The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-09-26

Gllc IoglSTry uSCS as prepared ny ulIus |
the said deponent; that these lists were |
ordered to be prepared upon paper sim
liar to that provided for keeping the |
written lists Of voters at the election,
as required by section eleven of the |
election law of 1870, and they were in |
structed to strike from the poll list in |
advance the names of such persons as |
required by section twelve OF the above |
quoted law. Said commissioners were |
also instructed to see that number OF |
Fusion ballots, corresponding to the |
number of names thus erased from the |
lists were placed in the ballot boxes IN
their respective polls, so that the writ |
ten lists and the number OF ballots
should tally exactly at the counting OF
the votes, they being lett to devise their
own mode of carrying out these latter
instructions, but, the better to accom-
plish the object sought, they We're in
structed to open their polls in advance
of the hour designated by law, so that
when voters presented themselves, at
the regular hour it should appear that
some votes had already been cast; and
these commissioners were also lnstruc-
ted to insert the list previously pre-
pared as aforesaid, sheet by, sheet,
among the lists kept during the day,
making the running numbers cores
pond; and that these instructions were
0beyed to the letter in every instance,
and that the names of 800 deceased
persons, obtained and prepared as be-
fore related, were so erased and frau
dulently marked as voted, and the same
number OF Fusion tickets were thus VO-
ted at the said election.
OPERATIONS IN THE COUNTRY.
DepOnent further says that the super
visOrs of registration appointed through
out the State were all in the interest of
the Fusion party, and were selected,
not only on that account, but because
of their supposed willingness and abll-
ity to carry the election in favor OF
that party, by whatever manipulation
was possible and necessary under the
registration and election laws; that IN
the parishes where there was known to
exist a large Republican majority the
supervisors were, in most cases, per-
sons sent from New Orleans to the
parishes in which they were to act, and
men well known for their personal
recklessness and unscrupulous charac-
ter, and familiar with all the machinery
used in manipulating elections and the
powers conferred upon supervisors OF
registration by the laws; that said su-
pervisOrs we're instructed, verbally or
| otherwise, to impede in every possible
manner the registration of cOIored vO-
ters, in such ways as closing their Off
ces when large numbers OF negroes
we're waiting for registration, alleging
that they were out of blanks, when in
truth they were amply supplied. re-
moving their Offices to remote points,
notifying only white men OF their loca-
ton, and giving no notice to the ne
| Of Inan41nI1 nj
| the Office at one point, and establishing
| it at another without notice; establish
| ing polling places without due notice,
so as to facilitate the casting of large
Fusion vote, and Obstructing the voting
of Republicans, especially of colOred
men; that to further carry out the be-
fore recited determination to carry the
election at any risk, deponent, without
authority Of law, directed that a new
and complete registration should be
made in the parishes of East Baton
Rouge, West Baton Rouge, ST. James
and Tangipahoa, each of which parishes
was known to contain a lage Repubi-
can majority, and q large excess OF
cOlored over white population, on the
pretext that the books of previous
registration could not be found, said
books having been previously purpose
ly made away with.
DUPLICATE BALLoT-B0xEs.
Deponent further says that, in the
parish of Orleans, besides the fraudu-
lent and duplicated certificates of regis
tration given to persons to be voted on
in the manner already described, du-
plicate ballot boxes were provided fol
the different wards, as follows: Two
to the third ward, two to the eleventh
! ward, one to the thirteenth ward, one
J to the fourteenth ward, two to the
, fifth ward, two to the eighth ward, one
to the fifteenth ward, labeled and
marked ready for use in the same man.
, ner as those actually used ON the day
of election (see deposition of w. L
] Catlin, hereto attached and marked
ca, with the intention Of having sale
} boxes filed with large number o.
Fusion ballots, and comparatively
| small number of Republican ballots
! and of substituting them for the boxet
actually used, in cases where there wa
: reason to suspect that said boxes con
2 tanned Republican majority: and de
pOnent has reason to believe, and doe
believe, that many, if not all, of sai(
duplicate boxes were used, from cir
cumstances which occurred during th'
: night afteF the election and during tn,
counting Of the votes at Mechanics In
stitute; agad the manifest discFepanc,
between the Fusion vote and the Re
y publican vote in the boxes when opened
D for instance, in the third ward, poll No
. a, the vote as counted was 3S4 for Nc
? Emery against 96 for Kellogg, and ther
T were eighty more ballots in the bo:
y than names on the written list requires
q by section eleven of the registration
? ElaW at poll No. 5, same ward, the yot
! as counted was 49g for McEnery agains
70 for Kellogg, a totally disprop portionat
9 number for the locality where the Dol
8 was held. Both of these boxes Wer
counted by the Fusion returning board
e although formal protests were filed j
q each case by the United States super
: Yisors of election.
3 At poll No. 8, same ward, which wa
't located in aneigllborhood dense1y popu
:, placed fifty Republican ballots in tn
. box after the closing of the polls, s
Q that when counted there were foun
l. 365 ballots in the box and but 318 name
on the written list, and the vote we
for McEnery "a, for Kellogg 338; tIs
% in consequence of these disereDanei(
i and the large majority against the
J. ticket, the Fusion returning board ez
y cluded the count of this box in maxim
J their compilation of the returns.
Is In the eleventh ward, poll No. 1, Whe
n counted, showed 81 votes for McEner
% against 40 for Kellogg, although th
s-- box was located near the levee, Whel
lt large number of cOlOred laborers n
Y side; and at poll No. 5, same ward, Il
u vote was, for McEnery, 306 i for Kellog
u LOG. The count of both these boxes ";
. also protested against by the Unite
3 States supervisors, and the figures a