Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1876-12-29
q LOUISIANA EVIDENCE.

Orleans is drawing blood every time. 1t
is an investigation that cannot fail to en-
tighten the North about the gross corrup-
ton that has prevailed in the Louisiana
board and the North once seeing the true
state of the case the grip of the consplra~
tors will break. The Returning Board has
confessed its corruption by refusing to
hand over the returns to the Congression-
al Committee. Here is some of the testi-
mony the reader will find it worth going
through to find the ground upon which
the conspirators of the Republican party
lay claim to the vote which is expected to
gives Hayes the Presidency:
The Congressional Committee met to-day
Mr.. S. P. Leler, of New Orleans (Republi>
cac), testified that he was United States
supervisor of a poll in the Thirty-second
Ward. An attempt was made by the Re
publican commissioner to prevent Demo-
Gratis from voting, the names on the poll
lists being different from the names on the
registration paper. The day after the cleo
tion Mr.. Hare, Republican commissioner,
said to him there was some trouble about
the poll chat the Democratic commits
sioner would be arrested, and WE would
take the box and fix it up to suitourselves.
Later two deputy marshals called witness
out and asked him if he had gone back on
his party. Mr.. Casey, the Republican
marshal, said there was money in it that
if witness would LET them nave the box
they would give him five hundred dollars.
Witness declined, and informed the Dem
ocratic commissioner, who sent a force to
protect the box. The Republicans finally
made an attempt to seize the box after it
had honp falor to Mr. Rnipo1c nHioo gvbara
they were to make affidavit to the returns.
The plan was to arrest the Democrats and
AXE the box to the custom-house. Hare
Republican, finally refused to testify to
the returns, saying his instructions would
not permit him to do so. The Friday af-
ter the election he met Deputy-Marshal
Casey, who said to witness. you are d trail
tor to your party; and knocked witness
down. a c0lored man FAMED George Dean
then struck witness over the head. Wit
ness ran, and was pursued by Dean with a
pistol to the corner of the block, where he
met three men, who protected witness and
prevented Dean from firing upon him.
The offence of witness WAS that he had
certified to the returns as correct, and had
refused to allow the ballot-box to be taken
possession of by the Republicans.
Cr-oss-examined: The election was peace
able, quiet, and fair. Casey is an employee
Ol Gu0 Cu3IOLl-uOuSC. WlJucSo QlO uOt
make a complaint to the authorities about
the assault because he intended to settle
it in a personal affair. Mr.. Donnelly came
to his room and told witness that if he 1.-THE
witness) did not keep indoors he would be
killed for going back or his party. The
witness is still a Republican. He asked
| Colonel Potter and others for protection
from violence.
Pompey Stoots (colored) testified that he
! voted the Democratic ticket in 1874 and in
1876. The colored people attempted to in
jure him, and used abusive language to-
wards him all the time. He had been
twice assaulted. The colored people were
afraid to vote the Democratic ticket.
Marshall Taylor (colored Democracy gave
similar evidence. He had been cut about
seventeen times and shot at four times by
colored men who belonged to the Repub-
lican party.
e.. Il. Fleuers, who went to school in
Philadelphia, but came to Louisiana in
1865 as a school teacher, and who, too, vo-
ted the Republican ticket at every election
except the last, when he went with the
Democrats, changed his politics because
he desired a change IN the Government,
and imagined the success of the Democrats
would ameliorate the condition of affairs.
He came out openly as a Democrat in the
latter part of August. He made q propo>
sition TO the Democratic State Central
Committee to canvass the State for the
Democrats if they would defray his eXpen-
seS, and was accepted. He made speeches
in Rapides, Grant, Nachitoches, and sew
eral other parishes. He converSed with a
large number of colored men who affirmed
that they would vote the Democratic tick
ct, and was told by a great many that they
were afraid to vote the Democratic ticket
owing to the threats which had been made
regarding the colored Democrats. He
heard p. q. Deslande, Secretary Of State,
remark to Judge Phillips some time previ-
Gus to the election that the Democrats
would probably carry the State, but that
would not affect matters, for even if they
were successful, the Republicans would
get in the colored men throughout the
State who expressed an inclination to side
; with the Democrats. He said they did SO
as they were tired of bad government.
They wanted ore.SchOols n better ones.
There was plenty of money to pay the
teachers, but somehow it disappeared be-
fore it could be applied to its destined pur-
pc. es. They were Disguised with the
Freedmen's Bureau swindle and S. B.
Packard, to whom some of them had given
bounty claims for collection, and they had
been defrauded out of their bounty.
The witness states that he was threaten
ed by the Republicans and was advised by
friends to leave New Orleans, as his life
was in danger from the Republicans. He
heard Anderson, supervisor OF East Fell
ciana, remark that he could not get any
colored men to run for office in his parish,
and that some Of them ought to be killed,
as every colored mans murder was worth
fifty. thousand dollars to the Republican
party. Witness never Knew Of any intlnl-
dation practlced by the DemocratG, but
knew the colored men were inundated by
Republicans.
The first witness called was F. A. Clo-
yer, supervisor of East Baton Rouge. Clio
yer swore that he was a resident Of Louis
asked him he if had drawn his pay from
the Mississippi Legislature up to January
1, 1876. Glover answered ono" The same
question being pressed, Clover replied
Yes" and saved himself for a time from
an indictment for Willful perjury. The
same witness having been detected in ly-
ing twice on Wednesday, was discharged
without cross-eXamination. CLOVER SUBJ
mitted a copy of the affidavit which &C
companied his return, showing, showing
riot, tumult, violence, fear, dread and ter
rorism throughout the parish on election
day. He said he did not witness any Of this
violence, but was informed of it by other
persons. On being croSs-eXamined he SAID
that the affidavit accompanying the re-
turns was prepared in the custom-house in
New Orleans, and that Hugh j. Campbell
assisted in preparing it.
Then George johnson entered the room.
He is a colored democrat. His head was
bound with bloody bandages, and his
clothes were nearly torn off. He testified
that he was beaten nearly to death, on the
day after election, for voting the democra-
tic ticket, by two colored United States
deputy marshals. He appealed to the po-
lice for protection, and the officer told him
that he was q id democrat and shouldn't