The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-02-23
HfEN PICTURE OF THE LOUISIANA RE-
TURNING BOARD.

haste of preparing him for the world his
moral and mental education was necessarily
omitted, but au equivalent was supplied by
q thorough installation of those arts by which
the favorite horse can be bull.dozcd into de-
feat and the "scrub" landed under the
string as the winner. But the ambition to
ssrise out Of the prison of his mean estate"
burned fercely in the youthful bosom OF
Mr.. Wells, and by strict attention to bust
ness and an utter disregard of those conven-
tional proprieties which mar the fortune of
less ambitious youths, he soon became fa-
nous tbroai1 hQut the Southwest as success.
!, fala9d slpg jockey who knew per
ssss ss ~ rs Sy ~ ssss Ms sSss ~
not to win could infalliby be made to win"
A fame like this brought the youthful
Wells into conspicuous notoriety on the race
course; so much so, indeed, that the owners
of Lecompt proposed to MIR Wells that, if
he could fix it so that their horse could beat
Lexington in the famous race over the Me-
tairie in 1852, be might claim and receive
whatever reward he desired.
TO use forcible, but not polite express
sion. this was nuts for Mr.. Wells to crack.
He was head groom to Lexington and knew
just how to prevail on that gallant racer to
fall behind in the struggle. Suffice it to
say, his expectations were not disappointed,
and Mr.. Wells shortly thereafter turned up
as q part owner of Lecompt. Lexington's
subsequent triumph over the "time" of his
fleet competitor in no wise diminished the
reputation Mr. Wells had acquired as an
astute and successful operator on tho turf.
So much so, indeed, that shortly afterward
his ingenious devices were employed to en-
gineer "brace game of faro" in a noted
>sbird house on St. Charles street in New, Or
Mr.. Wells rapidly acquired the means to
establish himself in lucrative gambling
business, and he discarded forever the blue
jacket andetriped cap of the jockey. Into
this unpretentious but serene life he was
quietly subsiding when the war broke out,
and to escape the necessity of taking any
share in its burdens he Immediately betook
himself to the sequestered swamps of Rap
ides parish, to emerge into public life again
as soon asthe Federal t,oops under Banks
had got full! possession Of the State. AL
though Mr.. Wells had never devoted any
part of his life to agricultural pursuits, no
sooner had the Federal troops entered his
district than he Immediately set up aclaims
to all the cotton in the parish. So large&
:. property !. yners, Gen. Bsnks eoses44s %.
-shUdius U6 40 eminent. citizen, pnd
he thsferpon certified to the country that
thasonly real and upright Louisianian with
whom he had met was j. Madison Wells of
Rapides Parish. From this time forth j.
Madison's stars rained fortunes ON him.
Ha haoop,a polifioion nj oflon
.and ran on Banks reconstruction ticket in
1864 for Lieutenant. Governor, the first place
being assigned to Michael Hahn. OF course,
he was elected. Nobody but loyal people
voted in Louisiana ID those days, or at least
those whom General Banks accounted loyal.
The next thing which came about was the
election of Hahn to the Senate, and then
j. Madison Wells, the whilom jockey, the
expert groom, the ingenious croupicr to the
Bird House faro hell, leaped at one gigantic
bound into the full.fedged Governor-a po-
litical nondescript as remarkable as Minerva
when she sprang full-armored and panoplied
for war from the head of Jove. OF his sub.
sequent career it is unnecessary to speak at
ength. Unh&Ppxfy sfof eLouisiana, it is al
eady familiar to the country.
His white associate on the Returning
Board, General Thomas c. Anderson, is less
deserving of special mention. He is a Vir-
! ginian by birth, and has been planter in
st. Landry parish for forty years. When
politics were reputable and white men ruled
in Louisiana General Anderson was respec-
! table He held high rank in the militia, and
his courageous intrepidity on muster days
won him the distinction OF a brigadier.-
An admirer Of the old axiom to let well
enough alone, he surrendered his military
emoluments at tho breaking out Of the war
and generously permitted his less distin-
guished countrymen to seek "the bubble re-
putation at the cannon's mouth" But if
the sword no longer fascinated the Opclou.
sas brigadier, he was not insensible to the
honors which might be acquired in the Sen
ate--the State Senate--and be met with
i.ixa s-- --S'-te.-'o orSu"ISs - y rFitiie az
Henry. Al|ep, the great war Governor Of
Louisiana, at Shreveport.SNh ned t6at body
adjourned, Gen. Anderson returned to his
plantation but came back into public life
with the advent Of Warmoth's administra-
ti6h In consideration of q promise by
Warmoth to send him to the Senate, he be.
came his faeile supporter and convenient
heRchman. But Warmoth was accustomed
to use such men without rewarding them,
and, when too late TO redress his grievance,
GsnkfAl Anderson discovered that a carpet
bagger's promise was full ofguile and deceit.
Nevertheless, he was permitted to engineer
through the Legislature acclaim for $780,
900, founded on the disloyal service of rro-
visions supplied by man named We'll to
the Southern army. Think of loyal leg
islature passing such claim. But Gener-
al Anderson alleged that he had purchased
the voucher from We'll, giving him 81 900