The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1920-11-06

was the Hardings, blue-eyed stock
who had fought in the Revolutionary
war and against the Indians.
Nearby lived the Appleman family,
also of the sturdy, pioneer kind. They
had bee nfriends, but Ill feeling arose
over some trivial fling betwee nthe
neighbors. Itch broke out in the COM
munity-a humiliating visitatio nthen
as now. The people, especially the
children, ate too much buckwheat.
This brought out rash and both the
Harding children and the Appleman
children suffered from 1t and felt
shamed.
Zone da yin school one of the Apple
man children turned to a small Hard
ing and said: If it weren't for you
Niggers we wouldn't have any itch In
this village referring probably to the
old Indian tale. The insulted Harding
promptly punched an Appleman nose.
When the tale was taken back to the
Appleman family it made bad feeling,
and there were many fights.
Revived, Ten a Murder.
From time to time the echoes of
the silly accusation died away then
something would happen to revive 1t.
For instance, there was David C. But
Ter "a blacksmith of Iberia, o., who
married a young woman of the Hard
ing stock. The blacksmith had a Gus
toner named Smith On October Is,
1S49, they quarreled over money, and
the customer hurled nasty remark
at Butler to the effect that 'nobady
could expect to get square deal from
a man who marie da Niger
Butler wasted no words, but threw
an edged tool at his insulter, killing
him. He was arrested, tried for muir
der, and convicted, but was pardoned
within short time largely because
public opinion exonerated him.
"In the next generation the story
kept rising, yet never with a scintilla
o fproof. The home people around
Marion were too familiar with the
physical appearance o fthe Hardings
to be impressed by the occasional re-
currence of the ancient lie. They re-
called the personal appearance of old
Amos Harding himself and the rest of
the stock, and laughed at the story.
Crops Up at Wedding.
at cropped up in 1891 when Warren
G. Harding married Florence Killing, a
daughter of Amos King, a business
man of Marion. She had been married
before and not very successfully. Her
father was against her marrying a
young editor with no assets but a
struggling rural journal. He seefs to
have seized upon the story as means
of dissuading his daughter from the
marriage. She ignored his insinua
tons, investigated the Islander and
satisfied herself it held not trace OF
truth. Whereupon she married young
Harding and was disowned by her
father.
"Mr. Killing Walked the streets OF
Marion nursing a new grievance and
repeating the old SANDER; that Is, he
did up to certain night when Mr..
Harding went to him and saim some
thing. What it was nobody knows ex-
Icept Harding, but King never repeat
ed the SANDER.
Story Circulated Again.
| when Mr.. Harding ran for lieu
tenant governor the story was circu-
lated by the same subterranean means
as now. 1t had no effect. When he ran
for governor attempts were mad to
disinter it, but it is said that Judson
Harmon himself who was Harding's
Opponent, blocked it with Harding is
my friend and a gentleman. l will
have nothing to do with so scandalous
a lie.'
"Chronologically this brings us to
the present campaign, which in Ohio
has never been equaled for vicious
ness and nastiness. Senator Harding's
friends say the story was revived and
deliberately elaborated by the Demo
cratic managers because of. the des.
perate straits of the Cox campaign.
PROF. Chancellor OF Wooster bobbed
up with his spurious genealogy Of the
; Harding family. Responsible persons
say Chancellor some time ago went to
the White House and told Secretary
Joseph Tumulty that Mr.. Harding
would never be inaugurated president
II is also stated he offered certain
proofs to Mr.. Tumulty. who showed
him the DOOR"