The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-24
FACTS ABOUT GARDENER.
PART OF THE TAMMANF C4NDI-
DATES RECORD,

ne ContrIved 20 Mako u Society Orrnutrcd In
1880 Antedntc Que Founded IN IsIA by
Means OF an AnidnvIi Denied by tho Wan
HE said HAD Made ut-Noy TIC Wants once.
COL" Asa Bird Gardiner, the Tammany candi-
date for District Attorney. whose business 1t Is
to prosecute criminals, is n member of several
organizations, membership in which Is condi. |
| toned upon ones ability to trace his ancestry
back to some one who fought in the American
Revolution. Among them arc the Society of
the Cincinnati, of which he is the Secretary.
Generals; the Society OF the War of 1912. and the
Sons of the Revolution.
The Society OF the Cincinnati requires that an
applicant for membership shall be n direct de-
scondant among the male line Of an officer in
the Revolutionary Army. The society was
formed many years ago. After n time many of
the chapters gave up their charters. Among
the number was the Rhode Island chapter. In
tho centennial year there was u disposition
on the part OF members of many OF the lnpscd
chapters to get back into the society. One OF
these attempts was made by some of those who
had been members of the Rhode Island chapter.
The Rhode Island folks were advised TO secure
the services OF a lawyer with the right kind Of
influence to look after their interests. The
name Of Asa Bird Gardiner was suggested TO
tnem. He was retained. and through his efforts
tho Rhode Island chapter was revived. With
itsIevival Col Gardiner came up for member
Ship WV Nao VItNlt'l. tllltt lHCl nc III DC'Il
prominent in the organization.
Some time before the death of the lato Ham
then President. General Of the society. he was
called upon by a gentleman interested IN
on the soci Mn!''f n the To E Course ns' Of i IRc h nn Sfi,S!s
talk with Mr.. Fish, the uame of col" Gardiner
was mentioned. The mere mention OF tho
name seemed to irritatc the venerable states
man. When the name had been mentioned sew
erai times Mr.. Fish said to his, visitor:
The least said about Gardiner the better.
He has no more right to belong to this society
than somebody whose ancestors never knew
there was an American Revolution. He asked
the Rhode Island people to get him made II
member, and they did # in return for the wori;
he did in getting them in
This incarnation rather startled the historian,
and thinking that there might be some mis-
dent Of ~ the y" Ncw99 oTEt State Nnai SS bTan SHG Of thu society," etS!i.
and asked him about col" Gardner. Mr.. CoCh-
r@net rnd! the Il. st tori 1I PRACTICALLY the same thing
have much more difficulty. in establishing his
own right to membership than he had in max
ing out the case OF the Rhode Island people.
Mr., Cochrane also said that one OF the members
Of The, Rhode Island chapter had told him that
which Gardiner undertook to secure the re-
newal Of the Rhode Island charter that in case
he was successful he should be made a member
Everybody who has read the papers moro or
less carefully knows abou. the attempt which
Col" Gardiner has made TO have the Board Of
Aldermen grant to the society of the War of
nag at the the B siH I on p the @Srni IN r Of Evsc tno
ton Day. Authorities on the subject seem to
agree that, notwithstanding Gardiner's efforts
Society OF the War OF 1872 is sailing under false
coIors, flung out by Gardiner himself.
found an account OF tho battle OF Fort Nc.
Henry, near Baltimore. fought on sept. II,
those. who participated in it formed what they
called the Society of the Defenders.
As the original members OF this society died
their sons took their places. Finally. in order
that there might, be n general society of direct
descendants Of those who fought in the war of
1Slo- the name Of tho Society Df ihp Defenders
was changed TO that of the Society OF the WaI
Of ISL, Branches were established in various
and, records, from lsl4, are in the hands of DR.
Hadel of baltimore. The secretary General OF
tired. OF fhiiadeiphia.
