The Portland daily press., 1876-12-21
LOUISIANA
The House Committees Investigaiion-
Testimony of Members of the Return
ing Board.

The House Committees Investigaiion-
Testimony of Members of the Keturn-
ing Board.
New ORLEANS, Dec 2O.-Before the House
committee today George A. Branston (colored),
testified: Voted the Democratic ticket; was af-
forwards knocked down and beaten, then arrest
ed and sent to the parish prison for ten DAYS;
they beat him because he voted the Democratic
ticset; he named the parties who attacked him
he made complaint to the police but they re-
fused to protect him; he was threatened before
election; women went around telling colored
meu they would be returned to slavery If the
Democrats succeeded.
Cross-examined-Was not troubled during
the election; reiterated that he had been at
tackled, and detailed circumstances of attack.
Charles Cassanave, of the returning board,
testified: Was born in New Orleans; is recorder
OF births, deaths and marriages; has been a
member of the returning board since 1872; all
the members OF the board belonged to the Re-
publican party; there was recommendation to
| fill vacancy but the board couldn't agree; Ken
nedy was proposed; witness refused to answer
whether or not he favored electing Ken nedy as
member of the returning board; some returns
| of supervisors were returned direct to the board,
others to the Secretary OF State; returns were
| opened 10 the presence of representatives of
l both parties; all fnal decisions were made in
| private sessions of the board; made up returns
from consolidated statements of supervisors;
| never allowed any addition to be made by the
| ed by the board; liz few cases they sent for
| boxes, but don't remember of what parish
| threw out East Felicana because of general in
| timidation before and during election; don't re-
| member having acted on any charge made of
| intimidation. When asked if he intended to
| tring for the inspection of the committee the
| original returns of supervisors, he said he had
not brought thu papers and could not bring
| them without the consent of the board. He
| would consult the other members of the board
md hryp fhn thaup I'm
| whether Tilden or Hayes had majority of the
votes cast according to supervisors statements;
| never heard any members say who had ma
| jority; knows they threw out two parishes and
| several polls in other parishes; think the votes
| thrown out aggregate several thousand
couldn't say how many; thinks probably 4OO0
| or 5000; don't recollect the number of parishes
| in which votes were thrown out; thinks four
| teen or fifteen.
Casenave gave testimony similar to that of
Gen. Anderson last night, re- arding the three
questioned polls in Orleans parish and most of
the other matters as to the action of the board.
| Thomas q. Anderson was recalled. He hand
| ed statement to the committee saying it was
| the original statement, signed by all the MEM
bers of the returning board, showing the vote
for Presidential electors in the state. The state
| ment contained the aggregate vote, not the We te
| by parishes. He stated that he ordered the
| clerk to make out a complete statement of the
vote by parishes to be filed before the Secretary
4 Va 0ldVC, Uub uOCSu huOW WuctucT tudt Was
| done. As we got through parish we sent it
| to the clerk marked and compiled, to be lmme
| dlately entered on the list When polls We ie
| rejected those polls were marked rejected. an d
| sent to the clerk We could not make com
piled list OF votes by parishes in time to pro.
mitigate according to law but ordered the clerk
| to do so afterwards.
When he was absent when three parishes
were being completed by the board the clerk
made the addition of the votes leaving out the
mil tod Nhn hnnrA nII
tional statements handed to the committee. 1t
was evident that the Fl lures and letters had
been changed, which was explained by Gen
Anderson saying that some of the parishes had
| then been misplaced by the clerk but he did not
remember very we'll how the mistake occur red
| that the clerk had satisfactorily explained it al
| the time; no one was present in the room
| where the board was at work on the night be
| fore the PRONUNCIATION except the members of
| the board and the counsel when brought in to
| give legal advice Witness produced m emo
randum of the polls rejected by the return ing
board with the reasons therefor. The list
| shows that "a polls in 20 parishes were thrown
out and the parishes of Grant and East Felic-
lana.
