Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-08-06

Criminal Court.
John Bass, a colored man arrested on
charge Of attempting TO vote upon GER
tifcate Of registration illegally issued, was
tried before the Recorder yesterday. The
courtroom was densely crowded, and the
greatest interest was eyinced 10 all that
transpired. Witnesses were sworn, aud
testified az follows:
Deputy Marshal J b. Reddick | was
officer Of the Sd ward polls on election day !;
this boy came up to vote, and handed in
his certificate; saw his certificate bore no
signature, and arrested him he gave his
name az John Bans; / sent him up to the
Lieutenant of the police; don't know
whether the certificate was genuine don't
know Bass; he told me the certificate wac
given him at Henry Harding's; he said
Jasper Napier or Henry Rhodes gave it to
him, at a saloon When arrested, he said
he supposed the certificate to be all right
his conduct was very good and he declared
be did not wish to vote if the certificate
were not genuine; ! take him to be very
intelligent boy never heard anything
derogatory of him.
Jno. Q. Flynn, Especial Policeman L
took the prisoner to the station-house in
going to the workhouse, he said he had in
tended nothing wrong; that the certificate
had been given him at Harding's, where a
good many others had been issued.
Jno. Coltart | was receiver of votes in
the first ward, and an application 20 vote,
similar to Bass, was made to me; don't
know whether Bass was the man who APP
piled, but | told him (the man who came
to the first ward to go to Major Alden and
get his certificate signed. Another also
applied, and both soon after came back
with the signatures / knew nothing of
Bass characters the applicants stated
the certificates presented were procured at
Henry Hardings.
c. NJ Hays: saw one certificate on
Thursday; it was signed with Major Al
den's name, but nos filled up; don't know
whether the signature was genuine; the
boy who had it told me a good many like
it had been given out / did not ask him
where he got it; he claimed to have voted
himself, and to have handed out a good
many certificates.
Thomas Calender: | saw Major Alden
fill up a certificate in my office, but what
he did with it l don't know; don't know
what he wrote upon it the man for whom
it was filled appeared to be stranger, and
remarked as he went out that he supposed
zone had been sticking to the other"
Tom c. Crunk: | saw three unsigned
certificates on Thursday; one at the first
ward and two at the third the persons
holding them went off on their votes being
challenged and returned with them signed !;
one of the parties said ne had never made
application for a certificate before that day /;
/ think perhaps the papers were genuine ;
they were procured at Henry Harding's
saloon; saw no publication to the effect that
the registration Office would be open on
Thursday, but it was announced that it
would not be open after that.
Alfred Gray, colored l got a certificate
at Henry Harding's; Henry Harding gave
it to me he got the certificates from Mai.
Alden; | took no cath TO get it, nor did any
one else; no white men were there; my
name was taken down last saturday week
ago, by Henry Harding; | had gone to
Major Alden's office, but it was closed. and
several men told me to go to Henry Har-
ding's; Henry Harding took my name,
and it was on the certificate when / got il ;
/ paid nothing for it; | got it a week be-
fore the election one of Mr.. Vaughn's
men got a certificate the same time l did ;
/ got my certificate Just by leaving my
name; l did not swear to anything.
Henry Harding BASIS certificate was
given out at my house, by my clerk; be-
fore the Registers Office closed, myself
and Bill Sumner went up to see
Major Alden, saying a good many
white and black people were coming in
from the country, and could not get certif-
Gates because of the crowd at the Regis
ter's office; Major Alden said he knew
nothing about the whites, but he would
give me some certificates to issue to the
colored people; ! was a voucher in Major
Alden's Office. As the certificates came,
ordered my clerk to give them out care
fully; Major Alden did not come home in
time 10 sign them. No one swore any of
the applicants. had no right to swear
them. Bosley and Napier gave out some
certificates while my clerk was sick.
found two certificates, unsigned, which had
been left at my house after they had been
given out Think the reason some were
unsigned was because two were torn off at
a time; no white mems certificates were
left with me did not know that any white
men had certificates not signed; have
known Major Alden seven months or lon
ger; don't know whether he has known me.
Here City Attorney Lellyett stated the
law required the Commissioner of Regis
tration to know that all vouchers were
loyal during the Tar, and that seven months
acquaintance would not come up to this.
/ did not make oath that knew Bass to
be a loyal man | know him when | see
him. Alden would get a lot of colored
men together and swear them in a body
LOYAL means, hasn't aided or abetted the
rebellion" Alden said Il don't want you
to question these parties as to how they
will vote" and | never asked colored
man the question some who got Certiti-
Gates, Alden never saw, though he signed
the papers. Not one-half the colored pee.
pie can call their own names; this is the
way | account for some of them having
certificates bearing names not their own.
Don't recoIlect sending any certificates to
parties at Whites creek or elsewhere who
had not made application 10 me. Wit
ness asked time to think before answering
this question. / do remember an old
gentleman came TO me and asked for a GER
tifcate for his son, and he got it from
Major Alden through ME. l did not swear
to his loyalty. Don't remember the old
man name; l thought the certificate was
for himself when / gave it to him. VIII
not swear that | did not give certificates TO
men in the country who had never seen
me or Major Alden l remember only one
case of the kind Pm not certain about the
Others
Henry Rhodes, colored: | gave ont GER
tifcates brought down from the office by
| Mr. Harding. ! am Harding's clerk; l
made out no certificates | only gave them
ont Some applicants showed discharges
| from the army and some didn't; none OF
| them took any oath. The names had been
| Sent up TO Alden's office, and the certificates
were given out al Harding's according to
| the names. Rebt. kinnear had some GER
tihcates, but ! don't know how many he
| issued: | never vOuched for any one;
/ took no oath when got my certificate. Mr.
] Carter vouched for me; / signed no paper
! at Alden's office / made Carriers acquaint-
ance in 1865, and have never been sol
| dier. Think I'd know Alden's signature.
| l account for the issuing of unsigned GER
ti6cates by their sticking together; nobody
| who had received two brought any back
/ l saw only one unsigned certificate; don't
/ know that anv certificates were stolen from