New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-11-06
Ex-AUDITOR wICKL1FFE.
Lis Discovery and Flight-He Disgorges
10 Strauss

in the month of August. 1870, there came
| 20 this city aman of rather pleasing appear
| anceo apparently an educated gentleman
and a man Of means. His stay in the city
| was limited to few days, and leaving
| town, he went to our neighboring village
/ of Summerfeld, and in a little while set
| tied himself III very retired and secluded
neighborhood, some five miles north OF
! Summerfeld. He appeared to have plenty
| of money, but was not by any means lavish
| in its expenditure, and in place of going
! into society. he, on the contrary, expressed
| a desire for retirement, and was averse to
| forming extended acquaintance with the
| people among whom he lived He pur-
| chased little place some distance from any
! public road, and in locality rarely ever
| visited by strangers, and announced to the
| public that he was physician, and gave
| his name as Dr. J. Polk Shelby, and by that
| name he was known here and at Summer
| field.
DR.. Shelby's practice, however, was very
| limited notwithstanding the fact that he
! kent His horse, which was by the way a
very fine one, constantly saddled and ready
| for use. The doctors practice would have
| doubtless been larger, but for his bad luck
in bleeding poor emaciated man, suttering
| from chills, and the mans dying in a few
| hours afterward. This occurred Just on the
| threshold of his medical career, and caused
! his skill to be questioned to a degree that
deferred many from calling his services into
requisitjon. But practicing medicine was
more a labor of love with the doctor than
| tor tie accumulation of filthy luore, and it
did not ruffie his temper or interrupt his
| course of life that his patients were few.
! What college DR.. Shelby was graduate OF,
or, in fact, from whence he came, were of
those things unknown to the people among
whom he abided.
AS before stated, the Doctor appeared to
have plenty of money, and in this case az
pearances were in cOnsOnance with the
truth, and thereby hangs a tale that we pro-
pose to unfold. Having plenty OF money,
the Doctor bought and sold divers and sum
dry things, and made numerous specula-
tons, at the same time continuing the prac-
tice Of medicine
Time wore on, as the novelists write il,
without the occurrence of an incident to in
terrupt or change the current OF DR.. Polk
Shelby's life, and he began to be regarded
as permanent citizen of the locality IN
which he had been tarrying since August,
&. d. 1870. 1t is true that the Doctor had
many little eccentric ways that his neigh
bors did not understand, but his general
conduct was unexceptionable to them. And
thus thugs continued until within few
weeks since, when change came, and DIR.
j. Polk Shelby was shown to be an i'm
y
Nemesis on his back.
Some two OF three weeks since Mr..
Bummel, of New Orleans, was in Selma on
business, and one day, coming in contact
with DR.. J. Polk Shelby, recognized him as
an old acquaintance from New Orleans, and
DljYabHe djCtu discovered in the aforesaid
DR.. j. Polk Shelby ex-Auditor George NJ.
Wickliffe Of Louisiana, and so called him.
His interview with Mr.. Bummel was of
short duration, and leaving him very
abruptly, the ex-auditOr alias DR.. j. Polk
Shelby, mounted his horse and went on
time for his home, near Summerfield. Now,
let us SEQ why Mr.. Wicklitfe so abruptly
left town, and why he assumed the name
of DR.. j. Polk Shelby. In 1868, 1869 and
1870 he was Auditor of the State of Louis
lana and for corruption and rascality in
office was impeached and expelled from the
position. He was raised to official position
BY the Radical party. While in office he
made the most corrupt use Of the position,
robbed the taxpayers through fraudulent
means of thousands upon thousands OF
dollars.
In the spring of 1870 he went to Mr.. ia
cob Strauss, a broker in New Orleans, with
Louisiana treasury warrants, apparently
all right, aggregating $l30,00Q upon which
Mr.. Strauss advanced him ST, 900 in green
backs, and also a certified bank check for
$4,000. Shortly after getting this money
Mr. Wickliffe shook the dust Of New Or
leans from his feet and left for parts I'M
known. In a short while afterward the
warrants were presented tor payment. and
Mr.. Strauss made the rather uncomfortable
Ctor him) discovery that his warrants were
bogus, and that he had simply been swim
died by this scoundrel to the tune OF 500
600
In spite of humorous efforts to discover
the whereabouts of Wickliffe, it remained
a mystery to Mr.. Strauss and the people
who wanted him, until the accidental meet
ing with Mr.. Bummel alluded to above,
This accounts for his abrupt departure on
that occasion.
Mr. Bummel went to Vicksburg and tele-
graphed Mr.. Strauss that he knew Wick
litfes whereabouts, whereupon DIr. Strauss
set the machinery in motion to overhaul.
and bring him up with a round turn. We
should have stated that in the meantime
true bill had been found in New Orleans
against Wickliffe for obtaining money from
Mr.. Strauss under false pretenses, and that
Mr.. Wickliffe was aware Of it. His de-
sire for seclusion and avoidance of society,
and his hundred little eccentricities are now
all explained and accounted for
Mr. Howard one of Mr.. Strauss attor-
neys, was sent to this city to make the effort
to recover some Of the stolen money from
Wickliffe, and on his arrival here secured
gnisbed and eminent Local firm, Messrs,
Torgan TansIeT e. Nelson. Mr., TansIev
TOOK tbe matter in hand, and. ascertaining
bevond question the identity of DR.. i,
PoiE Shelby and George NJ WickIiffe made
his 1isnosifions for inftrviewjn0 the noto-
rions ihIividnal. on last Monday, accom-
panied by friend as blind, and armed
with an authenticated copy Of a judgment
for s7I. 900 AGAINST WickIiffe and in favor
Of Mr.. Strauss, MI. Lapsley went to Wick
Ijffe's house, located as before stated, about
five miles from Symmetrical.