The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-02-07
J. Madison wells Interyiewed.

NEW YORK, Feb. 1.-The Herald's Washing
ton correspondent sends the following report
of an interview with j. Madison Wells of the
louisiana returning board, in relation to the
evidence given yesterday before the house
in the capitol, was interviewed by Herald
correspondent. who asked:
Do you know John t. Pickett, who has
been telling startling story of you?
don't know John T. Pickett, and do
not remember ever to have heard of that
name before.
Do you know ]. H. Maddox?
Yes, very well. Ihave known HIM since the
days of the Mexican war. That is, since 1916.
"You fully understand the situation. Can't
you advise with me in relation therefor" was
then read to the prisoner. Wells said: al
wrote such letter TO Maddox, but not in con-
nection with the subject you have mentioned.
the story as 1t has been repeated
baseless as it is malicious. am anxious
to be heard in defense, or at least to tell my
story, and when the time comes perhaps !
may be able to tell more than would be agree
able TO my prosecutors. You say was to sci
out for 81 100000. What nonsense. A million
dollars? No, not for $40, 0O0,000 would / betray
my party. This, sir, is a matter of principle
and can only explain this series of damnable
lies as part of a conspiracy to injure me. The
witnesses were brought 400 miles to malign my
This put Governor Wells in confidential
humor, and with broad grin he explained
that If he had been in the seIlingsout business
he should have confided the plan. AS for
Pickett he is myth so tar as he knew
Do you know swhat Littlefield has testi-
Yes; 1 have heard an outline of his evil
dence. 1t is part and parcel OF a job to bring
the returning board into disgrace. 1t
before congress and the people of the
country, but it will fail. / know it will.
There is to be an exposure on the other side of
the question in few days that will set many
matters, not now understood, in their right
light. The democrats seem TO forget there are
old .f~ 49, l.
made to appear that Governor Hayes can be
quite warmly defended by his friends
as Tilden's friends have been jealous in
their efforts to prejudice the republican
vote in Louisiana. Wells said he had not
made nor did he intend to make, any appli-
cation for writ of hdbeds corpus, and such a
step could not be taken without his consent.
IL was his purpose to remain quietly in the
bastile until the 4th of March, when he sup
posed he would be certified to court and re
leased on bail He would not now say what
would be the tenor of his statement
before the committee. His contempt was
thus far confined to his refusal to deliver up
papers before the returning board; perhaps
this would exclude him from the privileges of
making any statement before the house COM
mittee. Ihere was, however, another COM
mittee in the senate, and ii might be that he
would be summoned to appear as witness be-
fore the senate committee. At all events he
could afford to patiently wait until the time
came, TO refute the parcel Of infamous lies
which had been told about him.
The following interview with Governor
informed of the tenor of the testimony given
by Pickett. said that it recalled the statement,
i'm his office the latter part of November, by
Wells. There were present ex-COngressman
Sheldon, DR.. Mcmillan and number of prom
inent men in Louisiana belonging to both
political parties Wells said in his peculiarly
emphatic manner: "Well, nave named fmy
price at last Tilden's negotiators have been
dickering long enough, and L concluded 1t
wosld be best to name my price" The ques,
fixed the sale of Louisiana at. Wells replied,
81 am none of your $4,000 or $500 600
men; my price is round million"
Wells Joined. 1t was regarded then as a piece
of pleasantly, and left no other impression
other gentlemen present Said kellogg: "Let
for a moment suppose the proposition TO
have been made, and il will readily appear
that neither Wells nor any other member OF
the board could have been party to it, For
its contamination the first step was TO
pay s250,000 when the fifth member
was 10 be democrat, of course.
The only reason the vacancy not filled
| in the beginning was because the democrats
had resolved that no one should have the Of
| flee but DIR. Kennedy, and he was personally
Objectionable to Wells, who opposed his cleo
| ton. / told the democrats II they would pre-
mt the names of four or five good men, one
of the number would be selected, but
Kennedy or nobody was their motto motto,
then according to Pickett and Maddox, Wells
would have withdrawn his opposition and
Kennedy would have become the NTH mem
ber and who would have been the wiser? The
other part of the contract, however, would
have been impossible for Wells anybody
else to have carried out. Being then no
governor of Louisiana, and by the law
alone vested with the authority TO commits
sion the members of the returning
board / should have emphatically OPP
posed the political change contemplated
in this cool million proposition,
to make the treaty at least plausible Where
twas to get nothing for the electors certifi-
Gates, or was II presumed that would blindly
obey the behests of the returning board?"
kellogg said that he had received telegram
stating that a dozen witnesses would leave
New Orleans tonight, most of them being
clerks of the returning board, whose evidence
would be "A rebuttal of Littlefield's He was
confident that the returning board had done
nothing but what was clearly authorized UNI
der law.