The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-27
d. b. PENN.

where it belongs. Respectfully.
d. b. PENN.
synopsis of the Evidence BEFORE the Conn
mfttee.
Mr.. Acklen, after having invited the under
signed to investigate the truth or falsity Of
certain damaging allegations against his
honor as man, and after having received
our decision, adverse to his innocence, has
seen tit To select several other gentlemen To
act as second committee to examine the
same questions, and after we had informed
him that we had intended to make our de-
csion public on the twelfth instant, he did en-
treat us not to make this decision public until
after IL o'clock m, Sunday, thirteenth instant
in order to determine, as he said, after more
calm reflection, whether he would withdraw
from the canvass or not TO this DELAY we
assented for the purpose he had indicated
Pending this delay Mr.. Acken secured q
| favorable opinion from the second committee
and he, late on Saturday night, sent this
| second and favorable opinion to the city press
for publication in the Sunday papers, suppos-
| Ing that, as we had agreed not to publish our
| decision until after Sunday at II o'clock m
| 1t could not be made known before Monday
| This extraordinary conduct Of Mr. Acklen's
coupled with the fact that the second decision
was directly the opposite Of the one we had
rendered, though prOfessedly based on the
| same evidence, coInpels as to give q brief
| synopsis OF the evidence on which wa rave
l
our decision was not dictated by prejudice or
| i'll will. The history of this very shameful
affair, as developed by the evidence adduced
during our investigation, Is as follows:
| A gentleman was engaged by Mr. Acklen TO
manage his plantation In ST. Mary parish
and he went there to live In the winter of 1875
| 76; he was accompanied by his family. Dur
| ring the years 1876 and 1877 an intimacy was
| formed between Mr. Acklen and the youngest
| daughter Of the manager, who was O girl
some thirteen or fourteen years Of age Some
| time during the spring OF 1877 this young
! girl became pregnant-there was no positive
| evidence before us to show whether this preR-
| nancy was the result of this intimacy or not
| When this pregnancy was discovered by the
mother OF the girl, she addressed Mr.. Acklen
and requested him to advise her what had
| best be done. Mr.. Acklen stated TO US that he
| advised that the girl be brought to New Or
| leans and that physician be consulted In the
| city to determine whether there was preg-
| nancy or not. Mr.. Acklen stated that he ac-
companied the mother aud daughter to the
city, that he went to a physician residing on
Rampant street, whom he prepared for the
visit Of the mother and daughter by telling
him he would be waited upon by two ladies'
whose object was TO ascertain whether the
younger one was pregnant or not Mr.. Ack-
len further stated that after remaining In the
city few days, he returned with these ladies
to his plantation.
Mr.. Acklen also stated that earlyin August.
1877, he again visited the city accompanied
by the mother and daughter, the object Of the
visit this time being to have the daughter
married to man named Wright who had
been the hostler on his plantation. Mr.. Ack-
len, as he stated to us, had advised the mother
to marry the girl to Wright as he Acklen.
asserted that Wright was the father OF the
unborn child Mr. Acklen stated that he
made all the preparations for the marriage,
obtained the license acc0mDaDipd the ngrttae
to the office OF the justice Of the peace In this
city, where he witnessed the marriage; that
he paid all the expenses Of coming to the
city OF the whole party, as well as the ex-
pense OF the marriage and gave the mother
5000 or $500. Mr.. hcklen stated that he i'm
medtately after the marriage, obtained from
Wright certificate exculpating him, Acklen.
from using any influence over Wright to in
duce Wright to marry the girl, and that there
had been no money transactions between
them on this subject. This certificate had no
date or domicIlr, and was witnessed by the
signature OF W. w. Wharton, Republican ex-
Senator from Iberville.
Mr.. Acklcn also showed us q letter from the
girls mother, Vindicatiug him from any i'm
proper connection with the girls marriage
and thanking him for his kindness. to the
family. This letter had also neither date nor
domicile.
Mr.. Acklen also produced an AFFIDAVIT.
which he said was made by tue girl. and
sworn to before Mr.. Alfred Ingraham, notary
public in this city. This affidavit was signed
with the ~, full name OF the girl, Matte r
Wright. This affidavit was III the form Of
questions and answers Mr. AckIen called
our attention to that TACT, and that the Lam
gnage OF the affidavit was the language Of the
girl herself when she answered the questions
as prOpOunded by the notary, who took her
very words, as he stated This affidavit de-
MED that there had ever been any criminal
intercourse between Mr.. Acklen and herself
but stated that there had been between
Wright and herself previous to her marriage
with Wright. Mr. Acklen, on being asked
what was his motive for the extraordinary
Interest manifested by htm in this matter.
and for his great zeal and activity N bring
ing about the marriage, replied he did 80 be-
cause OF his regard and kind feelings for the
family OF the girl All the above facts were
learned from Mr.. Ack himself when be
made his first statement to US.
From others we learn. d that Wright desert
ed his wife and went to Texas Il few days after
his marriage. The girl was delivered OF an
infant in February 1875, and after that sank
lower and lower In social life She died Of
yellow fever In September, 1873 We learned
from E1ghly-respectabl witnesses, to whom
the girl, at the time Of her marriage, made
the statement that when she was carried to
the physleian's office on Rampant street it
was Tor the purpose Of producing an abortion.
respectable physician on bampart street as
the one who had been seen by him and the
ladies'. We called on this physician, and he
said he could recoliect nothing Of the matter;
Il such parties had ever called On him the cir
cumstance had entirely escaped his memory.
We learned also from very respectable wit
nesses that on the eve OF the marriage OF the
girl with Wright, Mr. Acslen came to the
house where the mother and daughter were
stopping that Mr. Acklen, sitting in a cor
ner Of large parlor mad r. ~; conversation
with the mother; tBat yerai papers passed
between the two, aud that they the witnesses,
were asked u witness tie signature Of the
mother; that they consented To do 50; when
they were signing the paper Mr. Aeklen hen.l
it down SO that they could net sea thfe yJzss-
tents OF the paper, and held l..s Iku,ao OF ~,