New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-04-23

terday evening. at half-past FIVE o'clock,
before United States Commissioner ID. Uf-
ban. at his office, in the Customhouse.
Judge Cooley appeared and prosecuted the
case in nerson, He offered in evidence q |
pripte,, volume Of the Congressional re
port, sustaining the allegations II the all
dayit. ~
Being sworn as a witness, Judge Cooley |
read from the printed volume the tesu-
mony given by Edgeworth, before tne Con,
eres siop al Committee. The testimony "as
to the effect that q lot of blank certlncS.es
of naturalization had been sent to the bu-
rat sett ement, in the parish of Piaquen1he,
Louisiana, signed by William Coo!ey, )uoge
and William Woeper, clerk OF the Sl1bh
District Court of New Orleans. witness
Edgewnrth, therein swore that ne khe"
Judge Cooley well and that the signatures
were in his handwriting and were also
signed by William Woelper
Judge Cooley stated tnat all these aiega-
tions were absolutely and unquallhediy
false; that he never had signed any sncn
papers as Judge OF the Sixth DlstIlct court
OF of any other court.
To the statement by Mr.. Edgeworth, that he
has known NE some length of time, and has
seen great deal of my handwriting. have
to say that, previous to coming to this
bui!ding to-day, I might, without know
ing him, have seen MIR. EdGeworth very
often, but since coming here this eve&ng,
and Mr.. Edgeworth being indicated TO me,
I have not the most distant recollection
of ever having seen him in my life.
Since ] have been on the bench OF the
Sixth District Court; / have been more care
ful IN the exercise OF all Judicial functions,
from the fact that l knew | WAS closely
watched by those who only watched an op-
portuni,y to impeaCh and remove me, and L
can state most positively that in all matters
appertaining to naturalization, up to the
present moment, have religiously obeyed
The laws Of Congress, and exacted from ap-
pticants that they conform to the c0nditlons
expressed by those laws, and have caution
ed my clerk and his deputies to be also very
careful.
Cross-examinstion by Mr.. Urban.--Has
never been in the habit of signing papers IN
blank. A few days after l took my seat as
Judge of the Sixth District Court, about
two or three o'clock in the evening, just as
1 was leaving to go to my house met Judge
Leaumont, who then had a lawsuit pending
in nv court, in which he WAS cOntestirg g the
right OF Judge Viayant to the Office OF the
Fifth Court, to which he seemingly ap.
peared to have been elected; he told me ne
wanted an Injunction against Judge sl&Vant,
for which he had not the papers prepared,
and 1t would take him half an hour or an.
hour to have them ready for my signature;
that could sign them in blank, and he
would fill up the papers and give them
to the clerk, as l seemed to De
in a hurry TO get away from the Courthouse.
| told him would not do 30 for any man,
and, rather than disoblige him, went back
to nv Office; staid there until Judge Leau-
mont had prepared his papers, and then
signed the necessary orders. i had some
conversations with Judge Leaumcnt about
signing orders in blank, and ! emphaticaiy
tod hun that had never done so and never
would do 50.
To question by the accused, Judge
Cooley said that lie had not the slightest
recollection Of ever having seen him before
had not the slightest recollection OF ever
asking his opinion of mixed schools, as he
had very decided opinion of his own. l
never had occasion to write in the presence
OF accused.
Inever had occasion to write anything IN
| Judge Ludeling's room, except in the per-
f; formance of my duties as a member OF the
State Convention, and whenever we had oc-
! casion TO DO any writing we never allowed
| outsiders to come where we We're.
| st. Colon Davis, sworn: Is Dep
! uty Clerk Of the Sixth District Court,
Parish of Orleans. Has general charge OF
! the business of the office. Went there on
the fourteenth Of siay, 1857, and has been
there ever since. Ny connection with the
|
blank naturalization papers should have
been issued from the office without my
| knowledge, and l know that none have
! issued. l can not say it was impossible
| such should have been issued, but most
certainly improbable. think 1t almost
impossible.
| lam acquainted with the business habits
of Judge Coolly and he is not in the habit o
signing papers in blank. When MIR. Woel
per is in the office, he signs papers ant
! when he is absent, l do. Never knew MI
Woelper to sign papers in blank. So far as
naturalization papers are concerned, have
been acting under his instructions an(
these were that should sign noae of then
until all the forms had been gone through
with: the order of business was the examl
nation of the applicant and witnesses by thu
Judge and copy made in the book retained
in the office, signatures of the parties, the
aftixing of the seals to the certificates, ant
then signed 1t.
These iorms were invariably observed IL
the office, and l would have considered my
self derel;ct if they had not been. At tn
time charged in Mr.. Edgeworth's affidavit
was the only deputy that Mr.. Woelper had
was particular in seeing that all the con
diiions of the naturalization laws were com
piled With. A certain judge in this city wa
in the habit of putting the applicants in
row, and making the replies Of one aAswe
for all. Judge Cooley censured and deridet
that kind of proceeding on the part OF
judge. .u,
William Woelper sworn, says-I am clerl
of the Sixth District, and have been sine
the fourteenth of May, 1867. No blank Ger
tificates Of naturalization were eve
issued signed by me or the Judge
Judge Cooley could not have signed an
such certificates without the knowledge c
myself or my deputy, Mr.. Davis. Dnrlni
the wear 1868, ! signed about three'fourth
of the papers issued, and Mr.. Davis signe
, the other fourth. | never saw Mr.. E1ge
worth before this evening. know neve
was thrown in contact with Mr. Edgewortl
80 that he could have known my handwrit
. ing. There WAS an understanding betwee
me ard Judge Cooley, that we should be yer
cautious in issuing naturaliz ation papers
The manner of Judge Cooley's examination
of persons applying to be naturalized, wa
strictly in accordance with the laws of Con
gress. l would examine myself, to ascel
tain whether the applicant was entitled t
: his papers. If found him entitled, woul
fill up the blank certificate and sen
the certificate, witness and applican
, before the Judge, who would himself e1
anime them. / did this to save time
trouble and blanks. The blank certificate
and seals to be attached to them wer
!: under my exclusive control. Judge Coole
! never asked me for blank certificate in hi
life. At one time during the term when the
were naturalizing. nearly all the clerks i
the Office were filing blanks, but they wer
under my supervision, and were i..structe
! to fill up no blanks unless the applicant
were entitled to them, and know that m
instructions we're complied with. The cel
tifca,es signed myself.
At this point the accused waived examin'
ton, and. requested that the case be SCI
.. before the United States Court.