Daily National Democrat

That Wonderful Story.

The papers in California and elsewhere
have been copying a wonderfully romantic
story of a broken heart, the retribution of
crime, &c., which, it appears, is pretty much
a hoax. The Cleveland Herald says:

Our readers were regaled a short time
since with a tale, which we copied from the
Watchman and Reflector, a religious paper
published in Boston. We supposed it to be
a genuine story of what the writer personally knew of Harlow Case, the absconding
Sandusky defaulter, and the wretched partner in his crime. There were two circumstances that attracted our attention when we
saw it in the Watchman, but these were so
easily accounted for that they threw no distrust upon the article. The paper editorially said nothing about the tale in the way of endorsement, and the christian names of the
husband of the fallen Mrs. Francis were incorrect. But that all might be, and the tale
be honest, and we hesitated not to print it
and to accompany it with an editorial key to
the real characters. We now give letters
which will explain themselves, and for which
we thank our fair correspondent:

Norwalk, Feb. 4, 1859.

Editors Cleveland Herald:

Sirs:—In one of your issues, not long ago,
you published an interesting story from the
"Watchman and Reflector," a Boston paper,
respecting Harlow Case and Mrs. Francis,
which, you said, in an editorial, was probably from the pen of a Missionary. Other papers also published it, stating decidedly that it
was written by a Missionary, and thus confirmed the statements in Case's letter. Wishing to learn the address of the person who
had seen and conversed with Mrs. Francis,
I wrote to my brother in Boston, requesting
him to call at the office of the Watchman
and Reflector, investigate the matter and
write to me the result. Below you have a
copy of his answer, which you can, if you
think proper, use in correcting the false impression given to the public:

Boston, Feb. 2, 1859.

Dear Sister:—Yesterday I called at the
office of the "Watchman and Reflector," and
made the inquiries you suggested. The article copied from that paper into the Cleveland Herald, laying the scene of the incidents in the island of Ceylon, was a sheer romance,
founded upon the letter of Harlow Case, an
accompanying editorial statements, all of
which the writer, who is a lady of Boston,
had read.

I presume she little thought of the hearts
of dear friends that might be lacerated by
her false description of the last moments of
one dear to them, but she succeeded in her
design of winning compliments for "her very
interesting version of the story," although
that version was a lie from beginning to end.
I hope you will let the friends of Mrs. F
know without delay, that they have no facts
before them, except what are contained in
the letter of Case, if indeed that letter itself
be genuine. Yours, &c.

If the lady (?) who made up that "Sad but
True Story," thought it a joke, she is a fool;
if she did not intend it as a joke, she is a wilful liar. It is fair to presume that the paper
publishing it knew nothing about the facts
from which the story was wrought. If it did
it had better withdraw from the religious
list of publications and join the "yellow covered" throng. At all events, unless the
Watchman and Reflector shows more shrewdness usually, than it did in giving circulation to a sensation article, which, being a lie,
lacerates the feelings of a host of the former
friends of a once highly respectable woman
—and who have not yet ceased to mourn her
downfall—it had better change its name. It
is a blind Watchman on the walls of Zion
and a Reflector of anything but truth and
honesty.