Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 October 1884 — MARRIAGE NO 2 [ARTICLE]

MARRIAGE NO 2

Ex-Congressman LeMoyne’s Testimony That Shows Blaine Lied at Pittsburg. He Sbemed Anxious That Thn Second Marriage Should be Keft Secbet and was“ Alum” as to The First (?) EX-CONGRESSMAN LE MOYNE’S Deposition in Regard to Blaine’s Marriage at Pittsburg. Special to the Indianapolis Sentinel, Chicago, Oct 2. —Ex-Con-gress John V. LeMoyne, of this city, gave his deposition to-day concerning the secret marriage of James G. Blaine, at Pittsburg.. Hon. W. C. Goudy represented the Sentinel and W. H. Miller, of Indianapolis the plaintiff. In answer to questions Mr. Le Moyne testified as follows: ‘Mr. Blaine came to the office where I was studying. He told me he wanted io get married to a young lady who was then passing through Pittsburg with her friends; that her friends were opposed to the marriage, and that he could manage to pet her out of the hotel for a snort time if it could be arranged to have the ceremony performed. Mr. Blaine asked me to get another witness to the marriage. I went to see a friend of mine, Mr. David W. Bell, a lawyer in Pittsburg, and ask him if he had any objection to be a witness to a marriage of that kind. He said he nad not, and by agreement I got him and went to the preacher’s house. Shortly after we got there M r. Blaine came in with a lady, and they stood up and were married and went out. 'The only persons present were Mr. Bryan, Mr. Bell, Mr. Blaine, this lady and myself. I did not see her face. She had a heavy black veil oyer her face, which was not raised during the time she was in the room. My recollection is that she had a cloak and shawl about 1 er. but I am not postive as I<> that. I think she was bunded up a good deal. Icouldn >t tell if I had ever seen her ;»efore be. cause of the black veilBlaine gave her name as Har riet Stanwood A marriage certificate was handed to Blaine. He said nothing about a former marriage. He told me at the time that he didn’t want anything said about it for six months. The True Version Ana The False. What Fisher Wrote To Blaine April 15. 1872: I have placed you in positions whereby you have received very large sums of money without one dollar of expense to you, and you ought not to forget the act on my part. Of all the parties connected with the Little Rock and Fort Smith railroad no one has been so fortunate as yourself in obtaining money out of it. You obtained subscriptions from your friends in Maine for the bilding of the Little Rock and Fort Smith railroad. Out of their subscriptions you obtained a large amount both of bonds and money free of cost to you. I have your own figures, and know the amount. Owing to your political position you were able to work off all your bonds at a very high price, and the fact is well-know to others as well as myself, Would your friends in Maine be satisfied if they knew the facts? What Blaine Wanted Fisher To Write To Him April 16, 1876: The enterprise of building the Little Rock and Fort Smith railroad was undertaken in 1869 by a company .of Boston gentlemen, of whom I was myself one. The bonds of the road were put upon the market in this city on what was deemed very a ; \ antageous terms to the purchaser. They were sold largely through myself. You became the purchaser of about $30,000 of the bonds on precisely the same terms that every other buyer received, paying for them in installments, running over a considerable period, just as others did. The transaction was perfectly op en, and there was no more se cresy in regard to it than if you had been buying flour or

sugar, sure you never owned a bond of the r< ad that you did not pay for at the marke trate. Indeed, I am sure that no one received bonds on any other terms. The discrepancy between these extracts is plain. The question of which is the true version is important. Mr. Firsher’s version .was written to Mr. Blaine, four vears to a day*, before Mr. Blaine wrote out another version, for Air. Fisher to copy. The Fisher version, if false, was a gross insult to Mr. Blaine. Mr. Blaine, however, treated it i s if it was true. He did not resent it. He maintained inti mate relations with Air. Fishß er —how intimate the very request Mr. Bliane made of Mr. Fisher, in April 1876, proves. He wrote confidential, endearing and begging letters to Mr. Fisher repeatedly afterw r ard. He thus showed his full adoption of Mr. Fisher’s version of their relations. Finally, he thought Mr. Fisher would stultify his own words on she subject of those relations, and he asked him to do so. He assumed that Mr. Fisher would gladly put up a deception for him on the judiciary committee and on the country, for at the mildest expression, on any theory, the scheme proposed such a de, ception.