o ■^■ tKv!^ "-^^ .^^'' -^^ '-^^0^ *;* J" ^. ./' '^A « ' u^.,^ ^ .-aiK'-, X ./■ 'O^C, VV «^\> '. k ^ '-. "-^^n^ "^* .V iVv^ iV -. u <* *^ %^-^' ■ ■^^t winter, since 1841, or of having ever seen AMernian Fulmer, there or elsewhere. The Alderman, I am informed, is a man who wouhl not be likely to make such statemeiit-s unless he believed them to be true. But it is ver}- certain that he haa fallen into a very gross error somehow, probably by mistaking some other person, with whom he may have held the conversation in question, for Col. Fremont He owes it to his own character, 88 well as to justice, to take steps to confirm or correct the accuracy of his l-ecolleetion in this matter. You may rely upon the entire authenticity of the statements 1 have thus made in reply to your inquiry for the "facts." In the present state of the public mind, and in view of the earnest and persevering misrepresentations of the trutli, you may think it desirable that they should be gene- rally known. If so, you are quite at liberty to make them public, and to add that they are given as the result of conversations with Col. Fremont himself I am, very truly, yours, HENRY J. RAYMOND. E. D. Mansfield, Esq., Cincinnati. Read this note refuting the slander that the statements in the letter of July 29th were not the result of conversations held with Col. Fke- MONT, by Lieut, Gov. Ratmond himself: L.ast Excuse takeu from Ills vilifiers. New-York, Aug. 9, 1856. To the Editor of the Rochester American : I perceive in your paper of the 7th inst., the following comment upon my letter to E. D. Manstield : " Mr. Raymond closes by saying, of these statements, that Mr. Mansiield ' is quite at liber- ty to make them public, and to add that they are fiven as the result of conversations with Col. remont himself.' " • Conversations ' with whom ? Mr. Raymond is careful not to say that the conversations were with him. He merely gives the rumors as they have reached him, but does not say that he has had a word of conversation with Col. Fremont himself" If I had foreseen the possibility of so small a cavil as this, I should certainly have precluded it by greater precision of language. As I failed to do so then, I trust you will permit me to sup- ply the omission, and to add to the statements contained in the original letter, the further fact, that they were all given AS THE RESULTS, AND ON THE AUTHORITY OF CONVER- SATIONS HAD BY ME WITH COL. FREMONT HIMSELF. Of course, I do not expect that this addition will have any efifect upon the incredulity of those who are determined not to be convinced. It is not for them that my letter was written, or that this explanation is added. Yours, HENRY J. RAYMOND. Read this copy of the record of the baptism of his children, at the Church of the Epiphany in Washington City : Washington City, July 12, 1866. The following children of J. Charles and Jessie Benton Fremont have been baptised in the Church of the Parish of the Epiphany, Washington, D. C. — their baptisms being record- ed in the register of said parish : "1848, Aug. 15, Elizabeth McDowell Benton Fremont. " 1848, Aug. 16, Benton Fremont " 1853, Dec. 28, John Charles Fremont. " 1855, Aug. 1, Francis Preston Fremont." As none were baptised in a house, but all were brought to the church, the order of the Pro- testant Episcopal Church for " the Ministration of Public Baptism of Infants," was that which was used. J. W. Frencu, Rector of the Parish of the Epiphany, Wash., D. C. It will be noticed that these'haptisms of Col, Fremont's children were not performed private- ly, but publicly in the church, before all the world, who chose to look on, to listen to the vows of the parents and sponsers that they should be brought up in the faith of the Church. Among the sponsers of these children were Col. Benton, Kit Carson, Capt. Lee, U. S. K, Francis P. Blair, and Col. Fremont himself (a stronpj point, as a Catholic could not promise such things) ; and Mr. Blair, who has known Col. Fremont for many years intimately, is astonished at the persistent attempts to force him to be a Catholic against his will, when he has known him always to be a Protestant and to repeatedly de- clare himself as of that faith by education, con- viction and profession. Tlic Liars again effectually Branded I Mr. LiviNGSTOK, whose letter is subjoined, stands high as a gentleman of untarnished in- tegrity. His testimony is to the point, and ef- fectually stamps the brand of falsehood upon thp whole troop of worthless and unprincipled liars who persist in asserting that Col. Fremont is a Roman Catholic. Belzebub was a liar from the beginning, and these serfs of Border Ruffianism will be liars to the end. Whatever evidence may be fuinished, they will continue to bark at the " Empty Hole:" C0KKE3P0NDENCE WITH ROBERT F. LIVINGSTON Letter from John M% Welch, Esq. Hudson, Aug. 30, 1856. R. F, Livingston, E»q. : Dr. Sir: Knowing that you, some years since, had a personal acquaintance with johu C. Fre- mont, and that you were a companion of his in several Kxploriiig or Engineering txpeditions, 1 write you a few lines for the purpose of obtain- ing your understanding of Mr Fremont's views with reference to Slavery extension ; and also to ascertain IVoOJ you whether he was, at the time you were with him, a I'ro-Slavery man and a Roman Catholic. If yon will have the kindness to give me the information 1 ask for, you will confer a great favor. Respectfully yours, JOHN M. WELCH. Letter from Robert F- Livingston, Esq. [The following letter, from a gentleman famili- arly known to the citizens of Columbia county as " Frank " Livingston, ought to talisfy, and ' will satisfy, every candid inquirer after truth — especially those who know Mr. Livingston per- sonally or by reputation. — Hudson Rep.] f LiviifGSTOH, Columbia Co.