The Ouachita telegraph., 1872-02-10
THE INVESTIGATING COMPRESSION.
AL COMMITTEE.
DEVELOPEMESTs, RICH, RARE AND
RAEH!
s.IATrE1, DEEP AND DAMSiSG"


tMATrrt.1, DEEP MD DAM%iEG!'
The fraud, corruption and viti;iny OF
Radical rule in Louisiana we have
never doubted and never ceased to de-
nouncc. But the full measure OF the
peoples atflictions have by no one been
iully appreciated and understood. The
crucibie and cork-scrcw of the House
ing to view an amount of official We
nality and turpitudc unparalleled in
the history Of free government, and
that court Of inquiry has only, as yet,
been fcelingi its way to the main en-
trance to the political charnel-housc Of
our State. AS it progresses, it will re-
ceivc new light and procure fresh Sc
crets, which, aggregated, will make up
a panorama of guilt surprising in cnor-
nifty and backncss the widest concep-
ton Of historical fiction.
We present specimen queries and
answers selected from the testimony
taken on the fifth and sixth days of the
Committees sitting. The witnesses
arc all Radicals.
What Isovcc Swears.
This witness is the elected Secretary
Of State.
ELECTION FRAUDS.
q. Were you one of the officers, I'M
der the laws of the State, who counted
the votes?
"A. was one Of the counters and
compil.rs.
q. DO you believe the returns were
ever tampcred with?
A. Yes; sir. Those of the parish of
Ascension, for instance. Two boxes
were brought here, were sent back to
the parish and again sent back to New
Orleans. They decided the contest.
The returnes of the parish of Richland
We're thrown out on the ground that
the Supervisor had been compelled to
leave the parish, it was said, and he
himself appointed his successor. No
new election was ordered, but the
House gave the seat to the Democratic
candidate.
q. DO you know that any of the
Registrars ever returned themselves
elected:
A. think from fifteen to twenty. l
believe the ballot-boXes We're stuffed
that is regular tickets were taken out
and others put in. ! think those Su-
pcrvisors arc not particularly conscien-
tious.
q. DO you know Of any election
frauds perpetratcd when you were Sec
retary ofState?
A. 1 know of nothing positive about
that.
q. Were the frauds perpetratcd in
the interest of the Governor and of his
friends:
\. AS fair as l know all of them were.
q. Did any member of the I4cgiSl;l-
ture tell you he had been offered $500
as {: bribe:
n. Mr.. Turcaud, of the Parish of St.
James, told me he had been offered q
bribc by Mr.. Napoleon Underwood,
Tax Collector of East Baton Rouge,
appointed by Mr.. Warmoth, to sup
port the latter's administration; Mr.
kierson was also approached; so were
Mr.. Bickham and Mr.. B. l.. Lynch
anti-Warmoth), but no particulars
were given. This was on the third or
fourth day following tho meeting of the
Legislature. When ut the NIctrepOli-
tan Club, on Canal street, the witness
| frequently heard gentlemen say that
the Governor was attempting to bride
members.
TIE GONEliNOE'S OrERArONS.
Witness stated that according to rIl-
NOR, the Governor was largely inter-
rstcd in the Slaughterhouse bill. He
heard that the late Mr.. John T.. Dean,
Clerk of the Supreme Court, and h,,s-
band of Mrs. Dean, above referred to-,
us the runorcd mistress of the Cover
nor, and Il friend of his ENcel1ency,
held 1900 shares in the above company,
which, ut par, rprcscntcd $l30,00o.
q. Did you hear that the Governor
had bought those shares or received
them for what he had done in favor Of
the company'
\. In consideration of his services to
the company, it was said also, that the
Governor WAS largely interested in the
s'fi0uting Debt bill, (which authorized
the sale of the bonds ut not less than
% cents on the dollar. The witness had
heard that capitalists were willing to
give moro. The Governor and his
friends held portion of the bonds and it
it WAS rumorcd that everything had boon
arranged before the bill had been
signed.