Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-01-28
Investigation of Election Frauds
by the Senate Committee on
Privileges and Elec-
tiOns.
Open Confessions Of Fraudulent
Throwing Out of Legal and
Counting Of Bogus
Votes.
A Case Already Made for the PeO
pie Of the State and against
the PinchbeckS.

Louisiana investigation by the Senate
Committee on Privileges and Elections
this morning, B. r. Foreman, of th'
Returning Board, at the request of Sen
ator Morton, produced the official re
turns. Mr.. Foreman, on examination
said the returns were delivered TO hin
by Mr.. Brogon, Secretary of the pre-
vious board, on the eleventh of Decem.
Der; some of the returns had beer
opened; all the returns were canvassed
and had been under lock since the can.
vass; did not examine the vote fol
President; a few polls were thrown out,
as they were stuffed by the Fusionists;
the whole vote of Iberia and st. James
parishes was thrown out on account OF
intimidation at the polls; couldn't say
positively the vote of the parishes;
thought most Of them Republican.
Ex-Governor Warmoth, sworn, said
that he did not as Governor make any
certificate of election, as the election
law does not require it; made certificate
of the result of the election, and sent
copies of certificates to parties elected
these were Greeley electors; no canvass
had been made by any board of can
vassers; the certificates had been issued
on the report of Mr.. Woodward, Assist
ant Secretary of State, who gave figures
of election; he had no authority to
count the votes; had returns from all
the parishes but two; these returns were
opened by himself in the presence of the
members of the Wharton Board, and
the returns put into the hands of Mr..
Brogon, who was directed to employ
clerks enough to make the calculation
of the vote of the State. The Board was
then enjoined from counting or can
vassing the returns, and no canvass
made; no votes were thrown out.
John Lynch testified that when the
votes for Electors were counted, the
Board of Canvassers had before it returns
from the United States and State Super
visors and affidavits from certain indi-
viduals in certain parishes and returns
from the United States Supervisors from
all but two or three parishes. The evil
dence before the Board showed that the
Supervisors had been driven from the
polls in many places in New Orleans,
comprising about one-quarter of the vote
of the State. There were some parishes
from which the Board had returns from
neither the State nor United States Su-
pervisors. In some cases the Board acted
upon information which was not sworn
to. These affidayits were sometimes
as to the reason why no returns were
made and sometimes as to the result of
the vote. In some cases the parish, as
a whole, was thrown out, and the Board
counted the votes of persons who swore
they had been Illegally deprived of vot
ing in Bossier parish. One thousand
one hundred and fifty nine such votes
were counted; did not pretend
that the results reported were technical
ly correct, but he believed they were in
the main. The whole vote of Mcintosh
parish was thrown out, and one thou
sand two hundred and sixty votes were
counted on the atfidavit-all for the Re-
publican ticket. The whole number of
votes thrown out did not exceed six
thousand. Pinchbeck was a candidate
for Congressman at Large, and
the board counted him in. Outside of
the city of New Orleans the Supervisors
upon whose returns the board acted,
were Republican. The Supervisors did
not remember whether any returns were
signed by both Republican and Demo-
cratic supervisors. The witness admit
ted that the board had no official re-
turns according to law of the State, and
counted in some votes never cast under
the laws cf the United States and in
obedience to the principles of Justice.
The reason they had no official returns
was because the Governor refused
to give them, aid he presumes
sll the State officers were op-
posed to the Republican party. From
two wards in New Orleans the board
made no returns; l don't know within
a thousand how many votes were cast
IN those wards; my impression is they
were Greeley wards, and also that the
votes in them were counted for President
and Governor and thrown out on the
legislative ticket. Witness detailed the
difficulties of overturning the registry
before the election, and voting for
their own and various other parties in
The State. No publication was made of
,asting votes in his parish, and every
obstacle thrown in the way of voters in !
argely Republican localities, and not
on account of color, but
against Republicans. Witness could |
not tell how it was that the board re-
,urned forty thousand votes less for
McEnery in New Orleans, than the
)ther board. General McMuilen sub |
nitted the certificates of the United |
States Supervisors, that the returns of
he State officers in New Orleans were
correct. Witness said that this was the |
'ule, but that there We're cases of excep-
ions which the Supervisors noted as
errors on the back of returns.
General Longstreet said that he was
! member of the Lynch Returning
Board, and that he made an official de- |
nand on Warmoth for the returns, but
lid not obtain them.
After some further evidence, the tax
ng of testimony was adjourned, and |
he committee went into secret session.