^ Sept. 2, 185S, Mr. John M. Wklgh— Dear Sir: Your note of the 30th of August, addressed to me, soliciting my understanding of Col. John C. Fremont's Religious tenets and views of humau Slavery, I am pleased to comply with. I have been per- sonally acquainted with him for nearly twenty years. In the year 1837 we were for several mouths associated in the same Corps of Engi- neers, serving in North Carolina. We camped together, ate and slept together in the deep ra- vines of the Blue Ridge, far removed from any habitation. Krom our daily intercourse and iu- tiniacy it might very naturally be inferred, " as the fact is." that we became pretty conversant with each others opinions and characters. I ha/ix no hesitation in declaring, from the knowledge I i/ien obtained of him, and have since obtained from my associations with him, that his religious opinions were, and still are, those of the Protestant Episco- palians. Independent of this, I will state that the only Prayer Book in our tent at the Blue Ridge uas owned by John C. Fremont, with his name inscribed on the cover, which was the Common Prayer Book used by all Episcopalians, and the same kind that I had from boyhood been accustomed to use. This circumstance is strongly impressed upon my mind from the fact that there was among our number a son of the Episcopal Bishop of Baltimore, a strict disciplinarian, -whn, in the hurry of preparation for camp, neglected to bring his Book of Prayers, which produced in our company no slight degree of amusement at his expense. If Mr. Fremont is now a Roman Catholic he must certainly have become so since his nomination. In reply to your question of Slavery, I will introduce a short extract from the journal kept by me at the time spoken of, in 1837 : " I am mystified witii regard to the cliaracter of my com- panion, Fremont. Tlie moat taciturn, modest man I ever met, reminding me of William C, and, like him, is not readily drawn into conversation, looking at times as if he were resolving some difficult problem in Euclid." M * * * "One week has passed. I am greatly fatigued by the last few days' laborious duties. Buncome is truly a rough county. That young man, Fremont, is a genius— a diamond of the first water — a person of no ordi- nary capacity. Such application coupled with such in- domitable perseverance — such a determination to surmount every obstacle— a patient investigation unsurpassed." ***** I. ^ month has elapsed. We are camp- ing in the most primitive of forests. Our caterer brings in a deer; our taciturn man is more communicative lately. He is ioved, respected and admired by us all. First im- pressions of persons are generally the best. It is mine, that Fremont will, at some future ds^y, be distinguished ; such energy, such perseverance, such applicatum and talent, cannot escape notice, and will not go unrewarded. I am, in a measure, his confidant, conversing with liim freely on all subjects, including that of Slavery. lie does not conceal his opinions of the institution. He condemns it much, even in the presence of our companions. 1 am more cautious." This is from my jotirnal, nearly twenty years ago. I believo IVtun what I have heard Mr. Fre- mont say of the demoralizing etft-cts of Slavery, that he hates it, but would not advise interfer- ence where it is esl'iblished. lie is opposed to it* extension. I have been in Col. Fremont's com- pany in Kentucky, Cuba and California, and on the Isthmus of I'iinama. His views on this ques- tion of human Slavery are what all good men desire. Of his Protestantism there can be no doubt. Beliering that this will satisfy you upon the seve- ral points alluded to, and trusting that you will, "as I certainly shall," cast your vote for Fremont and Freedom, I remain, yours, &c., ROBT. F. LIVINGSTON. The following extract is from the letter pub- lished, by the Hon. John I. Slingerland on the great issues of the day, dated Albany, August 12th, 1856: It is said that he is a Catholic. That charge is unqualifiedly false, and I am willing to stake my whole reputation for veracity on its denial. And here I desire to say, that what I state about Colonel Fremont in this connection is not what a certain New -York Alderman told some obscure politician he had seen Col. Fremont ilo at Wash- ington, while he was actually in California, but is the evidence of my own eyes and ears. Dur- ing the Congressional session of 1848. I enjoyed the intimate personal acquaintance of Col. Fre- mont and his family at Washington. I was a member of the House, and he a prisoner at the bar of the Court Martial. Col. Fremont's situa- tion in California had been a critical one, and the high responsibility rested upon him of taking and pursuing such a course of conduct as should be compatible with the safety of the country and at the same time free it from Mexican power. The great and trying emergency in which he was placed compelled him, even in disregard of civil authority, to be mindful of the higher claims of his country. It required the unflinching nerve and courage of Col. Fremont, by a single bold and decisive step, to save California from falling into the hands of the enemy. During the two months the Court Martial sat, several of the members of his Exploring Compa- ny, William H. Russell. Secretary of State of Cali- fornia. L. Godey, Kit Carson, Breckenridge, Ferguson, and others, boarded at the same place I did. There it was that I learned the whole history of Fremont; and from the lips of each of them, and repeatedly from Kit Carson and from Gndey, did I hear the expression of the devoted attachment to Fremont of all of his mountain companions, that they would die for him. My regular Church was the Presbyterian ("Dr. Smith's), but I went occasionally to the different Catholic Churches at Washington from curiosity, and I never saw Col. Fremont or any member of his family there; but have seen him and his family at one of the Episcopal Churches, and I know that he was in the habit of regularly