
Gessity Of prompt action, almost brutally
told her the exact condition. and when he
left the room his wife had swooned and
fallen
| did soon, she had recovered sufficiently to
| vent all her feelings upon him. He was
! 10 blame for II all. He II was who had
plotted to ruin her husband and murder
| his wife and child. Col. Hamiltons letters
| described her almost uncomfortable raw
! ings and tears. Even then the true nature
showed itself. She made no plans TO join
| her husband, but left West Point 10 seek
| her father home in Philadelphia. But by
| an order of the authorities, all of Arnold's
| papers had been SelZeus ana among them
the letters Of Maj. Andre were found.
/ Simple they seem to us now, but in the
/ condition of public sentiment at the time
they were so construed as to implicate
Mrs Arnold In the treason Of her hus-
| band, and by an order Of the council, she
was compelled TO leave the state, nor was
she to be allowed to return as long as the
| war continued.
sadly the broken-hearted woman, still
little more than a girl, started on her
tourney across New Jersey to rejoin her
| husband who was then In New York.
| Public sentiment was not all on one side,
| however. and several times in her journey,
| when her coach entered villages where
| the people were preparing to burn or hang
| the traitor in efiigy, the deed was post
| poned until after she had left the town.
| From this time forth her life was under
| the shadow. Her husband had left the
| Americans. butOhe had not gained the
| British The long war came 20 a close,
| and for a time Mrs Arnold resided at ST.
| John. ~ b. with her husband, whence
| reports came that she had regained q Dor-
ton Of her vivacity and was fascinating
| society woman.
| However. their home was abandoned
| soon, and they resided IN London. An
! American visitor wrote back one time OF
| having seen Benedict Arnold and his wife
| standing together before the tomb of An
"a 4 =.