The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-08-21
Stanford White.
Richard Harding Davis in Collier.
Weekly. .E.

spoke all unkind one resents the fact
that before he can try to tell what
Stanford White was, he must first tell
what Stanford White was not. But
owing to the manner Of his death and
to the conduct of certain newspapers.
the preface is necessary. Had STAN
ford White died in bed, with his fam
lily, friends, and the family physician
gathered about him, no newspapers
would have found anything to say
Of him save that which was apprecia-
tive, true, and kind. In his death they
would have seen only loss to this
city and to this country. They would
have regretted him as a great artist.
whose work instead Of hanging in the
drawing-rooms of the few rich, stands
where all men get the god of it, out
of doors, in the public streets, in the
parks Of the p ople.
But because his death was violent.
and to the most painful degree sensa-
tional, that part of the press that fat
tens on sensation ordered the local
room "to play up" to "lct it run for
all it will stand," to pile horror upon
horror. And to the truth, which was
sad enough, was added what was abso-
lutely untrue and absolutely unpar-
donable. Speaking as one who has
been in the newspaper business for
fifteen years and as one who was we'll
acquainted with Stanford White, I
can truly say that in those fifteen
years [ have never known an attack
made upon any one as undeserved, as
unfair, as false as the one made upon
him. That within three days the awful
charges fell to pieces of their own rot
tcnncSS did not correct the wrong that
had been committed. wrong far
worse than murder. 1t was three davS
too late. Over all this country. over
Europe. had been sent broadcast the
hldenuS miS>hapcn image uf the man
we knew to be 50 different. and the
good that Stanford White had done
was Inferred with his bones. 1t can
not remain buried Seeing no other
sign of ii. can not believe that
among us fair play is so dead that
men will listen to those who attack
another only when he is unable to
defend himself or to punish them The
Just and the fairmin,lcd will ask why
these charges were" made against
White only after he was murdered:
and why. if the newspapers knew Of
these things. they did not criminallv
fail IL their duty /" tho community
IN not >""ncr maxim" them public. Had
the newspapers done 50 while Stan
ford White still was alive. they
would have been as quickly IuniSh-
ed rs. since his death. their charges
HAY" been di>pr"vrd. These charges
ar" :" iml'"sSihlc that were they not
hide"us they would be absurd. Had
some Of them been true Stanford
/ White would have been the first to
cut his own acquaintance had others
been true he would have cut his own
| throat.
Fortunately the testimony to their
falscncsS does not come only from
those who knew and liked him. but al.
so from the witnesses called against
him by the yellow newspapers and by
men hired to spy upon his every
movement in that time were unable
to attain one item of evidence against
him: the society which. the yellow
press declared. it held among its re-
cords evidence of Whites misconduct,
through its president Indignantly de-
MED that this was so. or that for such
Il statement there was the least found
alton; and of three places described
rs StudioS' rented by White. the
owner Of each showed that White had
never even visited his house. was ut
tcrly unknown to him, and demanded
that the newspaper make retracton.
Twenty-four hours later without
shame newspapers that had accused
White Of maintainin" three harems
regretted its "mistake.' Its real re-
=ret was that it had made the mistake
of offending living owners of real
estate who might advertise, not that
it had wantonly lied about a man who
was dead.
But. perhaps, what most helped to-
ward the truth and what in New York
started the reaction Stanford White s
favor was the testimony of the very
women who, if wnat has been said Of
Stanford White were so, had the best
reason to be his enemies.