Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-12-08
THE NATIONAL ELECTION.


Onhlflnhn Salu inc DOhTu was lnue-
pendent of Supervisors and If the
returns were not in the votes could
not be counted. Counsel asked II the
certified copies in the District Court could
not be produced, which the Chairman de-
oidedlynegatively. Finally the Chairman
said II the returns we're not produced by
the Goth he would give the order. In
executive session the returns of the re-
manning wards of the city and three par
ishes were inspected and laid over for
future action. Then the parish of
Ouachita was taken up and four wit
nesses were introduced on behalf of the
Republicans and were examined by the
board.
Eliza Pinkston (colored) testified that
she lived in the First Ward of Ouachita;
that a number of men, thirty or forty,
came to,their house the Saturday night
before election, killed her husband, cut
her baby's throat and shot her twice with
pistols, struck her with their pistols and
cut her with axes and knives; that the
outrage was committed because her hus-
band was Republican; they gagged
him and shot him seven times; Dr.
Young was the first one to enter the
house and fired the first shot; witness
reeocmzed Young, Earl, Derms, and
Capts. Craig and Leboult; after her hus-
band was down they put knife through
and through him. During the examina.
ton the woman exposed her wounds, which
presented terrible sight. Democratic
counsel asked to be allowed to ask wit
ness a question, to which the Chairman
replied that cross interrogatories should
be filed. Counsel said they were sur
prised by the course of the board and
were not prepared to go on. A long dis
cussion followed, participated in by SEN
ator Sherman, Gov. Palmer, Gen. Smith,
Judges Spofford and Kelley and others,
the Republicans favoring and the Demo
Gratis opposing the rule of the board. A
Mr.. McGloin said he had affidavits which
clearly disproved that this outrage was
committed by white persons.
At the meeting of the Returning Board
on the Goth, the Chairman stated that the
testimony in the contested cases must be
closed by four o'clock p. m. of the 4th.
The board would then go into exec
utive session. Charles Tidwell, white,
testified in the Ouachita case
that Mrs. Pinkston came to
his house the morning following the
murder and told him that four or five
negroes came to her house and killed her
husband, beat her and killed her child;
that they were Radicals and that, as she
was a rabid Democrat, she thought they
came to kill her. In the afternoon as she
said it was white men who did the deed
Witness had seen the body of the child:
it had no marks upon it except one or
two little places on its cheek. Mrs.
Pinkston's reputation for truth and
veracity was about as bad as it could be,
witness said. The Democrats offered a
number of affldavits in rebuttal of Mrs.
Pinkston's testimony. The returns from
B Lafayette, Grant and Tangephon Parishes
were received. There was protest
with the former dated the 2Sth. Returns
from Vernon, Franklin and Livingston
Parishes were opened and laid over.
AT the meeting of the Returning
Board on the 30th ult. protest signed by
all the Republican candidates for city and
parish offices in the parish of Orleans
was presented, requesting that the bal
lots cast in the city of New Orleans be
counted over again, as they believe many
alterations favorable to them have been
unnoticed by the Commissioners; stating
also that they believe many recently
naturalized foreigners who had not re-
sided in the State one year had voted,
and asking to have those votes rejected
Each party was given an hour for argu
ments. The East Baton Rouge case was
taken up. The boxes from the seven
polls in which the Commissioners returns
and tally-sbeets had been locked up
were brought before the board that they
might be opened to obtain the result of
the election at those polls, the parish
Supervisor having omitted any mention
of them in his consolidated statements.
After discussion the board decided not
to open the boxes or consider any state
ment other than that received from the
Supervisor. Similar action was taken in
the case of Tangephon, where the vote
of one poll was not returned to the
Supervisor. BY this action the Demo
Gratis lose 1, 1856 votes in East Baton Rouge.
On the 30th ult. Senator Sherman, on
behalf of the Republican visitors, sent a
note to exGov. Palmer, Chairman of the
Democratic visitors, saying it was their
purpose to communicate to the President
copies of the testimony of witnesses be-
fore the Returning Board, and asking
him to secure for them the dispositions
taken in behalf of the Democratic cand-
dates, so that, if hereafter printed, the
whole body of testimony may be con-
sidered together. Gov. Palmer replied,
under instructions, that, as the note con-
tanned no assurance that the evidence
would be laid before the country, they
declined, but would unite with them in
collecting everything which might be
necessary to full understanding of all
40 hot of 10 N oil
in Louisiana.
At the meeting of the Returning Board
on the 1st the Republican committee
were absent. Two boxes of East Baton
Rouge were opened, showing: Tilden
437, Hayes 10. But little was done and
the board adjourned to the I'd.
The Democratic visitors on the 1st is
sued an address to the people of the
United States, giving the result of the
vote for Presidential electors, as shown
on the face of the returns opened by the
board: For the highest Tilden elector,
SO, 1913; lowest, 81 ,959; highest Hayes
elector, 77,023; lowest, 72,270. They
say that irregularities have been com
mitted but there are about as much on
one side as the other. AS to intimida-
tien, violence or other illegal acts, pre-.
venting free and fair election, there is
evidence on both sides, but not Of such
a character as to affect the general result.
In most instances, they say, the acts of
violence proceeded from mere lawless-
ness, as in the case of Pinkston and wife,
and had no connection with political mat
ters.
At the meeting of the Returning
Board on the I'd great quantity ofwrit'
ten evidence of witnesses in the con
tested cases was filed by both parties.
Democratic counsel entered protest as
to the manner in which the committee
had been treated. He also stated that
in the returns for Ouachita, said to have
been received ON the oath, letter from
the Supervisor, dated New Orleans, 23d,
was found. He claimed that the returns
had been opened, an affidavit inserted,
and the lGffar MAJ 1anf In hrT Oh