at- tending it. I recollect distinctly that Mrs. Fre- mont met us at our boarding place one Sabbath morning, as we were about to start for Dr. Smith's Church, and my wife invited her to accompany us. but she declined, saying that she and Mr. Fremont generally attended their own Church, the Episcopal. But I have still later evidence, and that from Fremont's own lips. While on a visit to New- York, and previous to Col Fremont's nomuiHtion, 1 called upon him at his residence. In the course of the conversation that ensufd, I casually re- marked that it had been reported in some places that he was a Catholic; his immediate answer was, '■You know better than that." I then told him tliat I had denied the charge, and he replied that was right, and that neither himself or any mem- ber of his family ever belonged to the Roman Catholic Chuch— and remarked, "you know what church I attended while in Washington." With all except those who are determined not to be convinced no better proof than this ifl ne- cessarj. Tlie cliarsje of Fremont's Catliolicism triuiiiplnaiitly refuted by the very evi- dence of Ills accusers ! Read this extract from the Cook statement, published ia the Albany Statesman ! ! ! How stands the case, and what is the proof? Between Mr. B. F. Cook and Fremont at a late interview, as sworn to by Mr. Cook, the follow- ing conversation took place: " It 13 pretty generally slated that you were married by a Roman Catholic Priest, which I suppose you, too, acknowledge to be the fact " His answer was, " I DO." " Did you at that time acknowledge or profess to be a believer in the Roman Catholic faith 5"' His aniwer was, "I DID NOT." " Have you at any time, either before or since your mar- riage, professed or acknowledged yourself a believer in the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church V" His an- swer was, " I HAVE NOT." Fremont made similar answers to similar ques- tions to several Protestant Ministers at a subse- quent interview. Fuemont's accusers have time and aajain de- clared that they would willingly believe him to be a Protestant if he would deny the charge of Catholicism! Are they now satisfied? Read this result of the investigation of the Catholic Story by Henry Ward Beechee. Take, for example, Rev. Henry Ward Beech er. No one will suspect him of Anti Protestant proclivities. Nor will any one — even his bitter- est enemies — accuse him of falsehood. Hearing the charge, he took the trouble to investigate it. We have already published the result of that in- vestigation. He says : " Col. Fremont was blessed with a mother of devoted piety. She was a member of the Episcopal Church, St. Fhilip's, Charleston, S. C., and reared her son in her own faith. Indeed, until he was fourteen, Col. Fremont was educated in the hope and expectation that he would be- come an Episcopal Minister. AT SIXTEEN, HE WAS CONFIRMED IN THE E1'ISC0P\L CHURCH. AND HAS. EVERSINCE.WHEN WITHIN REACH OF THE CHURCH, BEEN AN ATTENDANT AND COMMUNI- CANT. And since his temporary sojourn in New- York, he has been an attendant at Dr, Aiithon"s church, until recently; and now he worships at Grace Church. Mrs. Fremont was reared strictly in the Presbyterian Church, and united with the Episcopal Church upon her marriage with Col. Fremont. THEIR CHILDREN HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. It is said that a daughter has been sent to a Catholic institution for education So far from it, she has never been away from home at all, but has been educated by her own mother." Read this letter from the Hon. G. W. Wright: L,etter from the Hon. G. W. "IVrig-ht. Washington. D. C, Aug. 16, 1856. My Dear Sir : I am authorized by Col. Fremont to deny, in the most positive language, the report now in circulation, to the effect that he is a Ro- man Catholic. From a long and intimate acquaintance with Col. Fremont, I will further add that I know, of my own knowledge, that he has never had any connection whatever with the Catholic Church or the Catholic religion. G. W. WRIGHT. Son. RjCBARD MoTT, House of Representatives. Another Witness. — Samuel Barney, who "wa» Collector and Postmaster at Santa Barbara, Cal , says he knew Col. Fremont well from 1849 to 1854, and knows iiim to be an Episcopalian. He says: "I was with him during the canvasa for the second term of Senator from California, and at that time nearly every member of the California Legislature from the southern part of the State were Catholics, and all it would have required to have elected him at once, would have been for him to be a Catholic ; but he was not, and did not get that influence. At the time I knew Col. Fremont he had every political in- ducement to be a Catholic, but was not one, and it is strange that the attempt should now be made to make out that he is or ever has been one. I speak what I know from years of politi- cal intimacy with him, and I know it also from his own lips. I was in California at the time of the adoption of their state Constitution, and voted for it, and no man in California did as much as Col. Fremont to make it a Free State; and when Slavery demanded a division of the State, that her institution might be engrafted upon the southern half, no other man did as much to prevent it as did John C. Fremont, and upon Free Soil principles." Mr. Barney's letter is published in the Long Islander. Read This I Fenner I'almer, of Newark, Wayne county, having frequently encountered the Fillmoreish allegation that Henry Ward Beecher's story about the dog Noble was not authentic, addressed a note to the distinguished clergyman, inquiring if he were not really the author of that sarcastic squib. The following is the reply, which we find in the Newark Journal : Lenox, August 25, 1856. Dear Sir: — The story of Noble is true; and the record of it you inclosed to me I wrote. Nothing can be more silly than tlu attempt to fix ■upon Col. Fremont the Catholic