The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1877-02-14
In BAD TASTE.

sworn foe to the Democrat, Mat.
Wells, is in as about a bad fix as any
mortal ever before tumbled into,
most all the newspapers of the coun-
try have something to say about him,
and take a chance at biographical
sketches Of him, and hit him many
hard licks, which are really false in
fact and really in bad taste. For
one we believe him really guilty of
classifying and forging the returns OF
our State, contrary to the known vo.
ting will Of the people, and that he
did it cheerfully, willingly and with
"malice aforethought." But then
these sins are huge enough for him
now to stand, under his imprisoned
pressure, and journals knowing moth
ing of his early life and antecedents
should not make ''d-n phools" OF
themselves and give false versions OF
his life. He has enough sins, quite
lately Matched, to answer for, and all
should confine themselves to the true
merits Of this damning record
There is no love wasted between Mat.
Wells and this writer, but we protest
to lies being manufactured against
him which have no foundation to
stand upon, and that are glaring non
sense in themselves, and people here
laugh and are disposed to be charita-
BILE to the hoary- headed old sinner.
From that able and exceedingly pop
ular Journal, the St. Louis RepubIi-
can Of the 5th, we take the following
as a sample Of what we are writing
about:
! "James Madison Wells is a native
Of Louisiana, born in Rapides Par
ish, and graduated early in life as
the accomplished stable boy to IA
nous race course jockey. In the
haste Of preparing him for the world
his moral and mental education was
necessarily omitted, but an equiva
lent was supplied by thorough in
stillation Of those arts by which the
favorite horse can be dull. dozed into
defeat and the scrub landed under
the string as the winner. But the
ambition to "rise out Of the prison of
his mean estate" burned fercely in
tue useful bosom of Mr.. Wells, and
by strict attention to business, and
an utter disregard Of those conven
tional proprieties which mar the for
tune of less ambitious youths, he
soon became famous throughout the
Southwest as a successful and enter
prising jockey who knew perfectly
the philosophy with which Mr. Ec-
kles was not familiar: GLOW the
horse that ought not to win could in-
falllbly be made to win" A fame
like this brought the youthful Wells
into conspicuous notoriety on the
race course; so much so, indeed, that
the owners of Lecomte proposed to
Mr.. Wells that if he could tx it so
that their horse could beat Lexing-
ton in the famous race over the Me-
tairie in 1852, he might claim and
receive whatever reward he desired
To use forcible, but not polite ex
preston, this was nuts for Mr.. Wells
to crack. He was head groom to
Lexington and knew Just how to pre-
vail on that gallant racer to fall be
hind in the struggle. Suffice it to
say, his expectations were not disap
pointed and Mr.. Wells shortly there
after turned up as a part owner Of
Lecomte. Lexington's subsequent
triumph over the "time" of his flee,
competitor in no wise diminished the
reputation Mr.. Wells had acquired
as an astute and successful operate,
on the turf. So much so indeed that
shortly after his ingenious devices
were employed to engineer a ''brace
game Of faro" in a noted bird house
on St. Charles street, in New Or
leans. In this laudable and success
full pursuit Mr.. Wells pursued rapid
ly acquired the means to establish
himself in lucrative gambling bus
mess, and he discarded forever the
blue jacket and striped cap of thu
jockey"
we again have a simple ant
plain question to ask: can purely
partisan Commission, like the Wash
ington Jury now in session, who have
7 endorsed the iron-clad frauds o
Florida by transferring her fou1
votes to Hayes and Wheeler, for
single moment blink or check up al
the grand and herculean frauds
cheats, perjuries and infamies o