The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-02-20
WELLS tl'1RADE.

lie New York Times yesterday morning
urintpd wild and brutal t,ade In the shap
.f a letter from j. Madison Wells. assailins
V,ludpe whitaker Attorney General Ogden
Assistant Attorney General lJgan, Mr. Ghas
sIavanap Major n. A. Burke Mr., W. u. Smar
and cen Randall Gibson In the most virulen
manner, and making against them n series
of aeanialous charges, utterly without foun
,latiop III Taeto
synopsis of the letter will he found IN OH
o telaginphlc columns, and The full text Of Il
Yesterday appeared on the st,eets In week
o papet called the State legists.
The people Of this State who 0tnnw the
character " the gentlemen attacked, recognize
- In Wells tiratle the rawlings Of maevule,it
old srbundrel. who has been. after long life
of iniuutv, finally run tn earth Ivy the officers
of the law, and WHO turns nj last to vent The
bitter venom Of his spleen upon his rui'-
STEERS.
Mons VI thu gentlemen assaulted hy Wells
D require any defense IN thia community. They
are all known To be honorable men patitnahle
citizens and, IN public lfe abDve reproacl,
The reckless TRADE of Wells, however may
have ita effect abroad II may indeed be DIFF
iicut. IF not impossible, for people unac-
auanted with Wells 10 believe that a man can
he 80 full Of venom, li,alevelepee and reckless
Indifference 30 truth as tb make such series
nf charges. utterly without foundation,
and made w wholly out Of that
wealth Of falsehood which he ear
riaa Within his own bosom. The
public, however. Must remember that q
member If distinguished family. Wells
stands now OH the verge Of The State prison.
D that. after having filled the frat Office In the
state and other positions If honor; after oec,i-
pying a large place In the public view, and hay
ing followed for years political career, TN
checked i'll ts arbitrary and infamous course,
he has Mt last been confronted by the courts Of
the State. and now stands atraianed for trial
For an Infamous crime. Bearing these facts
in mind and remembering also that CHS
charges ate against the Judge who s to try
him. the law officers who in the discharge Of
aher duty are prosecuting him, and the lead
arg witnesses who are 10 testify against him,
Ahe public may form a just estimate Of the
wicked and acandaious tissue of falaehooda
hhia old repfobate haH promulgated through
ahss New York Tunes and the Associated
nwe9.
II has not been our purpose 70 pusaue Wells
Through these columns. We we're willing as
are the people Of this State, FOR him TO have AN
impartial trial He liz accused of q specific
crime. If the evidence Ia against him
we desire 10 see him sent TO the pen
itentiary, II the evidence Ia not sufficient
10 convict we wieh him 30 be get free We
did not desire to prejudice his casa by
reconnting the multitude OF crimes which
hlaeken and disgrace hs long and ll-spent
life now about 10 expend its remnant in tho |
~ faai hnn IA
softened the uhduiata heart Of this old man |
The maievolenne and wickedness Of his ma
lure have left their trail. like that Of serpent,
over all his apts, and run down as he Ia, in |
stead of displaying something of eontrition.
he eeele 10 involve his Judges, his p,osecu
tora and his iurymen in the filth and mud in
which he is himself sinking, Miserable and |
unhappy man Misfortune which 90 often re-
scaq something gencreuR and courageous in |
The worst of men, developa not a single quail |
lily we can respect in you
The TRADE u Wells iuBtities zig III departing I
trnnl our original purpose 70 leave him TO the
justice Of the law He has 40 furioualy eought
to b1acken the regulations Of good mon
amongst us that Ii Ia necessary, in order that
injustice may not be done others, to expose
him. The escaped murderer, Il Ia said, by
in the course of yeara, 10 the accne of hia
erimo An instinct something similar to this
seems TO have inspired Wells In the Invention
81 his charges against our fellow-ctiscna.
nHe seems indeed, "a have coined them out
ii the dark and teeming memories Of hia
own wicked heart In the long list of
crimes which he charges upon The Judge
the law officers of the State and the wit
I, HAS 4. A .,f
Shich he has not been himself guilty, aud for
whiclehe has INTERNATIONALLY escaped punish
mennuntil this time. He charges that the
judge of the court, the Attorney General,
the Assistant Attorney General and sheriff,
tho principal witnesses. several of the jurors
and may ~ the aidcrs and abettors Of the
pS,ceedings are stained with crimes of ono
sort OF another Including treason. murannr.
0arc,nv, perjury, subornation OF perjury, lihGl
attempting to dehaud voters at the polls, and
ether serious otlensos.
OF which Of these awful crimes. people of
Louisiana. il j Madison Wells innocent2 Not
ono From treason TO murder there is not
crime in the lVt that this old man has not nerpc
trated. Wewillnot charge him with treason be-
cause he went against his own people In the
late war. There are many who would take
issue with us on that point, Wecharge him with
trrason because, after deserving his own poo
ple instead of booming soldier OF the Union
he turned jay-hawker and preyed upon so
eiety, warning not upon armed men, but upon
those who were defenseless. ii greater odium
attaches TO one species OF treason than
to ANOTHER it is to that treason which sknlks
out Of both camps and raises the black banner |
of piracy against unprotected homes and
inaugurates robbery in the trail OF contending
armies.
Wells has been a defaulter and he attempted
"a BE A swindler on a gigantic scale Many
wears ago. when he was sheriff of the parish
ote Rapides, he was short in his accounts