I want to thank Harold, John and Liz for their responses to my initial query 
regarding the Readjusters.  I have looked around some, and it is my 
impression that this was primarily a Virginia phenomenon, or at least name 
for a political faction.

I am wondering if this is correct.  The reason I ask is that I came across 
the article on the Smith-Stovall affair while tracking a U.S. Senate 
"seduction" scandal involving Senator Benjamin Harvey Hill of Georgia (and 
first cousin of my gg grandfather), a Democrat and Chairman of the critical 
Elections Committee that had the power to declare a member not duly-elected.  
His Congressional bio is here:  
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000587

He claimed that his political opponents "hired" a Mr. Kellogg's ex-mistress 
to claim she had fathered a child by him.  The implication is that Mr. Kellog 
is from Georgia.  I also find a Republican U.S. Senator William Kellog from 
Louisiana at the same time.   (I will insert the day-by-day account of the 
affair, as much as I have had time to go through the papers.  It may be of 
interest from a "nothing ever changes" point of view to some of you.)

I am curious if anyone knows whether Georgia had a similar political 
phenomenon that might have been a part of Senator Hill's, who had been a 
Georgia political figure for 30 years,troubles.

Best Regards,  Janet (Baugh) Hunter

Articles March 3-April 17, 1880, Regarding Senator Benjamin Harvey Hill of 
GA. Appearing in the "Alexandria Gazette And Virginia Advertiser"   
Published Daily (evening) and Tri-weekly by Edgar Snowden.

EXCEPT March 7 Article from the Atlanta Constitution, from Jackie Bowers

MARCH 3 –

#1 – (News of the Day.)

A long threatened suit for seduction against Senator Ben Hill, of Georgia, 
was entered yesterday.  The plaintiff is Miss Jessie Raymond, a young woman 
23 years of age.  She claims $10,000 damages.  In her declaration Miss 
Raymond alleges that in November 1877, the defendant committed the offense 
complained of, and the result of his visits to her was the birth of a child 
in August 1878.

#2 - (From Washington.)

Senator Hill utterly denies and scouts the charges brought in the suit 
instituted in the Criminal Court here against him for seduction, and the case 
is generally supposed to be one of blackmail.

MARCH 4 - (From Washington.)

There are two stories afloat to day with regard to the latest Senatorial 
scandal – one to the effect that Mr. Hill is to prosecute Mrs. Lockwood to 
the full extent of the law, and will commence it by moving to have her 
disbarred from practicing in the courts here for complicity in an attempt at 
blackmail; and the other, that Mr. Hill having paid Mrs. Raymond, the 
complainant, $500 to publish a public denial of the charge, and that the lady 
having failed to pay Mrs. Lockwood the fee she had promised her, the latter 
had instituted proceedings to collect it.

MARCH 7 -  (Atlanta Constitution – Condensed Politics)

The lull in the Simmons business was taken advantage of by a disreputable
woman from Georgia to make an attempt to blackmail Senator Hill.  As you
have been advised, the Senator did not 'scare' and the blackmailers beat a
hasty retreat.  It is until? that Sen. Hill will have Mrs. ?. Lockwood, the
female lawyer who induced the woman to begin the suit, indicted, as well as
one or two other parties here who conspired to make the blackmail a success.
Sen. Hill was congratulated by a number of senators on his firmness in ? a
cent.  He said he would spend ? dollars in prosecuting the blackmailers, but
would not give a nickel to stop the suit.  Senators are frequently made
targets by the class of people, who think they will give money rather than
bear a scandal.  This scandal was short-lived, ? in its infancy, branded a
base attempt to extort money.  The suit will be withdrawn.

MARCH 8 - (From Washington.)

The Journal of the Senate has been examined and from it is ascertained the 
fact that at the very time Mrs. Raymond charges Mr Hill with being in Atlanta 
he was here in attendance upon his duties as Senator.

MARCH 14 - (From Washington.)

It was currently reported in the Capitol this morning that the Hill scandal 
was to be alluded to in the Senate, and notwithstanding the inclemency of the 
weather the pruriant curiosity of many of both sexes led them to be present 
at the scene they had expected to witness.  Mr. Hill, however, had no such 
expectation, and was in the Supreme Court at 2 o’clock, when this letter was 
written.

(Note:  I found nothing regarding a Senate reference that the scandal was 
alluded to.)

MARCH 19 - (From Washington.)

Miss Horton and Miss Raymond were both at the Capitol yesterday afternoon, 
the former looking for Senator Morgan’s son, and the latter for Senator Hill, 
but as neither of them was at all belligerent, though shadowed by the police, 
they were not interfered with, and were allowed to pursue the even tenor of 
their devious way.

