The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-11
ENGINEER MELVILLE.
Letter on His Domestic ReIations-Hunt-
ed Down by Sensational Journalists.

Philadelphia Special.
Engineer Melville has carefully avoided
writing any letters for publication as to the
criticism of his course in connection with
his family, and he would not have departed
from his course to write any at all had he
not felt, as he says that he was being
bounded down" The following, his first
open letter on his domestic troubles, is made
public to-day:
LEAGUE ISLAND, June l, 1888.
Editors of the Daily Herald, Reading, Pa.
SIrs-'Here tOfUre have avoided answering all
attacks on my name and reputation, surprising
that the courts alone wOuld settle the question
of family discord. Your paper, with others,
without cause, apparently in ignorance, has at
tempted TO hound me down, charging all sorts or
rascalijy and meanuess, when the evidence be-
fore the court showed that the head and front
of my offending consisted in being seafaring
man and would not live with drinking woman.
Yonr main charge tissue OF May so is that Eth
gineer Mevilles wife has been living on the
charity of her friends" 1t Ia certainly
strange that you should publish a statement o.
that kind in the face Of the order Of the court
which allotted her $40 per month, and which
has al ways been paid. II seems so singular to
me that the press of the United States should SO
pervert the facts and charge me with desertiOn
of my family, when u is well known that pro-
vided a comfortable house and left an allotment
of $50 per month for the time was absent, aud
when my pay increased, upon my promo
ton, the then Secretary of the Navy, Mr.. Hunt,
without my CONSENT allowed this woman
$3.50 per month for thirteen months until
MIR, Chandler was made Secretary, when
he, complying with the law, reduced the
amount to the original allotment of 800 per
month, which l i'll time confirmed, and c0ntin-
ued paying that sum up to the time OF the order
of the court which allowed her $40 per month
for the support of herself and two youngest
children. During my absence of three years
and five months she had a house TO live in, and
in that time drew of my earnings 81, 440, besides
running me in debt TO the amount of $4,000, for
which the hOusehO old goods were seized and sold
should have been my home l was ushered into
the presence of "a drunken maniac, who had
polluted my name that had never before borne
a stain, Because would not live with such a
woman and condOne all of her untold
nastiness of the previous years l am
charge with desertiOn, and am followed up by
yOnr paper in a statement that 81 am seen on
the streets in not always good company" This
charge may mean great deal, or 1t may mean
nothing. may frequently be seen on the streets
when have reason to go there. There is no
reason why Melville should stink through
the slums and back alleys of this city.
He always stands out in open day. aud is
never seen IN company with persons that he
would be ashamed to be found dead with, or
any whose character would bring blush of
shame to the cheek of his mother were she liv-
ing. During the trial of the case at Media this
wOman's attorneys ventilated my character
from the time was schoOlbOy in New YORK,
then raked Philadelphia, from the Delaware II
the Schuylkill, from Southwark to Richmond,
without finding one Flemish which they could
fasten upon to smurch my personal character.
The great and only fault is l did 20 to sea
eighteen years out of twenty-five to avoid a hell
on shore, and that would not cOndone the
faults OF drunken woman. An insertion of
tins In your paper may to a slight degree GOun-
teraet the slanderOus statements that have been
going the rounds of the public press. am, sir,
GEORGE W. MELVILLE,
Chief Engineer U. S. N.