The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-06-12
nELYILLE ANN nls wlrE.
The Chief Epgin or of the Jeannette
6oaded 10 n Public Explanation.

I
Goaded 10 u Public Explanation.
PHILADELPHIA, June 1.-THE following
letter has been published by Engineer
Melville, in reply to number Of charges
made against him in Reading paper:
"Heretofore have avoided answerin all
attacks on my name and reputation, sup
posing that the courts alone would settle
The question OF family discord. Rour pa.
per, with others, without cause, apparently
in ignorance, has attempted to hound me
down, charging all sorts OF rascality and
meanneSs, when the evidence before the
court showed that the head and front oi
my offending consisted in being a seaiar-
ing man aud would not live with drink
ing woman.
Your main charge tissue OF May SO) is
that Engineer Melvllle's wife has been
living on The charity Of her friends" 1t is
certainly strange that you should publish a
statement OF that Kind in the lace OF The
order OF the court which allotted her SO
per month, and which has always been
paid. II seems so singular 10 me that the
press OF the United States should so pervert
the facts and charge me with desertion OF
my family, when 1t is well known that |
provided i comfortable house and left an
allotment OF 800 per month for the time l
was absent, and when my pay was in
creased, upon my promotion, the then
Secretary oil the Navy (Mr. Hunt, without
my consent, allowed this woman $l40 per
month for thirteen months, until Mr..
Chandler was made Secretary, when he,
complying with the law, reduced the
amount 10 the original allotnentof 800 per
month, which in time confirmed, aud
continued laying 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 house TO live in, and In
that time drew Of my earnings 81, ,440,
besides running me in debt to the
amount OF s. 900, for which the household
goods were seiz.d and sold by the Sheriff,
and upon my arrival at what should have
been my home / was ushered into the
presence Of drunken maniac, who had
polluted my name that had never before
borne stain. Because l would not live
with such woman and condone all oil her
untold nastiness Of tho previous years, l am
charged with desertion and am followed up
by your paper in q statement that II am
seen upon the streets not always in good
company" This charge may mean great
deal, or it may mean nothing l may ire.
quently be seen on the streets when have
u reason to go there. There is no reason
why Melville should slipk, through the
slums and back alleys OF this city. He
always stands out in open day, and Is never
seen in company with persons that he
would be ashamed to be found dead with,
or any whose character would bring a
blush Of shame to the cheeks Of his mother,
were she living.
During the trial oil the case at Media this
woman's attorney ventilated my character
from the time was school boy ia New
York city, then raked Philadelphia from the
Delaware to the Schuykill, from South.
wa,k to Richmond, without finding one
blemish which they could fas.en upon to
smirch my personal character. The great
and only fault (?) isl did not 90 to sea
IS years out Of 22, to avoid hell on shore,
and that would not condone the faults oil
a drunken woman"