The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-05-16
MOREY THE FIRST VICTIM.
THE NEW DISCLOSURES BEFORE THE
LOUfSIAN1 COMMITTEE.
Testimony that. n True. should send n Kei.
Iora Consressman 90 the Penitcntiarv-Tbe
Witness both Threatened and Bribed.

WASHINGTON, May 15.-As heretofore
outlined the Louisiana Committee succeeded
to-day In striking paying lead In Federal official
corruption Ia Louisiana. The nrst victim Is
Morey the present Republican member and
mainstay OF KeoReism. The witness Of the
day was Major Edgar Seelye, a clerk In the New
York Custom House, whose knowledge covers
some extraordinary party methods.
The testimony went to show that Congress
man Morey had made II practice TO issue war
rants for tho arrest OF parties for political pur-
poses prior to the election In 1874 One Of these,
Isaac Newton Glover, Morey directed should be
TAX en- into the woods and killed. Morey had
also entered into an agreement with him (Seelye)
in consideration OF 500 and Ave Dotos OF 800
each, to turn over TO him (Morey) certain docu-
mentary evidence discriminating Morey; that
Morey had failed In part to ful1l his part Of
the agreement, having succeeded In obtaining
papers from Seeye, and had made threats to
him that II he appeared before the committee
and disclosed what he knew OF these transac-
tions, he (Morey) would cause him (seelye) to be
indicted and prosecuted for other criminal Of
fences. Seeye was In Louisiana from the latter
part OF 1869 to 1875 special agent Of the Post
Once Department. From October, 1872, to De-
cember, 1874, he also held the commission Of
United States Marshal to aid bin, he said, in his
duties as special agent, but for which ONCE he
did not receive any additional compensation.
He was asked N he knew OF any fraud about
the pay rolls made out In the Custom House at
New Orleans, to which he replied that he did.
He was then requested to state what he knew
about those pay rolls, where they were made
out, py whom, and for what purpose. He de-
| cined to answer the question on the ground
| that II would criminate himself, and submitted
the folio Ing communication To the Committee
wAsnISoros. d. C.. May is, 1879
N m
81 have 9esn ,aes 9e ore you % 10 'Ss g al
officials ia Louisiana. 10 prevent my comng here both
brbes and threats nays oesn used csnn9, ,ssfJ be.
scsdiRS, Scre anS perhaps ~ Loqi'isua wns you'd
ss OSh res s nope s essl
san ccoS % on ntSSn,,c In eopaas lSp,s'na "a
nirs IN Louisiana and the prostitution OF It's jadie
nef, would have srrayed aganst the whole power
SfOpes ss' aud @ iGr % se @ as a aIn ali
Know oher"lse s mp'f De silent ptgier ~ 70 Se
here verv respectfully your OOedie1! .sIynn
| Mr.. Blackburn moved that an application bo
| m de to the Attorney General that the immu-
| nifty asked for by the witness be extended TO
| him, and said tnat the Attorney @ Gener,l had
alre sdy established u precedent in the safe bur-
gary investigation, and could not consistently
| decline Ia this case.
AT the close Of the meeting Of the committee
| Mr.. Wilson appeared as counsel for Mr.. Morey,
and asked that action on the proposition TO
| have immunity extended TO the witness be post
| poned, for the reason that upon . more thor
| ough examination and ross-exam iDation OF the
witness, which hs tsked the privilege to con-
duct, 1t might be made TO appear tnat witness
was the only guilty party In the alleged fraudu-
lent transactions, and tue eject OF the immunl-
ty woulu be to allow him ~ 40 uppunished.
Mr.. Morey was permit ed to max, q state
ment, In which he urged that immunity should
not pe extended to the witness on the ground
| that he would, beng shielded, distort facts and
swear falsely To iucriinin tie innocent persons.
lie added that the ch rges witness made against
| him were very grave, and the consequences
| must inevitably be that either he OF the witness
must 90 to the peni:entidry. For his part he
did not want immunity, but was willing to risk
full and fair trial In the cOur's OF the coun ry.
