The correct answer to this open question is the following.
Why did the Committee of Merchants for the Relief of Colored People Suffering from the Late Riots emphasize that Abraham Franklin "was a quiet, inoffensive man, 23 years of age, of unexceptionable character, and a member of Zion African Church in this city"?
Answer:
The Committee of Merchants for the Relief of Colored People Suffering from the Late Riots emphasize wanted to show the number of victims of the riots was upstanding individuals, targeted for the simple reason of race.
In July 1863, African Americans suffered from violent attacks during the draft riots in New York City. The federal troops violently stopped the black people's manifestations. They killed many people. Among them, Abraham Franklin who was 23 years old.