Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-12-07
LOUISIANA.

LOUISIANA.
There were present before the Louisi-
ana Returning Board on the 25th, for the
Republicans, Mcssrs. Stoughton, Van
Allen, Wilcox, Kelly and Harker, and for
the Democrats, Messrs. Palmer, Trum
bull, G. b. Smith, Bgler and Julian.
After some other proceedings, the votes
in the contested parishes of De Soto,
Ouachita, Lincoln, East and West Fell
ciana, Richland, Caddo and Sabine were
announced from consolidated statements,
the totals being 5,7S7 for Hayes and 10, 755
for rilden. The votes of these parishes
were not counted, there being contests
fixed for a hearing the following week
The following account of the subsequent
proceedings before the Board is given by
the Associated Press:
StWhen the returns from the parishes
marked contested were opened, the Demo
cratic counsel were allowed to be present.
The returns from De Soto Parish were
brought in and contained in one package
sealed with wax. When the seals were
broken by members of the Board there were
found inside the consolidated votes of the
Commissioners, statements, and tally-SheetS.
Attached to the returns were a large num-
her of protests and athdavits. The Secre-
tary of the Board said the package
u,
aud was entered in his receipt-book,
and the returns, he said, had come by
mail. In the course of inspection it was
discovered that one of the protests of the
Supervis II charging general intimidation,
was dated Nov. p and sworn to in this city
before the Commissioner of the Circuit
Court. When called upon to explain how a
pro est dated on the 25th inst, today, could
get into a sealed registered package re-
ceiyed by mail on the 18th inst, the Sccre-
tary said he had received two packages.
" He was detected by one of the Demo
cratic counsel present in the act of making
another entry on his book Uf two packages
received
After some delay another package was
produced, and found to contain a consoli-
dated statement of votes and Commission
ers returns, hut no protests or afiidavits.
THE members of The Board were unable
to explain the matter and Senator Sherman,
of The Republican Visiting Committee, re-
marked that there was no use to disguise
the fact that the returns had been opened
and protests inserted after the package of
returns had been received"
A special dispatch to the Cincinnati
Gazette explains as follows the question
relative to the De Scto returns before the
Louisiana Board:
1.-The returns were receipted for by the
Clerk of the Board as having been made on
the 18th inst. Sealed and in the same pack
age was contained the affidavit of the Su-
pcrvisor of the parish, made in Orleans
Parish, charging fraud and intimidation.
The question naturally arose how an afiida-
Wit of the 25th inst. got into a package,
which was sealed with wax, and received
on the 18th, seven days before. The clerk
promptly explained that he had received
package purporting TO be the re-
turns from De Soto on the 18th
inst. The package was brought be-
fore the Board and opened and was found
to contain The returns of the Supervisor,
but not accompanied by the additional affi-
davits. The package which had been opened
was received yesterday, having been ma led
10 the Board on that day, and as having
been retained by the Supervisors for the
purpose of attaching the affidavit. The re
suits SIS given by the return of the 18th tai
lied exactly with the result in the second
return, aud showed no tdmperiug with the
returns, and all the Republican delegation
are satisfied that there is nothing wrong in
the transaction
After some preliminary proceedings on
the 2Sth, the parish of Ouachita was taken
up, and four negro witnesses were intro
duced in behalf of the Republicans, and
were examined by the Board Their tes-
timory was as to alleged intimidation and
outrages. One of the witnesses, named
Eliza Pinkston, told fearful tale of cru
city. She recited that her husband
and one child had been murdered
and a little girl seven wears
old was taken from the house
at the same time and had not been seen
since. The witness herself had been a
victim of extreme cruelty, and was un-
able to walk without help into the Senate
Chamber Ben James, another of the
witnesses, had been also terribly wounded.
One of the parties mentioned as en-
gagged in the murder of Henry Pinkston
was arrested in New Orleans on the 2Sth,
after the testimony Of Eliza Pinkston.
His name is Tom Lyon.
Before the Returning Board On the Goth
ult., Gov. Wells stated that the testimony