After considerable parlsyins the proposition
to apply Tor immuni. was postponed until To.
WILSON,. Will be permitted to make further
eemmittec see az to niiow him to do so. - '"'
| Seel afterward became moro specilec. Re
garding the threats made against nlm. he sad
that MOroy on tue Sd of Inuary. at the Fifth
Avenue Hotel, New York city, came 10 him an d
said that he (MoreO saw that he (Seeleye) was
cerned In tue Louisiana frauds and outrages.
He ADVISED Seelve to make no mistake, as those
whom he HIT would do oil they could to have
| him prosecuted; that indictments were ALREADY y
pending In Louisiana against him Tor cutting
telegraph wires, kidnapping. &C., and that these
indictments would Oe he'd over In case he said
anything about these matters. he was also
,nie1tenSd Oy Mr. Aver Deputy oi y; MIr,h
matters he would finally hnd himself
landed In the penitentiary. Seelye said that he
| could produce a written agreement In Morey =
| own hand dwritng, Offering to give u position IN
the New Y ork Custom ouse or IN the secret SER
wee, at salary Of not less than $l2O month, land
| in case he could not get the position. he would
give him Sle0 month out OF his own pocket. pro-
| yided Seeye would hand over to him cert am
documentary evidence In his possession inpli-
eating Morey; This agreement was witnessed
| by Samuel J. Hatch. Morey failed TO keep the
agreement, but afterward paid Seelye $sO 10
money, and gave hlm i've notes of 500 eacn, two
| OF wnicn he has paid on, leaving two over due
aud one not yet matured.
Inc DOCUMENTARY evidence alluded to was the
original fraudulent United States warrants aud
hos Af mi finu taF.
now In the hands Of Morey. These warrants
were issued with o nix places for names to be
soner Baker being iOrsed on some Of them. but
most OF them were signed by United States
ce,ved his commission. An application had
been made after the transaction TO
have the commission ante-datcd so as To
cover this time, out the Judge refused
to do SO, and forwarded commission
dated on the day the application was nled 4 he
fraudulent pay rolls consisted in signing the
names OF supposed employees to pay rolls who,
Seey said were not IA tue service at Gl TINS
Seeye had seen In The act. lie was asked II he
knew OF any person connected with the
who wrote the fraudulent signatures.
, lie SD he did not. lie was then
who prepared the body OF the pay rolls, or who
wrote the signatures, He again replied that he
SompTshen~s a %hstSer these fraSduent @ ~Sls pas
o were S %s tho %
, was asked II one OF more OF them
States Government. lie replied that ono OF
| them was a member OF the present Congress-
| and another supervisor Of Registration at the
. | time. There were, he said, probably forty to
| sixty names on these fraudulent pay rolls. lie
. | had seen two persons sign them, but said he
| had nothing to do with them officially. At the
same tune he declined to answer whet or no,
| he had anything to do with them privately. He
| declined aiso 10 give the II lmes OF tue two per
sons he saw sign the y rolls.
d | Regarding his connection with the fraudulent
warrants, he said he had tu1 filed the requests oil
money So TAR to arrest four parties, but he did
g gave Morey TO understand tn I his direction,
- | should be followed to the letter. / he person,
4 | arrested were gwen up on VT Of babeas cor
d, | pas. he plan was to keep them confined ir
a | ihe Vienna jail, which was surrounded b,
| United States troops, and to remove tn ON Il
n | Monroe ON the eve Of the election, when II
T. would bs too late for them to do Morey any
. harm.
he parties arrested were prominent Demo
Gratis in Claiborne parish IN Aoreys district, unC
he wanted them out Of the way, s. their libertl
on election day would cause his defeat. IN,
troops, consisting of nineteen men, used OF
l. | tho occasion, were under the COmmandIpf Lieut.
+. | Hudson, who was afterward tried for miscun
e | duct. severely reprImanded, aud ordered bacl
4 | To his regiment.
y Mr.. Seeye also testified to a defalcaton OF
= the New Orleans Postmaster, Lowell, who 4