Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1875-02-04
THE SOUTH.
President of the Returning
Board Gives an Account
of Himself
THE STATEAfENT.

NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 26.-EX-Gov.
ernOr Wells was before the Congression.
al Committee to-day, and testified as
to the action of the Returning Board.
He submitted the Returning Boards
report to the Legislature, about seven
ty foolscap pages, as his statement. He
explained his not appearing before the
subcommittee that ne was not subpp-
med. II received no notice whatever
about the committee being here, except
through the newspapers, and did not
think they would leave so soon. He
intended going to Washington to test1-
| fy, but heard that another committee
was coming; so he did not go. 7
VIZ. Wells testified as follows: All
the polls in Rapides were thrown out
ON my evidence. We had no other.
l made my my affidavit on the 18th of
| December. l filed these statements
and mentioned these facts to the men,
bers of the board.
Mr.. Hoar asked if the counsel had ac-
cess to that affidavit before filing their
| briefs. lt --.izh..s -t- 5s'-'
Gov. Wells said he thought they did.
Mr.. Hoar-Was it filed before going
into secret session.
! Gov. Wells--Just before counsel
would have had time TO examine that
affidavit if he had remained long
enough to have reached that parish.
| He could have had time If he had
wished it. There was no protest by
election officers in Rapides, because it
| was worth a mans life to do so. Judge
| Manning, one of the worst White
| Leaguers in the country, made up the
/ l., fafx ~ 6
the parish, White Lacquer, held on
till the Goth of December. They put in
the regular Sheriffafterward. The Re-
corder is McEnery man. 2.
Mr.. Marshall asked if Gov. Wells
had been assaulted in Rapides.
Gov. WellS-I was not assaulted, but
my life was threatened. | received
a letter from my son-in-law. EThe
letter was read. 1t advised the Gov
ernor to beware; that he would be kill
ed by stealth, and, as it was in his dis
charge of duty, his friends would die
with him in protecting him. He said,
Assassins can intimidate me, but my
enemies dare not face me- 1 am not
afraid. l could not speak, in the parish.
1 would have been killed.
The colOed people were my only
friends. During the war, when / was
driven out for my opinions, they
watched over me, and cared for me. L
heard no man threaten me. am six
ty-seven years old; was born in Rap
ides; was a Whig before the war, and
voted for Douglass, to avert the strug-
gle. 1 was Sheriff before the war;
was Federal during the war; had to
sleep in the woods during the war.
was called a Jayhawker.' I am proud
of the name. 1 would rather be a 'iay-
hawker' than a traitor. ] was Cover
nor after the war, and was removed in
1867 by Gen, Sheridan. had 127 slaves
when the war broke out. I.owned two
plantations; but am very poor now. 1
have acquired no property siuce the
war. Could not pay my debts, but
may be able to do so ifI live long
enough. My neighbors treated me
very well until the White League was
organized. L proposed an amendment
to the constitution in my message as
Governor, which produced political
differences. The i'll feeling toward me
has only sprang up since the Kellogg
and McEnery difficulty.
Special dispatch to the Gin. Gaz
New ORLEANS, Jan. 2S.
The Committee of Investigation to-
day developed much more information
of prominent nature, which, as in
previous instances, had been sighted
by the subcommittee.
Lieut.. DE Rudio this morning testi-
fed that even as late as last Saturday
the While Leagues were securing the
country in Iberia, compelling planters
to dismiss the negroes who had voted
the Republican ticket, and substantial
ly verified the statement of other wit
nesses as to the impossibility of re-
storatiOn of order without the presence
of troops. .-I -.
Another officer corroborated the
statement of the outrages in st. Mar
tins Parish, and stated that in a con-
versation between Col. De Blanch, the
White League leader, and deputy
United States Marshal, De Blanch said
that if warrants were to be issued for
the arrest, of persons who discharged
their laborers or employees who voted
the Republican ticket, the Marshal
might issue one for him then. He in
tended to do it'll s. ..r--.-
-~.-. s COL. MORROW,
formerly Collector of Customs at De-
troit, and the officer who Investigated
the affairs OF the State by order, and
who, after going through narrative
of his exploits in connection with that
Investigation, wherein he made a full
fledged White League report to his
commanding officer, was forced, upon
cross-examination, to state that i'm OBJ
tanning the information he got it from
Conservative sources, having inter.
viewed scarcely any Republicans, and
not one negro. The usual grain of al
lowance was given him by the COM
Andy johnson appOintee.
STATE sENATOR BLUNT, COLORED,
was the next called, and gave clear
and succinct statement of outrages in
his parish, and being man who had
received preparatory education for
the ministry, who was able to throw
more light upon the subject under con-
sideration than the preceding witness.
During his examination he gave a
complete and thorough recital of out
RACES from the beginning to the present
date, and so impressed all the members
of the committee with his truthfulnesS
that they questioned him at length, he
giving his own experience In being
compelled to hide in the woods, al
though, as the White League acknowl-
edged, they had nothing against him
but his candidacy, and that they COM
PEELED him to resign. He claimed that
the only object of the white Conserva-
tives was to secure power and return
the negroes to slavery, and said, fear
ing that, the negroes il his parish had
all signed petition to Congress ask
ing that body to colonize them. That
the witness would not permit them
to live in the parish peaceably, and
refused them employment.
ARE RAILROADS THE PLOT?
In this connection it is stated that