Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-12-29
THE INVESTIGATING COMMITTEES
Louisiana.

iDed by Gen. HurIbut He said he knew
nothing about the constitution or mode o
procedure of the Regulators; didn't know OF
their existence during the last campaign;
had no knowledge of armed bodies of men
moving about over the parish during the
night; thought the change of the vote OF
West Feliciana Parish due to the interest
taken by the whites, and the arguments used
by them; knew Of no threats OF discharge or
| anything OF that sort being made by any.
one. Hall (colored) testified that Blount
State Senator and Bishop, said he would re.
| fuse to perform the marriage ceremony for
colored Democrats, would refuse to baptize
them, would eXcommunicate them, and
that voting the Democratic ticket would
| justify a wife In getting divorce.
GLASSES (colored) testified that he cauvassed
| the State for the Democrats; knew of no VIC.
lence, but heard talk of intimidation OF col.
ored Democrats; great many colored men
| voted the Democratic ticket. Gen. Thos. G..
| Anderson, OF the Returning Board, WAS be.
fore the committee and asked leave to sub.
nit his reasons for not bringing the docu-
ments called for by the subpoena These
are: The board are compelled by law to
transmit to the Legislature, Jan. /, full and
accurate report of their canvass, the reasons
for their findings, the evidence, ETC., and the
original archives of the board must be pre-
served for this purpose, and could not be al
! lowed to 20 out of the control of the board
without legislative authority; valuable re-
cords intrusted to former Congressional
committee had never been returned. They
| propose to have certified copies prepared OF
every official paper and delivered to the com
mittee The board for these and other rea-
| sons declined 10. surrender the original re-
turns. The committee refused to receive
the statement. Replying to a question Gen.
Anderson said he did not know whether the
| Tilden or Hayes electors received a majority
of the votes cast; all final decisions in the
board were made in executive session; the
vote OF East Feliciana was thrown out be-
cause OF general intimidation; Grant Parish
was thrown out because no legal returns
were received; he voted to count this parish.
but was overruled. Gen. Anderson stated
emphatically that no votes were thrown out
in Orleans Parish; 1t was possible that no re-
turns were received from one or two polls,
but he thought the entire city vote was can
vassed.
At the meeting OF the Senate committee,
the Chairman said the statement given the
clerks by the Returning Board was defective
as 1t did not give the votes thrown out in de-
tail, but simply the aggregate number. 1t
was desired to obtain the vote rejected at
each poll. A commissioner was appointed to
take the testimony of Logwood, mortallv
wounded in Ouachita Parish, who testified
before the Returning Board. The Republic
an and Democratic counsel submitted state
ments. The former charge as true that the
late election was at certain polls made null
and void by violence and intimidation; that
1900 to 5000 Republicans were put in fear
OF their lives and prevented from voting;
that 5000 or 5000 Republicans were forced
against their will, through fear, to vote the
Democratic ticket; that this was effected by
a conspiracy, carried out by means of armed
bodies of men known as ull.dozers, and by
night-ridings, patroling, whippings, shoot
lngs, hangings, 6urnings, mutilations, as
sassinatious, murders and massacres, com.
mitted by them; that these acts were COM
mitted by white Democrats; that the effect
OF this lawlessness spread to great distance
in surrounding and neighboring parishes,
and affected the vote. The counsel refer to
the murder Of John Gair in Baton Rouge,
the assassination of Dr. Dinkgrave in
Ouachita and the attempts to assassi
nate Senator Mitchell, for political rea-
sons. Democratic counsel In their statement
say the Democratic ticket at the late cleo
ton received an average majority of 5000
votes; that the election was fair, peaceable
and full; that the Republicans conspired to
carry the State by fraud and unfair means;
that none but Republicans were appointed
supervisors, and in most instances these
were not residents in the parishes in which
they were appointed; that 1000 fraudulent
Republican votes were cast that the votes so
cast were traudulently counted in spite of
protest; that Democratic voters were intimi-
dated; that the Returning Board was ille-
gally constituted and fraudulent cast out
about 1900 Democratic votes, violating its
own rules and accomplishing the results Of
the conspiracy; that Brewster, one of the
Republican electors, was ineligible. And that
about3 600 ballots which had only the names
OF three Republican electors were counted
by the board for the eight electors to which
the State is entitled.
On the Goth Branstorph (colored) testified
before the House committee that he was
Knocked down and beaten because he voted
m tad I'D
sent to prison. Cross-erdmined-Wa not
troubled during elections; complained to the
police after being attacked; they arrested
him for disturbing the peace and he was
lined five dollars; was sent to prison; was
formerly a Republican and changed his
politics because he wanted work. Charles
Casanave, of the Returning Board, testified:
Had been member of the board since 1872;
all the members are Republicans; Kennedy
was proposed to fill the vacancy, but the
board could not agree. Witness refused to
answer whether or not he favored Kennedy's
election. Some of the Supervisors made
their returns direct to the board, others to
the Secretary of State; all final decisions
were made In private session; didn't
know whether the Hayes or Tilden
electors had majority of the votes cast,
according to the Supervisors statements;
thought the vote thrown out aggregated
several thousand; thought fourteen or fifteen
parishes were thrown out; couldn't bring
the original returns of the Supervisors with
out the boards consent; would bring them II
they consented. Gen. Anderson was recalled
and gave the committee a statement showing
the vote for electors in the State by parishes
He stated that the clerk made the additions of
votes, leaving out the polls rejected, and the
board revised these additions the board did
not consider any returns made by commits
sioners of election; fifty four polls in twenty
parishes were thrown out, and Grant and East
Feliciana Parishes; didn't know which party
received majority at the polls thrown out.
witness read statement of the board re-
fusing to give up the original papers. Gross
eIdmlned-The boards reasons for throwing
out polls were based on what they consid
cred good and sufficient evidence; gave all
ample time to take testimony; had no time
to allow witnesses to be brought from East
Feliciana, and IL the Innocent suffered with
the guilty 1t was their own fault-they had
no business to be in bad company; gave the
Democrats no information of what they had
TO disproye by affidavit Kenner, of the Re
turning Board, testified substantially TO the
same eteetas Anderson and Casanave. Poin-
dexter (colored) testified that he never heard
OF Intimidation of blacks by the whites;
was himself assaulted with brlckbats; can
vassed the State for the Democrats.
The Senate committee received from the
Returning Board statement of the votes
rejected in each parish, James (colored)
testified: Was resident of OuGchita and u.
s. Deputy Marshal at the late election; was
captured Nov. q by a party of white men,
and the ballotbox taken from him; started
to run away and was fired at and wounded
in the arm; hid in ditch, WAS discovered
and again fired upon, the ball grazing his
head; was told by white men that the Demo.
Gratis would carry the election by the bayonet;
thought there was not fair and peaceable
election in Ouachita. Shelton (colored), of
Ouaehita, testified that he was shot in the
left breast and twice In the hand; was shot
because he was Republican, voted the
Democratic ticket at the elections; other col
ored men voted that ticket at the instigation
of leading Republicans, to save their lives
Jane LogwOod (eolored), of Ouachita, testi-
fed to the murder OF her brother, Primus
j Johnson; did not see the men who shot him,
but Capt Pheobald, with ninety-slx men,
had searched her premises, few days
previous, threatening TO Kill him; her
husband was shot four times In the shoul.
der, once In his arm and once In his side.
Cora Williams (colored), OF 0uachita, testi-
fed that she was whipped with trace
the Saturday before election by party led
by man named Phillips; received 800 lashes;
the men were searching for her husband;
her fatheT-in-law was also whipped; saw them