New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-03-11
CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATING
COMMITTEE.
WITNESS CHARGED WITH PERJURY
Alleged Naturalization Frauds

Two affidavits have been made before
United States Commissioner Urban, charg-
ing r. B. Edgeworth with perjury in his
testimony before the Congressional Investi-
eating Committee, that was in session here
some weeks. One affidavit was made by
William H. Cooley, Judge Of the Sixth Dis
trict Court~a the other by William Woel-
Der, clerk Of the same court. Captain Edge
worth gave bonds in the sum of twenty-five
hundred dollars on each affidavit, to appear
before the United States Commissioner for
examination at future time.
Captain Edgeworth testified before the
congressional committee that ne was chair
man Of the Board of Supervisors of Election
in the parish of Plaquemines, and that the
returns of the commissioners of each of the
polls were made to him.
This is a portion Of the testimony:
Question. In reference to the eighth pre-
cinct. what WAS the case?' Answer. l am
not acquainted with the precincts by the
numbers ,,r,
election: cause, illegal and fraudulent nat
uralization.' A. That, l think. must have
been Buras settlement. There were lot
of naturalization papers sent in blank to
that precinct from the Sixth District Court
of this city, with the name of the judge,
william Cooley, and OF the clerk,
william Woelper, already signed 70 them
They had been sent down there for the
Democratic party to fill up as they wanted.
I asked the parties how they got them, and
Hhey said they had been sent down by the
club. asked the parties if they had been to
New Orleans to any court to get naturalized,
and they told me they had not. ! then
asked them what they had paid for the pa
pers. and they told me they had paid no
thing. When they first came to me they
came with the papers in blank. said,
Your names are not filled up.n day or
two afterwards they came back with the
names filled up, and were registered.
0. Where were you at the election In that
precinct
A. Twas there.
O. Were they registered by you?
A, These parties No, Sir.
0. Who did register them!
A. The other two members Of the board,
MIR. Inglesall and Mr.. Winter.
Q. How many such persons were regis
tered2
A. Throughout the parish there were,
think. some eighty odd, as stated in my
report to the board of registration.
o. ask you to state, ofy your own personal
knowledge, how many there were.
A. It would be pretty hard to say.
know there were over eighty; how many
more could not say.
| eighty? ...,
O. Were there none but persons OF foreign
birth about there?
| A. There was nobody but Diegos.
| O. Might they not have been born here
| A. Well, sir, they couldn't understand
| English.
| O. Do YOU suppose all the people down
| there are men of foreign birth?
| A. About Burras Settlement they general
Iy are. There were several lrishmen there.
who were foreigners, and | should think
there were between seventy and eighty al
together.
| A, A man named GREGG; recollect him
in quarantine.
o. In what court was he naturalizedP
| a. Well, the papers came from Judge
Cooley's court.
.. Do you know COoleS's handwritins'
A. Yes, sir.
| o. Was the paper signed in his hand
writing?
A. Yes, sir; have known Judge Cooley
some length of time, and have seen great
deal of his writing. :.
o. By whom else was the paper signed?
A, By his clerk, William Woelper.
Q, wish you would be particular as to
this mans name; will you write it2
, TWitness writes Ben Ceinti GregiosI
0. Why did you reject the entire poll on
, account of the illegality of few votes?
| A. There were not few.
ii O. Suppose there was one Illegal vote
was it not your duty to count the rest?
A. Yes, sir; we did count them and thre
them all out together, because it was I'M
| possible to determine which were legal anc
r which we're illegal.
: iected the illegal and returned the iega
9 votesp
A. We could have done that.
Q. Why did MT you?
3 A. 1t would have caused some confusion
9 and probably some trouble.
Captain Edgeworth will produce, ne says
on the examination, certain naturalization
papers signed in blank with the names
? the atlantis.