Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-22


lngton could not tell a lie, that does
not prove that his enemies could not
issue propaganda. Modernists have
assumed that propaganda originated
in the late World War, but history
repeats ITSELF
A kansan has just announced that
he has found a George Washington
letter to Mrs. Washington, and that
1t d1scloses, among other things, that
the man first in war, first in peace
and first in the hearts of his country
women" was very careless in leaving
his family correspondence lying
around loose, where the enemy could
peruse all the secrets confided to his
wife, including his defense against
her jealous reproaches at his sus.
pected fiirtations, also his loyalty to
his beloved" King George III, even
after he had been fighting the British
troops for months. The letter is dated
June 24-a fortnight prior to our
Declaration of Independence.
The story which the Kansan at
taches to the letter is that when Gen
Washington rather precipitately aban-
doned Fort Lee. he left behind him
a negro slave, who was "indisposed,"
and with that slave was left small
portfolio containing this letter. The
British, according to Kansas authori-
ty, captured the slave and the letter,
although the latter was supposed to
have been mailed months before to
its address; sent the letter to Eng
land, where it was published, and
whence its contents eventually reached
New York, where it was republished.
X X X
1t is not explained why a letter
written by Gen. Washington to his
wife should have been found in camp,
so long after 1t had been written. in
stead of being mailed. Modern hus-
bands sometimes are charged with
carrying letters given them to mail,
but who could imagine such a nefari-
GUS practice was pre-Revolutionary?
Gen. Washington never thought the
propaganda letters worthy of answer
until near the end of his presidency
years after the close of the Revolu
tion-when a new edition of the
SANDER was published, with the APP
parent malicious attempt to detract
from his reputation so exalted above
that of his political opponents.
1t is we'll known that there was
very bitter and merciless partisan
conspiracy against Washington. It
was called "Conway's Cabal," from the
was Gen. Conway. although other
leaders were Gen. Gates-Washing
tons rival for chief command of the
Revolutionary troops-and Gen. Milf
fin.
Conway by birth was an Irishman.
He had had years of military ex-
perience in France fighting against
England, and on that fact he based
his claim to a generalship, accorded
him by Congress. He is described as
a braggart, presumptuous and in
triguing.
When it was rumored that Conway
was to be promoted by Congress with
out approval by the commander-in-
chief, Washington wrote letter Of
protest to a Congressman, in which, in
very plain language, he set forth his
reasons for objecting. The promotion
was dropped.
Later Gen. Conway was wounded in
a duel with an American officer and,
believing he was about to die, he
wrote a letter to Gen. Washington.
expressing sorrow for his misconduct
toward him and adding:
fMy career will soon be over, there
fore justice and truth prompt me to
declare my last sentiments. You are
in my eyes the great and good man.
May you long enjoy the love, venera-
ton and esteem of those whose lib
critics you have asserted by your
This propaganda anti. Washington !
letter Is pronounced a clear forgery, |
according to the authority of Mr.. w. |
G. Ford, former chief of the manu- |
script room of the Library of Con-
gress. He cites Washington's denial |
of it in a letter to Richard Henry
Lee: In which he says, mot one word |
of it did ever WRITE"
Mr.. Ford suggests that the forgery
might have been committed by an
Episcopal clergyman, named Verdill, |
because he was a British sympathizer |
living in Virginia, familiar with Wash. |
ington's family affairs. An expert ex.
animation OF the handwriting shows |
that it is not Washington's chiroe.
raphy. The Kansan finder of the |
letter declares that If It be proved a |
forgery 1t will be even more valuable |
than genuine washington letter, for |
such letters abound, while early prom |
uganda is rarer. So it is in search OF |
q salable.4 manuscript. rather than |
historic truth. which is what Is the |
matter with Kansas"
\ \
Political forgeries are not rare. When |