(Note:  I don’t know who Miss Horton would, but this could be a separate 
scandal.  The name didn’t really register with me when I was looking at the 
microfilm, but my interest was piqued by the name HORTON, as I have some 
PA>NC>TN Quaker Hortons.  I went to politicalgraveyard .com and found a 
Senator John Tyler Morgan, of Selma AL, who was a Senator at the 
time….http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/morgan.html)

MARCH 23 - (From Washington.)

Miss Horton and Miss Raymond, the latter accompanied with a baby, were at the 
Capitol to day, the former sitting in the Marble room and the latter in the 
ladies gallery, in full view of Mr. Hill, who was occupying his seat on the 
floor, and who did not appear annoyed in the least by her presence.  Indeed 
he remarked laughingly to some of his colleagues sitting near him, "Every old 
woman in the gallery has her glasses pointing at me, and is saying to her 
friends, ‘Who’d a thought it.’"  But Miss Raymond was not allowed to retain 
her seat long, for the captain of the Capitol police soon approached and 
informed her that babies were not allowed admittance to the galleries, and 
that she must take her’s away.  This she did, and as she led the child 
through the corridors, she was followed by a large crowd of men gossips – the 
worst sort in the world – who closely inspected her and the infant.  The 
constant presence of these women at the Capitol is now supposed to be induced 
by means employed by the enemies of Mr. Hill, for no wronged woman, anxious 
to do right and to regain the estimation of their friends, would resort to 
such a course as they are pursuing.  If it is as supposed, their action is 
producing a directly contrary effect, for they are now scandalizing the 
Senate of the U.S., and, in consequence, are being severely censured, not 
only by Mr. Hill’s friends, but by the better class of his political enemies, 
and are evoking a sympathy for him which otherwise might not be manifested.

MARCH 24 - (Editorial)

Senator Benjamin H. Hill has made affidavit to the effect that he never saw 
Miss Raymond but once in his life, and then only for a few minutes in a law 
office in Atlanta and in the presence of two other lawyers.  He has sworn 
before God and man that the charge she brings against him is false.  As Mr. 
Hill is a Senator of the United States, as those who know him at home, his 
neighbors, look upon him as an honorable man, and as the only possible excuse 
for a false oath, the preservation of a woman’s honor, does not apply in this 
case, there is no sufficient reason for doubting that he tells the truth.  
This being so, the annoyance of the scandal to which himself, his family and 
the Senate of the United States are daily subjected by his brazen-faced 
accuser is a great shame, and some means should be devised for putting a stop 
to its continuance.  The rules of propriety as well as those of law should be 
enforced by the police of Washington, and to say that she is committing no 
breach of the peace is not a good reason for permitting her to follow Mr. 
Hill about, at the instance of his political enemies, and annoying him as she 
has been doing for the past month.

MARCH 26 - (New of the Day)

Miss Jessie Raymond, the young woman who has been haunting Senator Hill, 
settled her board bill at the Washington House, in Washington, yesterday, and 
taking her infant left the city for parts unknown.  The papers in the suit 
entered by Mrs. Lockwood for Miss Raymond are still on file, but unless the 
plaintiff makes her appearance at the proper time the will amount to nothing.

APRIL 7 – (News of the Day)

When the Hill-Raymond seduction case was called in the Washington Circuit 
court yesterday, counsel for Senator Hill asked that the case be struck from 
the docket, as it had been brought against the protest of its plaintiff, Miss 
Raymond, whereupon Mrs. Lawyer Lockwood, who had not been notified of the 
case, appeared and made affidavit that she had not protested against bringing 
the case.

APRIL  13 – (From Washington.)

Now that it has been decided by the court that the suit brought against 
Senator Hill by Mrs. Lockwood for the seduction of Miss Raymond shall be 
tried, the gossips are reveling in expectation of the developments of the 
trial, which it is supposed, will commence in about two weeks.  In any other 
court of the country the suit would have been dismissed and Mrs. Lockwood 
been disbarred from practicing for instituting it, but the ways of the courts 
in Washington, like those of some others, are past finding out.


APRIL 16 - (From Washington.)

Senator Ben Hill has published a letter in the Augusta Constitutionalist to 
which he asseverates his innocence of the recent charges brought against him, 
and says he has reason to believe they were instigated by certain members of 
his own political party in George who are jealous of him and that they 
employed Mr. Kellogg's ex mistress as one of their instruments effecting the 
object of their conspiracy.

APRIL 17 – MAY 14.  Stay tuned.  I have gone through the Gazette for this 
period and have not found anything further.  That’s as far as I got.

To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions
at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html