New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-12-21
TuK HOUSE CONGRESSIONAL INvEs.
Tl6ATlNG COMMITTEES. 49,

TuK HOUSE CONGRESSIONAL INvEs
TlGATlNG COMMITTEES. -
ElGhth Oay's RroCoeAlDSs.
The committee changed its base yestel
day morning from the south end to tn
north end of the room. whore q fire graf
Rlowed comfortably, greatly to the salts
faction OF the assembly. ..-..
The first witness WAS
L. A. Bran1torph, cololed-I live in New
Orleans; voted the Democratic ticket las
election; since then have been sttacket
almost continually; men beat me for votinl
as did; they were COlOred Republicans,
think; Charles Gibson, Charles Thompson
and Brown are the names of three of my
asssil lants; called the police to assist me
but they left me; women went aronnd tt
induce C0lored aen to vote the Radica
ticket.
To Mr.. Hurlbut-I was born IN the Wes,
Iudies; I have been naturaiized in New
York, Boston, Phil sdt phia, Mississippi and
in the Customhouse; nobody troubled mt
election day, but they did atterward: once
was arrested and fined IS; l paid my fne;
l was tackled Tuesday night last as was
going home; they call Inc Democratic
nigger; the first trouble l had, they say
was about q woman, but that was only an
excuse to pick 9 quarrel with me; changed
from Republican to Democrat about four
months ago; / changed to get something to
do; to get work; have not got it yet
G. Casanave-I reside in New Orleans;
lived here iorty-three years; en- an under
taker; am q member of the Returning
and marriages; there SHOULD be five MEM
bers of the Returning Board; an effort was
made to fill the vacancy; the name of Hugh
Kennedy. Democrat. was proposed, but
We could not agree on it; some Of the super
visors made returns to the board, and some
to the Secretary of State; the final deter.
mina.ion on the election was made in secret
session; supervisors were not allowed to
make any changes in their returns after
the papers were in our hands; We sent for
q box from Concordia parish: do not re-
member auy particulars about Concordia
and B atom Rouge; the great Irregularities
in the Grant parish returns caused MS
to throw them out; We. threw out
East Feliciana on gepersl intimida.
ton; have not with ne the original
reports of the supervisors; We can not give
you tho original, but you can have copy;
l will furnish this committee the papers
called for in my subpoena, if the board con-
sente; the board had NO meeting this morn
ing; do not know who had . majority on
tho face of the returne, the Hayes or the
polls where the Tilden electors had Q ma
jority; We threw out two parishes and polls
in other parishes; do not know who had ma
jorities in these places; the erased polls
aggregated thousands; it may be 4O0O or
5000; know nothing, remember nothing
about COncordia parish; / voted to ex-
clude Grant parish; can not remember
precisely why 80 voted; voted to
throw out other polls on general in
timidstion; it was not because East
Baton Rouge was Democratic that half of
on protests introduced after the returns
were handed TO the board; did not hear
any body state what the result was before
the returns were announced; we did not
throw out . poll in the parish of Orleans;
if poll No. 6, ward No. 2, parish of Orleans,
was excluded it was wrong; the same for
any other polls; did not know of any dis
patches from Washington directing the
board what to do about the returne; neither
Packard, Kellogg nor any body else instruct
ed me what to do; had NO conference with
conference with Pitkin, Blanchard or other
person; 1 have not attended the board for
several days past; received NO pay for GER
vices on tho board, because the Legislature
made no appropriation at it's last session; |
read portion Of the testimony in most OF
the caeee; We had no minutes Of our secret
sessions; we kept private memorandums;
have my private memOrandums.
To Mr.. Hurlbut-All the evidence on
which the board acted was reduced to writ
ing and is now in possession of the board; |
have not looked over the boards proceed
ing a. published by Mr.. Collins; the prac-
tice of the board where there was no con-
test In . parish was to send the papers to
the clerks; if there was contest we re-
served the papers; al the polls OF Orleans
parish that the board received were duly
counted; none we're thrown ont by No.
Mr.. Morrison instructed Mr.. Casanave
that the commit ttee demanded nearly ell the
original copies of documents in the posses
sion of the Returning Board, and served the
following document on him. - also on mr..
Anderson afterward:
NEW ORLEANS, December 20, 1876.
Not waiving the demand for the produc
ton OF sll the papers, documents, records
etc., mentioned in tho subpoena served or
each member of the returning board, the
committee desire, at the present time, the
immediate production, for examination By
the committee, and inspection only. OF the
following papers:
/ All the original statements Of votes o.
the commissioners of election received by
the board from the SO veral supervisors y
registration, or otherwise.
9. The consolidated statements OF vote:
forwarded by the supervisors of the vAriou
parishes of the State, with any protests ant
statements annexed thereto.
3 The official compilation of votes for th'
electors of President and Vice President b.
parishes as finally agreed on and signed o!
the members of the board.
II. c. Anderson recalled-I have with M
the compilation spoken of yesterday, signe'
by all the members Of the board; here it ia
Tthe big wigs held q silent consultation
over the document, but by their manne
evidently discovered nothing wrong Thi
list is the one made according to law and
the frst one signed by the board, this is tn
original document; we sent the footings
this document to the Secretary of State an
one to the printer. The document is
tsbulated etatement Ut the electoral vot
by parishes
Mr.. Anderson here produced his privat
memorandum of the rejected polls, givin
reason for rejection:
East Baton Rouge parieh-Polls rejected
Bossier-Polls Nos. l aud 3 rejected
Cause-Poll No. l, no statements of vote
or tally sheets.
Caldwell-Poll No. l.
Cs,ahoula-Poll, rejected, Nos. S and l.
| Cause-Poll No. ), no poll list and no liz
| of votera; no tally sheetf: signed by onl
{ one commissioner. Poll No. Is, conteste
at Harrisonburg; no poll list, tally sheet
| or list of voters.
Claiborne-Poll No. rejected. Cause
| General intimidation; special evidence
five witnesses that large numbers OF votel
we're driven from the polls and were pr
vented from voting; others were compelle
| to vote the Democratic ticket.
| De Soto-Polls Nos. l, 3, 5. and
Cause-Intimidation; men driven from tt
polls by bodies Of armed men; threats
deprive them of their crops, etc.
East Feliciana-Polls all rejected.
West Feliciana-Polls rejected, Nos. :,
/ n 81 GonoEal infimid