relision. I am personally acquainted with Col. Fremont and hit excellent uife ; and have repeatedly talked with both upon this subject, minutely, and I must say that in all my life J never knew a lie so utterly baseless, and persisted in after contradictv.n with such wilful malice. But it is plain that where personalities make up the subt-tance of a campaign argument, ihero is liitle else upon which they care to make an issue. It is well the great moral principles, and tiie civil doctrines which lay at the fouutlatiou of our Government, are on the Republican side. Let tlie falsehoods and the gross personal abuse be left to liiose who clioo-e to employ tlieui. Should Ctil'Miel Fremont become oor next Presi- dent, I believe that we shall have taken a hjng and firm step towards the purity of Washington's Administration. Very truly yours, H. W. BEECHER. td^ Dr. Roberts(jn, Fremont's schoolmaster, has taken the slump in New Jersey, in favor of his pupil. Read this extract from the Evangelist : The IntervieAV bet^veen Col. Fremont smd Rev. Ur. »e Witt, ot° tUe Uutclt Rei'oriued Church, aud. other Clergy- men. NOT FOR PARTY. BUT FOR TRUTH. From the N. T. Evangelist, Sept. 18. It is not our business to enter into the strife of politics. That is not our vocation, and we have rehgiously abstained from such contests. Nor shall we depart from this line of strict pro- priety. But we are sometimes appealed to for information as to matters of fact, by readers who imagine that we have special means of knowing the truth. In such a case we are willing to tell what we know — not for the sake of party, but of truth. This we may do without sacrificing our neutral and independent character. If we can help to correct an error, or to disabuse the pub- lic mind of a false impression, we are doing a service to right-minded men of all parties. We do not urge our readers to vote one way or the other, but we do wish them to vote intelligently. It is well known that one of the candidates for the Presidency has been charged with being a Roman Catholic. To this story we never gave the slightest importance, considering it as one of those bald falsehoods which were fabricated ^for a party purpose, and which would drop into oblivion and be despised as soon as it had serv- ed its object. But as the originators of the story cling to it with great pertinacity, tliinking it a very effective weapon to excite odium and pre- judice, some good men have thought it worth while to set the matter at once and forever at rest Clergymen of this city have been applied to by members of their churches, and by letters from abroad, to make personal inquiry, since the pub- lic would have entire confidence in their state- ment, knowing that they were not likely to be deceived themselves, and that they would have no motive to misstate the fact. Thus appealed to, a number of clergymen, though very reluctant to do anything which could bring their names before the public in connection with any political question, called on Col. Fremont for the purpose of a frank con- versation in regard to his religious profession and belief. This they did, not for their own personal satisfaction — for not one of them had a doubt about the matter — but simply that they might be able to satisfy others by an assurance from his own lips. Among those who went were Rev. Dr. De Witt, of the Dutch Reformed Church; Professors Henry B. Smith and R. D. Hitchcock, of the Union Theological Seminary ; Rev. David B. Coe, Secretary of the Home Mis- sionary Society, and one of tlie editors of this paper. They were received with great cordiali- ty, and Col. Fremont responded very frankly and cheerfully to their inquiries. When it was remarked that some of our good people were disturbed about his religion, he re- plied, smiling, that he was glad that his oppo- nents were willing to admit, at least, that he had some religious feeling — that he was not wholly indifferent to Christianity. One of the ministers inquired if the account of his early religious edu- cation and of his joining the Episcopal church, as given in Bigelow's "Life of Fremont," was correct? He replied that it was; and added, in a few words, that he had been born and educa- ted in the Episcopal church ; that he had been confirmed as a member of that church, and had never had a shadow of thought of leaving it. When allusion was made to the persistent as- gertions that he was a Catholic, he replied that he could not imagine how such a story took its rise, for that, in fact, he had hardly been inside of a Catholic church more than half a dozen times in his life, and then upon occasions of pub- lic interest or curiosity. All this was said very quietly, and with no apparent desire to obtrude his religion, or to make cajiital out of it, but to state the simple fact of his religious education and belief. No one could listen to this frank, yet modest state- ment, without feeling that it was perfectly in- genuous; and that, with no bigotry towards others, he was sincerely and unaffectedly attached to the religion in which he had been educated by a pious mother. Read this correspondence between the Rev. Messrs. Hatfield and Brown, of the Methodist Church, concerning Fremont's Catholicism : lietter from the Rev. R. m. Hatfield. The Providence Journal publishes the follow- ing correspondence: Warren, R. I., Sept. 12, 1856. Dear Bro. : I have some interest and more curiosity to know the truth in reference to the report, so current, that Col. Fremont is a Catho- lic; and it has occurred to me that you may have means of knowing, and, perhaps, would take the trouble to inform an old friend and correspondent on the subject. It is extremely difficult to arrive at the truth in times of such intense excitement; as the poli- tical papers are filled with contradictory state- ments, each of which claims to be true Are you acquainted with Alderman Fulmer, who