The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-10-10

| Atlanta, oct. 1O.-MrS. Onezina de
Bouchel of New Orleans, whose en-
gagement to marry Asa G. Gambler.
ST.. Atlanta capitalist, was announced
some weeks ago, made public here to-
day a statement asserting that Mr..
Gambler broke the engagement be-
| cause of a report brought TO him re-
fleeing upon her character.
Mrs de Bouchel said Mr.. Gambler
! had refused and was still refusing to
furnish the names OF the persons he
\ said accused her. She issued her state
menr following a final conference be-
| tween her and Mr.. Gambler here.
Mrs. de Bouchel came to Atlanta
last night from Marietta, having
reached there on Sunday from Chat
tanooga. Before leaving Marietta, she
said that she called Mr.. Gambler over
the telephone and asked him to see
her. On reaching Atlanta, she said,
she engaged a suite of rooms at local
hotel and informed Mr.. Gambler over
the telephone of her arrival Mr..
Gambler and his son, Asa G. Gambler,
Jr., it was declared, came to the hotel
| and were in conference with Mrs de
Bouchel for nearly two hours.
| Mr. Gambler was very much Broken
up" Mrs. de Bouchel said. Il felt
sorry for him. He told me he still
loves me and wants to marry me, AMI
that he does not believe this hideous
SANDER which has been taken to him,
and yet he refused to give me the
| name of the man or men who ac
cused me. I cannot understand his
attitude. He tolC me he was wretched
and unhappy, and did not care
whether he lived or died. He said he
would prefer To- me to go home, and
wait awhile and announce the break
ing of the engagement and give as my
reason anything detrimental to his
character that L might see fit. OF
1
for I know nothing against his char
acter, altho I insist that he owes it to
me to give me the names of those who
accuse me-"
Mrs. de Bouche1 stated that her law
| yer. Harry Gamble. of New Orleans,
would arrive late tonight and join her
! tomorrow morning. She said she would
probably be here for some time" She
declined to state what action she
would institute if any to force a dis
closure of the identity of those she
said had accused her.
Issues Long Statement.
| Mrs. de BouchePs statement follows:
| Mr.. Gambler and 1 were to have
been married on the goth of Septem-
| Der. All arrangements were made
clergyman engaged cards of an
nouncement printed, and we were to
be at home here in Atlanta on October
10.
| Oll OeplSInDST 10 ne WTOIe me InaI
1t would not be fair to marry me and
bring me here where 1 would be
sighted on account of repo rs circu-
lated here against me. TIL 'eports.
according to him. were II ing a
Confederate reunion in = three
or four years ago, when the SUI
preme honor of being Chaperone-
general, and when 1 was attended
| every moment, 1 had solicited two men
to visit me at the hotel at night.
These reports had been brought to
him, he said. from sources he was
bound to believe just before he was
to take the train for our wedding.
They would, he said, follow me wher-
ever 1 might go. / would never be
able to hold my head up again
| This hideous SANDER and Mr.. Can
dler's reception of it and his saying
my future is ruined, have broken my
heart; but my will is not broken and
1 have faith that God will give me
courage to defend myself.
! Good Name All She Has.
81 have come here against all my
training, against all my instincts, but
a good name is all that a woman has,
and I mean to put the dastards who
have contrived this despicable scheme
to destroy me behind the bars if there
is any justice in Georgia.
| 81 have always known that the Can
dlers opposed my marriage to Mr..
Gambler, and he will not deny that
twice after our engagement, long after,
offered to release him.
He vehemently refused and cried
that I was cruel to suggest it. Who
is cruel now?
at was never necessary on that
count to put this foul dishonor on me.
| But they have blundere0.
This clumsy conspiracy fixes the
time so fortunately for me that I can
prove my innocence against all the
perjurers and hired assassins they
can bring.
| ''I was chaperone-general at the re-
union of Confederate veterans in a
suite of rooms, With other women of
unimpeachable character and under
conditions so highly honorable to me
that none but desperate, stupid, dolts
or people recklessly certain of their
power in Atlanta wouio ever conceive
the idea of making me OUT a common
degraded woman in the very hour
that 1 was crowned with the very
highest and most sacred honor that
can come to a southern woman.
when I received Mr.. Gamblers let
ter containing this. abominable charge,
and saying I could not come to At
lanta, without insult, 1 immediately
tanooga, for I was loath to come to
Atlanta.
Declined to Give Names.
From there 1 asked Mr.. Gambler
for the names of my accusers and
who were his informants. He declined
to give the information and made the
astonishing statement that it was best
for me not to know.
"a woman's reputation to be stolen
and she to accept it to be and to be
dismissed with a goody-goody pat on
1.-THE shoulder.
81 sent an attorney to represent to
Mr.. Gambler the right to defend my
lself from these ISLANDERS if there were
ANY such persons, which 1 had then
ibegun to doubt.
1T is unbelievable but he still re-
fused to divulge the names and
seemed to expect me to go quietly off
in some remote corner Of the world
to hide and leave him and his family
triumphant here TO snare more unsus-
Ipecting women"
The only satisfaction to the at