The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-11


aggrieved over a poker game in which
he had suffered considerable loss.
l have the story from a gentleman
who is cognizant of all the facts, and
the omission of whose name from this
narrative is due solely to the fact that
he is one of the most conspicuous club
men in Washington, leading business
man and a gentleman whose word in
the business or social world of the cap
ital would be accepted without ques-
ton upon any subject. In furnishing
the details of the affair he spoke as
any clubman would, with a due re-
gard for the honor of the organization
and his own obligations as a member.
l quote him in full:
Gen. Corbin was not rejected be-
cause of any statement affecting his
conduct as gentleman or an officer.
He is man of strong personality and
has consequently incurred enmities in
his official life which will last as long
as he lives. Every man who has ever
applied to him for a favor which was
refused has a knife drawn for Gen.
Corbin.
Il want to say emphatically that the
objections urged to Gen. Corbin ema-
mated solely from men who, / am in
formed, had made requests. directly or
through friends. upon him to which he
could not accede. That ends the mat
ter so far as the presentation and with
drawal of his name are concerned.
LAS to the charge than Gen. Corbin
was once seriously involved in a game
of cards. that is another proposition. 1t
has forced it's way to the front at every
station or post at which Gen. Corbin
has been located for the past twenty
years or more.
1T is a lie. 1t is absolutely false
from beginning to end. l know this to
be true. / also know that Gen. Cor
bin, to shield another man, has re-
manned silent under the most serious
charge that could be brought against
any man of honor. The story as it
gained currency is as follows:
"One night in a game at the home
of the late Gen. Robert C. Schenck, in
which several very prominent men
were engaged, Gen. Corbin raked in a
pot with the assertion, I'll take II;
have a flush at the same time throw
ing his hand face downward on the
table. Some curious player turned the
hand up and 1t was shown to be a bob
tailed flush-four hearts and a dia-
mond.
LAS a result Corbin was practically
ostracized from games at cards. 1t be-
came a common thing, after some time
for a man holding a bob-tail flush to
throw 1t up with the remark, I've got
a Corbin.' That Is the story as II was
given out.
mo such thing ever happened. Gen
Corbin never made such a play as has
been ascribed to him. Gen. Schemes
denied the story IN every part, and or
one occasion severely rebuked an army
officer who used the offensive express
sion in his presence with the indig.
nant statement: I will not permit such
| language TO be used in my presence
| Gen. Corbin is gentleman, and has
never been guilty of any violation oil
the rules of honor. resent any such
imputation upon his character
II myself" continued my informant
| have held in my hand a letter from
| Gen. Schenck In which he denied ir
the most emphatic and explicit terms
the story about derelictions at cards
at his house in which Gen. Corbir
was involved. He spoke of Gen. Cor
| bin as a gentleman and a soldier
above any such dishonorable sugges-
ton or practice, and deplored the pub
| licity that had been given to the false
wicked and malicious lie then in cir.
| culation.
More than this, have held in my
hand a letter of apology to Gen. Cor.
bin from the man who first gave the
| lie it's impetus.
| he IdClS ABOUT the charge are AIT
er this fashion:
! Gen. Corbiu, like many other meI
in army and navy life, delighted t.
indulge in a friendly game of card
| with personal friends. One night a
Gen. Schenck's house a game was il
| progress in which the stakes wer,
rather high. One of the players a for.
mer officer In the army, was a very
heavy loser. Corbin was a winner. ThC
officer in question was a man we'll III
| In years who could not control hi.
| tongue or his temper. He left the
| game in an angry mood and declared
| it his opinion that Corbin's success:
was due to anything but fair playing
| There was no charge of guilt, only the
| mean hint of a disgruntled man.
| newspaper correspondent heard tn,
story, amplified it, and that started tn,
lie on its way. That was the genesis
of the charge.
After the story had appeared IL
| print the army officer in question who
| had given currency to 1t endeavoreC
| in every way to repair his fault. He
went so far as to write a personal let
ter to Corbin confessing his part in the
| affair and declaring that he had spok.
en- falsely about the events of the
! evening. The age of the man, hil
manifest regret for what had occurred
and the subsequent efforts of mem.
bers of his family to correct the false.
hood led Gen. Corbin TO seal his lips
upon the subject