has testified on the subject ? Are you able to give me definite and reliable information with regard to the report that Fremont is a Catholic! An answer to the above, at such time as may suit your convenience, will oblige. Yours, truly, S. C. BROWN. Rev. R. M. Hatfield, New-York. New- York (No. 12 Forsyth-st.), Sept. 18, 1S56. Dear Bro.: Your note of the 12th inst. came to hand this morning, and I avail mj-self of my first leisure moments to reply to its contents. Of Alderman Fulmer I have nothing to say. I do not know the man, and have no wish to repeat rumors that are current with regard to his chnr- aeter. In times of high political excitement like the present, such rumors are utterly unreliable. Touching the report that Col. Fremont is a Ca- tholic, 1 am prepared to give you "definite and reliable inlormation." Such reports are utterly false, "all a lie from end to emi." Maeaulay, in one of his reviews, says that one who has never read the life of Barere may be said not to know what a lie is. The eloquent essayist would cer- tainly modify his opinion were he to acquaint himself with the present position of American politics, or look occasionally into the columns of some of our Fillmore papers. Neither Barere, nor the father of lies himself, ever concocted a baser falsehood than the one by which a set of deraacogues are attempting to deceive the public ■with regard to the religious sentiments of Col. Fremont. He is not a Romanist, never has been, and has done nothing to give color to the fabri- cations of his slanderers. John Wesley -was not more free from all reasonable suspicion of lean- ing towards the Church of Rome than John C. Fremont. He was educated in the Protestant faith, confirmed in a Protestant Church, has been during all his lifetime, and is now, an undisguis- ed and decided Protestant. This statement I make, not on the strength of newspaper reports, nor from hearsay or second-hand testimony. I am personally acquainted with Col. Fremont, and know that he is not a Papist, just as I know that you are not one. With the hope that my reply will be satisfactory, I remain, Fraternally yours, R. M. HATFIELD. Rev. S. C. Brown, Warren, R. I. Another tiie about Fremont's Relig^ion Nailed. The New -York Express summoned, among its very few witnesses to the very many shameless lies fabricated in its editorial rooms to prove Fremont to be a Catholic, the Professor of Draw- ing at the West Point Military Academy, Mr. Weir. The brothers Slink declared that this gentleman offered to Fremont, on the eve of his journey to the Rocky Mountains, an Episcopal Prayer Book, which the Explorer refused to re- ceive — on the ground that he was a Romanist ! A retired New -York merchant, Mr. John A. C. Grat, had a personal interview with the Profes- sor upon the subject of this statement, and a subsequent epistolary correspondence, which are thus described in a communication by him to the New -York Evening Post: liCtter from JoUn A. C. Gray. Professor R. W. Weir having seen proper to publish in the Express a letter which he had ad- dressed to me in reference to Col. Fremont's re- ligion, 1 deem it due to myself to make the fol- lowing statement, with a view to correct, as far as possible, the false impressions to which its publication there is calculated to give rise : The following article appeared in the Troy Whig a few weeks since : " Fremont's Romanism — More Proof. — The following statement has been handed us by a responsible parly in this city : " ' Before Col. Fremont left on his last trip to the Far West, he was at WfiSt Point, where lie spent a short time. A friend of his there offered him a Prayer Book, such as is used by Episcopalians. He courteously dechned to re- ceive it, saying he had no use for it, bei7ig himntlf a Roman Catholic.'' "The gentleman (we are assured) who tendered Col. Fremont the Prayer Book, and to whom he replied, as above, is still living, and accessible to all who have in- quires to make. Uis luiine can be had by applying at this office.'''' A few days after reading this, I met acciden- tally Professor R. W. Weir in the cars, on his re- turn to West Point. In conversation with him, allusion was made to rumors emanating from the Point, in relerence to Col. Fremont's religion, when Mr. Weir replied promptly, " He is a Romanist — I know it. There is no doubt of it." I inquired how he knew, and he said, " Fremont told me so himself" — (I give his exact language) — and then added that he was the person alluded to in the article published in the Troy Whig as having offered Colonel Fremont a Prayer Book — and to whom the reply was made that he (Col. Fremont) was a Roman Catholic. I expressed my surprise at this, when he re- peated that that article was perfectly true, with the exception that it should read previous to his "first trip" instead of his "last trip" over the Rocky Mountains — that he had communi- cated this statement to his brother-in-law, Mr. Mansfield, living near Troy, who had, he sup- posed, given it to the paper. In the course of this conversation, Mr. Weir bad said in, answer to a question from me, that this otlering of a Prayer Book to Col, Fremont was not in church. I then asked how it hap- pened that he should offer a gentleman an Epis- copal Prayer Book out of church 7 He replied, that he was not certain it was a Prayer Book, but it might have been some other kind of a book ; he did not remember, but it was some kind of a book, which caused the avowal from Col. Fremont. I then said that, as a political and personal friend of Colonel Fremont, I should feel bound to see him again in regard to this matter; that the Colonel's attention had already been called to the article, and he had pronounced it unquali- fiedly false; but as the story had now found a responsible author, it was proper that he should be apprised of it. At this, Mr. Weir hesitated, and expressed a hope the matter might drop, and then said that it was not to Colonel Fremont direct that this book was handed, but to Professor Scammon, when the Colonel had come up to see about adjusting some instruments for his expe- dition, and that it was Professor Scammon who returned the book, with the remark about Col. Fremont's Romanism. 