In 1870 Appleton Morgan Of New Yorb
formed another society of the war of 1872. SoOr
after its organization Asa Bird Gardiner be
came n member. Immediately Gardiner began
Morgan nsaH' had a dlsasrcel PnnonntanSd Gardincr be
came boss. Hearing that u society of the wal
of off,, ISL had ADJ been I.o org a Re in Ne New 70 l ha y ,hS
[ York crowd to join. Gardiner answered the
only tnI,ta orisin "I soeiety anal ahdt t the s E it was wss 1ni
, Joining anything. NO attention was ever paid
The fact that they were members Of an origi
, nal society surprised those who had joined the
/ organization that Mr.. Morgan had founded. Nc
. soHSsef$ %isa man; had dr'd disSovsT red , Rsii sSSsiS,y :
: found an old man named Daily, who had been a
private in the war OF lsl9. He roI Daily I,
l B been ans Gen: Ger o DaI iSe' GSrdin n@n sivins Kim i1" tEy
title. Daily had some OF the records and book.
{ tarp an tI %5F1 IN ,Hd Gon ,nst used of w to meet ba il N Ma.
( u member. Gardiner. got these books and rec
!: or oFa5 the r Msr or q isIn% w galif fSun faS a'H n SEga
? Having Daily as q member of the society found
{ ed in 1870, and having pally,'s records of th'
a soned that the 1880 society was really founded
: in twoj Is26 ;s and IS, so ier pT ,Sln 1Sa fo hnt in tina" Of T iSs
. original society in Baltimore.
) Gardiner heard, however. once upon a time
Q tho Veteran Corps OF Artillery Of 1916" Thi,
was made mp of descendants OF tho Revolution
o isl2; but that didn't matter. Gardiner conic
o fix that. What he wanted was antiquity, :,
that:he could wipe the original society Of thu
War of 1872 off the face of the earth; 1876 wa!
i earlier than 1872, and that WAS all that Gardi
c nsr needed. The statement was prompt!
society. and that members of the l776 society
were members of Dally's 1926 society, anG
that therefore the two organizations were on,
and the same. Therefore the society formed
t in ls"o as an 49, war society dated hack I,
1914, the date of the f%ounding. Of the OrigIna
/ Society OF The War Of ISL, and before that WA,
a i,lI2n'r .. +. original Society of the War a."
g Having established the antiquity of his 1871.
V society. Gardiner declared that his crowd ha,
; the exclusive right to raise the flag al the Hat
terry on Evacuation Day. In November, 1872
~ i'a''t 'ii''l mann 49, - Vi Nv
q Board Of Aldermen. He didn't attempt to cN
plain in his argument what u Society OF IN
d War OF lSl2 hud 10 do with Evacuation Day
q further than to say That the members of IN
~ ~,E;tS an Ga G2rpf Of soc ARTILLERY 1E of i35%,I fTon
d 70 raise the, nag At the Battery prior to 1s2d
To prove this he read an affidavit from Capt
John Norman, now living on Long Island, VIII,
was the Commander Of the Washington Cont
mental Guards. Gardner stated that Norman
mma had frequently participated in tn
l. ceremonies mt tho Battery when the 1916 organ
ization raised the flag. and was, therefore
d competent to testify.
Tie affidavit which Gardiner read, purport
ing to have been sworn to by Norman, was 81
IT or seven pages long. II told all about the flag
raising ceremonies ut the Battery. When Ia
reading was over Capt. Norman rushed out o
the room and, in the presence of Christopher II
Forbes, Charles b.. ltikrr, q. II. Hcndricksor
and Others, all of this city and living hero now
asserted that he never signed tho AFFIDAVIT
which Gardiner read. lie said he never couh
have sworn to it because he never attended III
nag. raising ceremonies at the Battery IN hi
life. lie had, he said, gone to the Rl0Ck IIous
IN Central Park. He said that Gardiner hn'
read him an affidavit of two or three paec'