The weekly clarion., 1872-02-22

can-that he talked with large numbsr of
colored men that day who told him they
were Republicans. that there was a great
deal of drinklng and curSiDg and iAtimidd-
tioR-that his former old frienas OF twenty
five and thirty years standing. that day
treated him with great GOODNESS. that they
were armed. but the Republicans were not,
nor did they use any abusive or violent
language-thar he has no recollection of
examining any tickets that day-that he
did not stand near the door and examine
tickets of persons passing in TO Yote-that
TWO WHITE men told him they were AFRAID
to vote. and again Il did not hear but ONE
white man declare himself TO be RepubIi-
can," that the bitterness seemed To spread
over the whole assemb bly,. That the Messrs.
Moores and Darden would not speak tn him.
etc. That no one told him that il was
wrong for Judges To ddbble in politics, that
he thinks himself, as a general thing IL Is
not right-but he did il that time at the in
stance of Judge Hancock.
The various contradictions that raise
their hideous heads in this deposition of
the distinguished member of the Judiciary
Committee, 'learned above his fellows" are
apparent aud L will only undertake 10 re-
coDcile them BY referring TO the deposition
of faretZky. McRae, Mosely and w. ID.
Cameron. Mr.. Yaretzky says he did not
screen himself behind the door. as stated
by the "learned" Judge-but that the
day of the election he was perfectly free TO
entertain any opinion he choose upon po-
l1tlcal subjects, and acted upon them ac-
cOrding to his own wishes and Judgment,
and lie voted just as he wished-that no
one attempted to intimidate him, and that
he knows of no intimidation on the part of
any one, that 10 was the most pedcedble and
qtfet election he had ever witnessed in
Lauderdale.
Mr.. Cameron swears that he was at Lau-
derdale on the day of the election. and that
it wes an unusually quiet day for Lduderddle,
that he did not see drunken man ON the
ground, nor any weapon; nor did he see
any violence or threats towards any colOred
men, except i'm one instance. That was the
case of an honest old Democratic negro
named Cesar Whitfield, who, as he went
boldly TO the polls, with a Democratic tick
ct. was kicked at by another negro from
Meridian by the name of Nose Phillips,
who said, ''there goes a damned Democratic
| 'ticket." All. Mr.. Speaker. there was in
timidation for you! But, alas! 1t was on
the wrong side of the proposition to suit
this case. 'It was your bull that gored my
"o1 :" And that is not all, sir. Not salts
fled with insulting and cursing honest, no.
bic old Cesar, be was afterwards beaten,
tue witness says. with n stick, because he
dared to exercise the right of suffrage as
freeman The witness also swears that he
did see Judge Leachman that day standing
at the door of the house in which the voting
was done. and there he looked at and exam
ined the tickets OF the colored men as they
passed in to vote.
derdale, and that it was an unusually quiet
day, no cursing. no threats or violent lam
guage was used by any one, and no drink
ing; nor did he any one armed. He
says he saw Judge Leachman, too; that he
went with him there the previous evening,
and accepted of the hospitalities of Dem
ocrat, Mr. Cullum; that number of Dem
ocratS were preseat that night. and no
Republican butJ Jadge Leachman; that they
all treated him with marked courtesy and
respect; that the Judge stayed all night
with them under the hospitable, Demo-
cratic roof. And now. Mr.. Speaker, it is
dreadful to think how the Judge has acted.
After accepting the Democratic cOurtesies
and hospltalities, then to abuse them, to call
them tRttmtddtOrs, prOcUrers aud druRkdrdS.
1t reminds me of what Gov. Vance. of North
Carolina, said of his oppontnt. Holden, who,
like Judge LeachMan, had accepted his
hospitalities; and, like the Judge. had
abused him. Said Gov. Vance:
"He eat my meat and drank my tea,
Then run about town and talked about me.
He. too. says he saw the Judge at the door
where the voters "passed in" to vote, and
ticket 10 him before voting, to see that it
was the ticket he had given him that this
righteous Judge was distributing tickets the
morning of the election by daylight. lie
was an early bird He says that about u
O'Clock, when the Judge was thirsty, he
gave him drink; that the Judge asked him
for water. and that he procured it for him.
Unlike the crucifiers of our Savior when
he asked them for water, they gave him
Vlnegar,-this noble Democrat gave him
cool and refreshing water, and AS he slaked
his thirst, he said TO bis benefactOr: "Lau-
"derdale is place of intimidation" The
witness, a kind hearted man, asked him his
reasons for saying so, and insisted that he
was courteous towards him. The learned
Judges reply was ''Yes, y0u have been,
''but Elias and Nelson Moore woulu not
speak to me-" and for that reason he was
! ''intimidated.r
This witness was a candidate for Chan
Gerry Clerk against Robert the son of Judge
Leachman. And states further, that ut least
twenty-five freedmen promised to vote for
him, provided he would have his name
printed upon Republican ticket, that they
had been taught that it was crime-a pen
! itentiary offenSe-to scratch a name off the
ticket that was given them. That he had
some Republican tickets printed with his
name upon them, and distributed them, but
they were all taken away and Others placed
! in their hands. He saw one colored man
who had promised to vote for him, and
| asked him If he did not want to vote for
him. he said he did, ''if he had a right to do it,"
Judge Leachman being near by, he asked
! him if the colored man did not have the
/ right to vote as he pleased. The Judge re-
piled in the affirmative. Witness then gave
| him another ticket, but afterwards he says,
he saw the Judge call him aside and exam
| inc his ticket. Witness further swears that
I he heard one Mr.. Brown call a colored man
away from here the Judge was. and say TO
him if he wanted TO vote, he should vote
just as he pleased. Judge Leachman, in his
testimony, says he reported Brown to the
! United States District Attorney for viola
! ton of the enforcement law.
Now, Mr.. Speaker. you have the whole
testimony upon the first charge. The tes-
timony of Judge Leachman that he saw
three men who had registration papers of
1869 The charge is one hundred and fifty.
l submit that this charge falls lifeless TO
the ground, as all the others, for the want
of proof.
The next charge or allegation is the same
that was made against Mr.. Kelly. that he
had decoyed one hundred and fifty voters
into Alabama, &c. l will make no other
answer 70 it than the one made. in behalf of
Mr.. Kelly. The facts are the same.
THE next allegation is, that you and
"your friends combined together for the
pun pose of getting possession of a large
6 number of registration papers by deceit,
bribery and fraud, for the purpose of pre-
8 venting them from casting their vote, and
:" that you did succeed in getting possession
" of large number and destroying them or
Withholding them from the voters so as to
prevent them from voting" Not single
witness has pretended TO testify TO anything
of the kind; not one word has been uttered
by solitary witness touching that subject.
Ii therefore must be thrown aside as wholly
uusustained.
| The remaining two charges are in sub
stance, if not in words, the same made
| against Mr.. Kelly concerning the precinct
| in the Roberts building. in the city of Me-
ridian, and the consolidating of the votes
cast there with those cast at the box presi-
ded over by the Registrars. / shall make
no other reply than what has been made TO
the same allegations.
/ This, Mr.. Speaker, IS the Lauderdale
county contested case lam sure the House
| viii bear me out, that have fully redeem ed
my pledge made in the outset, that would
demonstrate il TO the satisfaction of every
member upon this floor, that there was abb
/ snlnfelY nothing In the case: that there is