1 asked him if Col.. F. was present at the time, or heard the remark^- orif he (Mr. Weir) himself, ever heard Col. Fre- mont say anything whatever on the subject of religion; to which he replied, " No," that all he heard was what Mr. Scammon said when bo handed back the book. The next day, on my return, I addressed a note to Mr. Weir, asking him to make a public correction of the statement made in the Troy Whig, and it was to this note that the reply, a copy of which he has com- municated to the Express, was received. How far these facts justify the interpretation put upon them by the Express, and how far they can be reconciled with the tenor and spirit of Professor Weir's reply, are questions which I respectfully submit to the judgment of the public. September 6, 185G. JNO. A. C. GRAY. By this statement, says the Post, it a[)pears— 1. That the staiemeiit made by the Troy Whig, to the effect that Fremont had avowed himself a Roman Catholic, was made upon the authority of I'rof. Weir of West Point. 2. That Prof. Weir, when questioned upon the subject, avowed himself the author of the statement, and re-asserted it as a fact within his own knowledge. 3. When informed that Col. Fremont pro- nounced the statement unqualifiedly false, and that its author's name would be communicated to him, Prof. Weir admitted that he not only never gave a Prayer Book to Col, Fremont, but that he never spoke a word to him about religion in his life. The traducers of Col. Fremont have attempted to show that a Catholic Priest cannot perform the marriage service for persons out of the com- munion of his church ; read this, and then turn to Father Olivetti's letter. About Catholic Priests Marrying: Pro- testants. A couple of gentlemen of this city made a bet the other day, about the rules and regulations enforced by the Catholics in the performance of the marriage service. One took the New-York Express' ground — which has been endorsed and reiterated by all the Fillmore and Buchanan pa- pers in the Union — tiiat a Catholic Priest would not, under any influence short of absolute com- pulsion, marry a couple, unless one was a Catho- lic, who would take vows to bring up the chil- dren, the fruit of the union, in the Catholic faith. This assertion was made, as every body should know, with the design of producing the impres- sion, that as Col. Fremont was married by a Ca- tholic Priest, and as Jessie was a Presbyterian, that the Colonel must have been a Catholic. — Well, the gentemeu whom we mentioned as dif- fering on this subject put up their money, and called at St. Xavier's College, and asked for the decisive information. They speedily learned that where couples present themselves, desiring to be united in marriage, and both are J^rotestants, that Catholic Priests h-ive no hesitation whatever in marrying them. But, if one of the parties is a Catholic, and the other a Protestant, there are objections which, while both parties are firm in their faith, are insurmountable. It follows, that as Jessie Benton is a Presbyterian, and no one ever accused her of forsaking her religion, that Col. Fremont could not have been united with her in marriage, by a Catholic Priest, if he had been a Catholic. If those who have insisted so vehe- mently that Fremont is a Catholic, were honest or decent, this would end the controversy. But they have swora that he is a Catholic, and are determined that he shall be one. And now if any of the ardent Fillmore young men about town don't believe that Catholic Priests will marry Protestants, let them take a nice heretic of the feminine gender under their left wing — next the heart — and see if they can't have the kuot tied in quick time. — Cincinnati Com. Falsehoods Exposed— The "Olivetti r,ie " Nailed— The Fulmer Lie ZVailed— Read ! Read! A PROTESTANT CLERGYMAN AND A CATHOLIC CLER- GYMAN ON THE WITNESS STAND. Among the witnesses summoned by the N. Y. Express, to help it "make Fremont a Catholic against his will," was Father Olivetti of White- hall, in this State. This clergyman was repre- sented as declaring publicly, in the Railroad De- pot at that place, that ho'" knew" that Fremont was a Catholic, and that he should vote for him " BECAUSE " he was one. The Fillmore journals, which gare currency to this statement, were called upon in vain to pro- cure from Father Olivetti a substantiation of it. This clergyman has now taken the stand to clear himself from the stain of false testimony which the Express and its echoes would put upon him, and to do justice to a Protestant whom be has been involuntarily used to prove was a Roman- ist. The Whitehall Chronicle of Aug. 29 contain! the following letter: "Whitbhall, Aug. 28, 1856. To the Editor of the Whitehall Cronicle: The Albany Statesman has published a statement, purporting to have been made by me, in which I am un- derstood to aay that Ool. Fremont was a Catholic, and for that reason would receive my vote. Being a Minister of the Gospel, I appear before the pub- lic with reluctance; but my name having been dragged into the political arena against my consent, to give coun- tenance to a misstatement, no other course is left me. / therefore say that I do not know that Col. F.emont is a Cath-olio. I never intended to say that he was a Cuiholic. I never stated that I should vote for hiin. I have heard of no evidence to prove that he was a Catholic ; the fact that he was married hy a Catholic Frie«t, if such was the case, furnishes hut little evidence that he was a Catholic. Catholic Clergymen often marry those who are not Catho- lic The duties