The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-09-12
THE CHARACTER OF THE PIOAYUNE.

The Pcdyatyse, yesterday morning, con-
tanned the following card under the heading,
"The living speaks for the dead"
The DEMOCRAT disclaims any intention Of at
tacking me in its article of the 18th inst, but
com liments alone cannot atone for injuries
done, and in circulating false reports concern
puae, I claim that the DEMOCRAT has, so far as
1t holds the power to do So injured me-
The dead should need no defender but can
brought against my late husband by the DEMO
GRAFT, No one should know better than myself
how deeply ne with our people o
earnestly the Pcav,tne. under his management
worked to bring about the glorious results OF
h a d nd the charge Rde o py
teenth Of September the Picayune borrowed
$1,000 from Kellogg to pay off It's printers ana .,
vilest enemy the South ever knew"-as false.
and in common justice to the memory of the
dead demand that the DEMOCRAT either retract
MRS. E. J. HOLBRoOK.
denunciations, except in the language OF cour-
tesy. 1t has not been our purpose to wound
her feelings, or to injure her property In
the discharge of our duty we exposed facts
which showed how consummate fraud the
New Orleans Picay,o,e is and has been as
an honest and independent newspaper. In
doing SO we had neither Mrs. Holbrook
nor "the dead in our mind. We mentioned
fact of public notoriety; a fact Of which
hundreds of people in this city are cogni-
zant that is, that some time prior to
the fourteenth Of september, 1874, the New
Orleans Rcayume borrowed one Thousand
dollars from W. P. Kellogg and thus, at a
time when the State required the aid of every
honest journal and of every patriotic cit
izen, placed itself under the influence of
the worst and vilest enemies OF this people,
We also charged that Mr.. George Nichol-
son. who Is now the ruling spirit of the Plea
yu,,e, was then an active and influential party
in the management Of the paper, and that he
was also participant in the disreputable
transaction with Kellogg. We did not men
ton the deceased Mr.. Holbrook in connection
with the affair. The only persons who have
recalled Mr.. Holbrooks participation in the
shameful affair are Mrs Holbrook and George
Nicholson; the first, we are willing to believe,
through sincere but iniudicious manifesto
ton of tenderness, and the latter for the
ignoble purpose of enlisting through
the name of 'the dead public SYM
pathy which may excuse or palate his own
indecent conduct. In no word line or SEN
tence has the DEMOCRAT referred TO Mr.
Holbrook. 1t has made charges only against
a living and responsible man. For the ap-
pearance of Mr.. Holbrook's name, therefore
in connection with the disreputable manage
ment OF the Picay,tae, we certainly are not re-
sponsible.
But Mrs. Holbrook tells us roundly that our
charge is false, and demands that we prove it
or withdraw it. Because the accusation has
wounded lady's feelings and brought us I'M
der her displeasure, we honestly wish that we
could withdraw it. But we cannot. That
Mrs. Holbrook believes the charge is false, we
have no doubt. At the time Mr.. Nicholson
and his associate borrowed the money
from Mr.. Kellogg she was not, we assume,
In the management of the Plea
y,t,e, and could not, therefore, have known
anything of it. Many true, noble and
christian women have lived all their lives
in ignorance Of the evil deeds Of men whom
they loved and trusted and believed the
noblest and best of their race. But the
violent anger of an indignant woman, pure
and sincere though she be- at the state
ment Of facts, cannot disprove them. That
The money was borrowed from Mr.. Kellogg |
by the Picayane as charged by the DEMO
?RAT, is true, and no one knows the fact bet
.er than Mr.. Nicholson himself, and If he
could be induced to utter truth derogatory
% his own character, no other proof of our
charge would be required, even by the lady
who an bitterly assaiIs us
AS we have said, hundreds of men in this
,ity are aware OF the fact, having heard Of it |
rom parties who know it of their own pe.-
,onal knowledge If we desired to overwhelm
,ur fair antagonist with the weight of opinion
Is to the guilt of her present partner we
,ould print formidable list Of honored
names who are firmly convinced of the truth
If our accusation, nor would there be any
serious difficulty in producing positive and
entirely reliable proof of the transaction.
We refrain, however for the present.
We take no pleasure in making such ex-
)osures; but our duty as honest journalists
'equires us occasionally, painful as it is to
,ur feelings, to expose and denounce those
blatant and presumptuous frauds which, while
assuming monopoly Of virtue,
,rains and public spirit, have never enter
aimed an honest conviction or stood by the
lights of the people when it was more profit
lble to serve their enemies.