In answer to heterogeneous Gen. Anderson
| testified: Made our compilation from the con-
solidated statements of the supervisors of regis
tration and did not consider any returns made
by the commissioners of election. If SUPER
visOrs made returns with three or four polls
sidered no returns of the commissioners; re-
fused to receive evidence of certified copies of
returns OF the commissioners of election filed
in the district courts; in raising the vote for
electors in Madison parish we had evidence of
the commissioners of elections showing that
those electors received the number of votes Civ
en- them; don't know which party received
majority in the polls thrown out; don't know
that every poll thrown out gave Democratic
majority; don't know that the supervisor of
Baton Rouge made his protest after making
his returns to the board.
The Chair read to witness instructions to
bring the papers before the committee that
were mentioned in the subpoena served upon
him and stated that the committee desired on
ly to inspect the original documents and that
the board need not part with them
Witness replied that be submitted a commu-
nication stating that the board refused to give
the original papers at they We're records for the
Inspection OF the general assembly.
The Senate Inquiry-DiscussiOn of a Call
for Documents.
The Senate committee met at half past II.
The statement of votes rejected in each par
sh and at what polls rejected was received from
the returning board.
Senator Mcdonald made motion that SUBJ
pena duceS tecunp be issued to the returning
board for all protests and afidavits accompany
ing consolidated statements of the supervisors;
also for returns of the commissioners of each
poll in each parish.
Senator Howe (ehairman) said be could not
understand what figures the protests and aft.
dayits which formed the basis OF the action of
the returning board could enter into this inves-
tlgatlon unless the committee proposed to re-
view the action of the board in an appellate
capacity.
Senator Mcdonald said it was not the prov-
ince of the committee to determine anything.
The committee wanted only facts for the infor-
nation of the body from which the COMMITTEES
derives its authority. The committee ought to
know the facts upon which the board rejected
the votes which, by their statement received
they admit that they did reject.
The question OF calling for the documents of
the returning board was discussed by the COM
mittee.
The OutrRges i'm Ouuchita Parish,
Ben Jones (colored) testified that he gave
evidence before the returning board Nov 28th
He resides ia Ouachita parish; was constable in
that parish TOR two years and was U. s. deputy
marshal at the time of the election. On Nov
7th, at l o'clock p. M, he started from Monroe
for Logtown poll, about II miles distant, with,
the ballot box; about two miles from the city
he was halted by party of white men who
asked him where he was going, and that SUD-
sequently he was taken by one of the men to
dwelling house where about 100 men were
gathered about fire; some OF these men were
armed with guns; after short paIley witness
was ordered to 60 domn the road with one of
them; he broke away from his keeper and ran
through the woods; several shots were fired af-
ter him and he was wounded in the arm; be
took refuge in ditch but was discovered
and again fired npon by one of his
puIsuers, the bullet grazing his back;
be was not further injured and succeeded in
reaching the residence of planter in the neigh
borhood, by whom he was cared for and in
structed to make an affidavit against the parties
who had done the shooting; he left the ballot
box, bis horse and pistol in the hands of the
men who had stopped him on the road. Wit
ness also testified that just previous to the cleo
ton colored people from the country went into
the town of Monroe in order to obtain protec-
ton, and that number of guns had been dis
covered in town by the United States troops;
no Republican meetings were held in the coun.
ty except when the troops were present. he
thought that there had not been fair and
peaceable election in Ouachita. The negroes
were inundated and threateped was told by
some white men that the Democrats would car
~ the election by the bayonet; was present at
Democratic meeting when the speakers stated
that the negroes should vote the Democratic
ticket if they wanted good government and
desired to put honest men in office, and that
the Republicans were making fools of the col
ored people.
June Logwood (colored) testified-I am the
wife of Eaton Logwood of Ouchlta; at either
the LIST or Sd of last Sept. Capt. Keebold with
SO armed men came to her house and asked for