of my profession are such as to unfit me to take part in politics, and I do not now intend lo vote for any of the candidates for President at the next election. In reply to the assertion made, whether Americans have to follow shoulder to shoulder with Popish leaders, I have only to gay, I have never seen an American God, and it is a blasphemy to pronounce it. But I liave a firm faith in the one God infinitely perfect, that he cannot contradict nim- self or be divided into sects ; therefore I say there is no other name on earth so glorious as the name of Catholic. And I am astonished to see the prejudices of people ming- ling religion with politics in this" Republican tFnion. Tours, respectfullv, Rev. MICHAEL OLIVETTI. Alderman Fuliner Nailed. It was at Brown's Hotel in Washington, in February, 1852, that "Alderman Fulmer" pre- tended to have met Col. Fremont, and heard him avow himself a Catholic It has already been proved that Col. Fremont was not at Brown's Hotel, nor in Washington at all, that year. But a new fact now appears, which puts the Aldermanic falsifier into a still tighter place. The Registers of Brown's Hotel, for the whole of the years 1852 and 1«53, have been carefully examined, and there is no such name as Fulmer in it ! Not only was Col. Fremont not there, but the Alderman wasn't there himself! The Catholic Story. Hon. H. J. Raymond, in his speech at the Re- publican meeting last evening, made a statement in reference to the charge that Col. Fremont is a Catholic, which is worthy of attention. He said that he had positive knowledge that Col. Fre- mont, while he would not enter into any person- al contest in this matter, had emphatically de- nied the story of Alderman Fulmer, of New- York, that he had participated in the services of a Catholic Church; adding that he had never been present in a Catholic Church, during wor- ship, except it was by accident; that he had never said he sympathized with the Catholics; and that he had never met, and did not know any such man os Alderman Fulmer I Who will pre- tend to believe this absurd story after this Hat denial of Col. Fremont. — Newark Mercuiy. 8 They are Caug^ht. "Alderman Fulmer" stated that he saw Col. Fremont in a Catholic Church in Washington, in 1852. When it was shown that Col. F. was not in Washington in that year, but in Europe, the New-York Express said it did not give the date of Fulmer's visit to Washington. A few days since, the Register in Brown's Hotel was examin- ed, and no such name as "Fulmer" could be found upon it, either in '51. '52 or '53. This "stunner" has elicited the following extract from a letter: " Washington, July 26. "The leaves of the register at Brown's Hotel, FOU THREE MONTHS IN 1852, HAVE BEEN TORN OUT! in order to tear out the fact, doubtless, that Alderman Fulmer was there, as he states, in that year. "(Aid. Fulmer, however, happens to have possessed the bill of Brown's Hotel — which was $16.55 — showing he was there as he states. The receipt is on a printed bill, signed J. H. Kirk wood.)" Here, then, we have at last clinched the date of " Aid. Fulmer's " visit to Washington. It was during one of the " three months in 1852," whose record has, as is alleged, "been torn out" of the Hotel Register. And yet it is known that Col. Fremont was not in Washington in 1852 at all. Thus are the lying scamps convicted by their own testimony 1 Extract from Chauncey Shaffer's renunciation of Fillmore, dated August 14th, referring to the Catholic story : As to my having examined "all the evidence" in relation to Mi-. Fiemont's religious creed, I have to say that I have examined all the evi- dence, including Alderman Fulmer's statement, and have exhausted the means of information within my reach, and have arrived at the follow- ing conclusions: 1st. That Mr. Fremont's Father was a French Huguenot, and his mother an American Frotes- tant lady. 2d. That Col. Fremont was born a Protestant, baptized a Protestant, married a Protestant lady, has bad his children baptized by a Protestant clergyman, educates them in the Protestant faith, while he is a Protestant in practice in all the le- lutions of life. I admit that he was married by a Catholic clergyman, under circumstances peculiar to him- self, and with which the public is already ac- quainted. 3d. I conclude that Alderman Fulmer's state- ment is altogether untrue. Col. Fremont was not in Washington at the time Fulmer says he conversed with him, nor within several mouths of that time. He was on the Pacific ocean, or the Isthmus of Darien, or the steamer George Law, from Aspiuwall to New-York city, at the time fixed by Fulmer. I should add that upon Col. Fremont's arrival in New- York ciiy he sailed to Europe, without visiting Washington at all, and that he remained in Europe more than a year. I should further add that the conviction in my mind, that Alderman Fulmer has borne false witness against his neighbor, is strengthened by the contradictory statements that I am credibly informed he has made concerning this pretended! conversation, and by the further fact that amongst his immediate neighbors his statemenfr is not believed. But if I should refuse to vote for Mr. Fremont, because of his being a Roman Catholic, I could not vote for Mr. Fillmore ; and for the reason,, that the Convention which nominated Mr. Fill- more was controlled by Roman Catholics as well as by Slavery propagandists. This is the proof: Two sets of delegates appeared from the State of Louisiana, one Protestant and the other Roman Catholic, both demanding admission. The Ro- man Catholic delegation was received, and the Protestant delegation was rejected. The Neiv-York Express Convicts Itself, It is an old adage thu " liars should have good memories." The N. Y. Express claims to prove Col. Fremont a Roman Catholic from a conver- sation which "Aid. Fulmer " had with him in Washington in 1852. The following shows con- clusively that this is a falsehood: Is Colonel Fremont a Catholic ? To the Editor oj the Herald: Alderman Fulmer, nn the I6th of July instant, at the Clerk's otbce of the Common Council in the city of New-York, said in the presence of several gentlemen that the conversatiim which he had with Col. Fremont, at Brown's Hotel, in Washington, relative to Fremont's religion, as stated in the New-York Express, took place in the latter part of January or the fore {)art of February, 1852; as he, Fulmer, went to VVash- mgton the lore part of January, 1852, remained there about six weeks, and returned home to New-York before the middle of February of that year. On looking at the files of the New-York Ex- I)ress of the year 1852, the following ap[>ears: " March 1, 1852 — Among the passengers by the Tennessee to Panama, were C.