The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-12-15
Levy, Aaupt and Fische, Late Clerks In
the Employ Of the Board, Tell
Thing or Two
Hennes Thinks There Is Money In It.
Chas. s. Abel, the Secretary Of The Board,
Charged with Abstracting Paperss
The Wells SsWants to Go HOme,~
lie 4reteads to Scare, and Adjourns CHI
Board Instantere
A 1rtfh Dodge in Order to Get United
States Troops In the State. House,

The Returning Board met at half-past II
O'Clock, all members present The minutes
were dispensed with, and Mr.. Zacharie
asked to submit the following affidavits in
the case OF the parish of st. Helena, which
goes to establish the charges which have
been made regarding the tempered records
from that parish.
John B. Davis Supervisor of Registration
If the parish Of st. Helena, testified that on
the 9th day of November he delivered to G. T.
Haupt, Acting Secretary of the Returning
Board, the returns and statements of votes
made by the commissioners of the election;
that he has examined the returns now in the
hands Of the Returning Board, and finds that
they have been altered and changed since
they were filed as aforesaid by deponent
The votes cast and reported by the COM
missioners of that poll, in said parish, and re-
corded in the statements filed, Were lG2 tor
w. d. Floyd, Republican candidate for Legis-
lature, and q. L. Collins, Democratic candi-
date, 113. The votes rs changed and as
shown by the returns now in the hands OF the
Returning Board stand Floyd 1872 and Col
Inns 80.
John G. Watson, who was a Commissioner
of Election at poll five Of said parish, deposes
that the correct vote, as returned IN the
records, stood Floyd 36, Collins 43, and he
now finds, on examining the returns since
they were given into keeping of the Return
ing Board, that they have been changed SO as
to give Floyd q vote Of 46 and Collins 80.
jan es E. Watson, also a Commissioner at
said poll, testified to the foregoing
S. N. Boyd, who was commissioner OF
election at poll 3, in said parish, testified that
he has examined the tally sheets and state
ment of votes now ON file with the Returning
Board, and finds that the said tally sheets and
statement do not nOr represent the condition
of the vote cast at the said poll at the election
held for Representatives to the General As
sembly.
O. L. Collins received IS votes, and Floyd
AZ; they have been changed3so as to make it
appear that Floyd received 81 votes and Col
Inns IS.
These returns, thus changed, give Collins
543 and Floyd COG in the parish.
As changed, Floyd has majority of 49,
Thus it has been proven conclusively that
the charges made by the Conservative-Demo-
cratic counsel are correct and that the Board
must be held responsible for it since the
returns were doctored after passing into its
keeping After the reading of the foregoing
statements, which were duly sworn and SUBJ
scribed to by the several parties named,
Mr.. Arroyo submitted the following:
Whereas, According to the sworn statement
of the Supervisor of Registration of the parish
of St. Helena, it is charged that the returns
have been tempered with since said returns
have been fled with this Board.
Resolved, That this Board shall, before act
ing upon said supervisors returns, investigate
A. ~ ID in ho Sf0fo mort in,
order that the guilty parties be dealt with &C.
Mr.. Zacharie desired the attention OF the
board to q few more afidavits, by which he
proposed to throw little light on what had
transpired in the Office Of the Returning
Board in connection with the doctoring of re-
turns.
Herewith are given the affidavits:
New ORLEANS, December, II, 1874.
Personally appeared before me, J. H. Levy,
who deposes and swears that, on the night OF
the 25th of November, he assisted to seal the
wardrobe in which the papers of the board
were kept, with seal marked tx" the per-
sonai property Of Mr.. W. H. Campbell, but in
the custody Of, and used up to that time by
himself and Mr.. 81. J. Fische, who were
there in the interest If the Democratic
Conservative party, in sealing said ward
robe in order that they might have q
check on any attempt that might be made
to tamper with the returns therein.
That after having assisted in sealing said
wardrobe and returned the seal to Mr. H. j.
Fische, Mr. w. H. Campbell demanded it Of
him (Fische) That deponent reported this
fact to Mr.. Charles Cavanac an hour after it
occurred. That on the following morning said
wardrobe was opened, although it was under
stood that the board would not convene that
div. and the clerks had been notified that
their presence would not be necessary it
being Thanksgiving Day. That Mr.. Fische
and deponent went to the rooms of the Re-
turning Board on the morning of the 26th
and found Mr.. Campbell and Mr.. A. Berton-
neau at work on papers taken from said
wardrobe Deponent cannot say how long
thew worked, as he only remained about
one hour. and left them working
at said papers. That the returns, when
brought In by Supervisors Of the different
parishes, were receipted for that they were
then put up in packages and sent to the Office
of either the Treasurer or Auditor. These re-
ceipts were in book form, and were in the
custody of Mr. Abel, the Assistant Secretary
of the Returning Board, who could at any
time withdraw said packages, or any one OF
them, III pleasuie. IacIl l'isc kaye Was W0A noA
with the name OF the parish or parishes con-
tanned therein, and numbered, and each re-
ceipt was given for separate package, with a
distinct number. No record was kept by the
Auditor or Treasurer of the number of pack
ages deposited or withdrawn I do not know
that Mr.. Abel ever did withdraw any pack.
age. but he could have done so had he de-
sired. j. H. LEVY.
Sworn to and subscribed before me, on this
18th day Of December, 1874.
JOHN LEMoNNIER.
Third Justice of Peace. parish Of Orleans
STATE OF LOUISIANA,
Parish of Orleans. /
Personally appeared C. T. Haupt, who
being duly sworn, deposes under oath that
he was appointed Assistant Secretary OF the