The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1906-11-24
Was DIR. Aldrieh Killed According
fo TaW2

l
tragedy at Baton Rouge-the premed
itated and deliberate shooting TO deatF
of DR.. r. Fl. Aldrich, one Of the mosi
prominent and talented physicians q
the capital city, by Hon. George K
Favrot, sitting district Judge and cor
ressman-eleet-a card was published
| in the local newspapers over the sig
| natures of the prisoners attorneys to
the effect that
tJudge Geo. K. Favrot, by advice
OF his council, will not make any de-
tailed statement at this time; but he
authorizes US to say that the killing OF
DR.. r. Fl. Aldrich resulted from his
persistent circulation Of slanderous
reports about Judge Favrot's wife.
Complete justification for such action
will be shown at the trial of the case. "
II will be impossible, OF course, to
estimate with any degree of accuracy
the measure Of provocation which in
huenced the mind of Judge Favrot I'M
til it is known just what was the char
acter Of the reports which DR.. Aldrich
is alleged to have circulated, and the
discussion of subject Of this kind 10
advance OF the trial is always diff
cult and delicate matter; but there is
one phase of this particular case which
seems to justify and invite comment,
and to raise the presumption that the
circumstances were not such as to
warrant the extreme course taken by
Judge Favrot.
It is claimed by the prisoner and his
friends that he actedin accord with s'the
unwritten law which is quite gener-
ally regarded il certain cases as being
superior to the laws that are enacted
BY legislative bodies and written into
the statute books. By a peculiar coin
cidence, Hon. Thos. j. Herman, one of
the attorneys Of Judge Favrot who
signed the card above quoted-himself
q distinguished jurist and member of
the Louisiana general assembly-re-
Gently delivered strong and able ad-
dress before the American Bar Asso-
citation at St. Paul, Mimi, on the sub
ieet of 1.-THE Unwritten Law, in which
he set forth the following as one Of the
ten cardinal points of his text:
"Any man who traduces virtuous
woman's character for chastity may be
shot with impunity by her or her hus-
band or any near relative. But the
offender must first be given an oppor-
tunity to deny or disprove the charge
or to retract and apologize. -
According to the published accounts
OF the FaVros-Aldrich tragedy and the
circumstances which preceded it, DIR.
Aldrich was not given any opportunity
to explain, disprove, retract Or apoli-
gize for the alleged slanderous reports
which he is accused of having circu-
lated relative to the wife of his slayer,
and if this be true, he had not yet put
himself under the ban of the unwritten
law to the extent that he might justif-
ably be way1aid ia a dimly lighted
passage and shot down in cold blood
without moments warning or chance
to defend himself by word or act. Ii.
is said that Judge Favrot had sent
word to Dr.. Aldrich that he would
shoot him on sight, and that the doc
tor had been seeking the Intervention
of mutual friend for the evident pur-
pose OF adjusting the difficulty and
avoiding hostile meeting, but whether
these statements be correct or not, the
fact rem aims that under the declara-
tion of Judge Favrob that DIR. Aldrich's
offense was merely 1.-THE persistent cir
culation of slanderous reports,'' and
under the Interpretation of the un.
written law by the judges counsel to
the effect that the person charged with
such an offense Unjust first be given az
to deny or dfsprove the
charge Or to retract and apollo
gize, it would appear that the killing
Of DR.. Aldrich by his former friend
and schoolmate was aviolation of both
the written and unWritten laws of the
land.
Perha APPS the proof to be adduced at
the trial will disclose different state
OF facts than that indicated by the
published dec1ar ations and reports,
and it is far from the intention of The
Chief to PREJUDICE or in any manner
the case, but there is an OBJ
legation to the dead as well as the liv-
ing in affairs of this kind, and the
press should be as free to discuss the
merits Of questions involved therein
from the standpoint of doing JUS
bice TO the memory of the victim no
longer able TO defend or speak for
himself, as TO aid the more fortunate
survivor by printing the versions
which he and bis friends give Of the
circumstances attending the lamentable
The Canal is All Right.
President Roosevelt is on his way
back TO Washington after very
and enjoyable visit to the
Canal Zone and Porto Rico. Nothing
viii go farther to reassure the minds
of the people Ut the United States with
relation to the progress of the Panama
Canal project than the presidents