-d. John C. Fremont and family. The Colonel is now on his way to Europe to dispose of his quartz title in the Mariposa " The same paper, of the date of March 6, 1852, says: " Passengers arrived in the steamship Empire Cits — Col. Fremont and family." And undwr the head of Personal — 'Mrs. Fillmore, Mr. M. P. Fillmore, and Hon. J. C. Fremont and family are at the Irving House. Col. Fremont, hniy and children were among the passengers in the Empire City, to-day, from Chagres." The same paper further says, of the date of .March 10, 1852: "Passengers sailed in the steamship Africa for Liverpool, Col. J. C. Fre- mont and family." HUMBUG. The New -York Express and the Dog: [Voble— The Squirrel's Hole and Fre- mont's Catholicism ! ! ! BY HENRY WARD BEECHER. From the iDdepeadent, August 7. The first summer wliicL we sjieat in Lt^nox, we had along a very intelligent dog named Noble. He was learned iu many things, and by his dcg- lore excited the undying admiration of all tht^ children. But there were some things which Noble could never learn. Having on one occa sion seen a red squirrel run into a hole in a stone wall, he could not be persuaded he was not there for evermore. Several red squirrels lived close to the house and had become familiar, but not tame. They kept up a regular romp with Noble. They would come down from the maple trees with provoking coolness; they would run along the fence almost within reach; they would cock their tails and sail across the road to the barn; and yet there was such a well-timed calculation under all this apparent rashness, that Noble invariably arrived at the critical spot just as the squirrel left it. On one occasion, Noble was so close upon his red-backed friend that, unable to get up the taaple tree, he dodged into a hole iu the wall. ?an through the chinks, emerged at a little dis- tance, and sprang iwto the tree. The intense Enthusiasm of the dog at that hole can hardly be described. He filled it full of barking. He pawed and scratched as if undermining a bastion. Standing off at a little distance he would pierce the hole with a gaze as intense and fixed as if he Were trying magnetism on it. Then, with tail Extended, and every hair thereon electrified, he would rush at the empty hole with a prodigious onslaught. This imaginary squirrel haunted Noble night and day. The very squirrel himself would run up before his face into the tree, and, crouched in a crotch, would sit silently watching the whole process of bombarding the empty hole, with great sobriety and relish. But Noble would allow of no doubts. His conviction that that hole had a squirrel in it, continued unshaken for six weeks. When all other occupations failed, this hole remained to him. When there were no more chickens to harry, no pigs to bite, no cattle to chase, no children to romp with, no expeditions to make with the grown folks, and when he had slept all that his dog-skin would hold, he would walk out of the yard, yawn and stretch himself, and then look wistfully at the hole, as if thinking to himself, "Well, as there is nothing else to do, I may as well try that hole again!" We had almost forgotten this little trait, until the conduct of the New-York Express, in respect to Col. Fremont's reli;.^ion. brought it ludicrous- ly to mind again. Col. Fremont is, and always has been, as sound a Protestant as John Knox ever was. He was bi'ed in the l'rotestnnt faith, and has never chan_'ed. He is unaequuintewn'8 Hotel in Washington, in the winter of 1858, he saw Col. Fremont wor- shipping in a Catholic Church ; that he conversed witli the Colonel on the subject of religion, and that he defended the extieme doctrines of the Komish Church. By refeience to the columns of the same Express, it is shown that Col. Fremont was, during the whole of the time Aid. Fulmer 10 locates bim at Washington, on board of ocean ateamers. An examination of the Register and cash books of Brown's Hotel show that Col. Fremont was not, during the years of 1852 or 1853 at that hotel. Here is conclusive, indepen- dent' evidence that Aid. Fulmer i^ mistaken. This testimony is confirmed by Col. Fremont s denial of the whole story. The archives of the Episcopal Church at Washington show tnat Col. Fremont's children had Protestant baptism. Mr. Livingston, who was Col. Fremont's companion across'' the Rocky Mountains, says that he earned with him a pocket Protestant Bible. He pre- I sented his wife with a Protestant Prayer Book before their marriage. His preceptor says that he received a Protes- tant education. Col. Fremont says to everybody that inquires of him, that he is and has ever been I a Protestant. And yet, not only in the ab-ence of all testimony, but after every allegation has ! been disproved, those who fabricated continue to I reiterate the falsehood, and I am sorry to add i that too many intellegent, honest electors, who ': would require better evidence to convict a dog i caught with the wool in his mouth of killing ■ sheep, believe that Col. Fremont is a Papist. ■t 89 w ..^ ^0 . 4 c 'I' *■ ' -^ *•# 1 ''o ^ ^^^ ^^