The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-02-08
Investigating the Elections.

The Senate Subcommittee on Privileges
and Elections, on the 9th, examined A. f.
Bush, of the banking house Of Ladd b Bush,
of Salem, Oregon. Witness testified that he
sent a certain dispatch in cipher produced by
Senator MitchelD to C. e. Tilton, New York;
in reference TO paying fees Of lawyer retained
to argue before the Governor, or in any OF the
courts, against the Issuing of an Electoral Ger
tihcate to Watts. He received the following
dispatch from e. and G. E. Tilton, Of New
York on the 25th of November last; " Use all
means to prevent certificate; very important"
The witness understood the dispatch to refer TO
Watts, but Pelton told him afterwards II re
feTred to CrOnin A little more than : u 900
was placed TO the ere lit of witnesses firm, which
he understood from Bellinger was for use IN the
Electoral after. ....Senator Mitchell intro
duced large number of dispatches. many IN
cipher and without signatures. The following
are among them: A. ). Hewitt 70 Hon. y hel.
w. stating that-"On investigation, the legal
opinion is, votes cast for Federal Ofhce-holders
as Electors are void and the person receiving
the next highest number of votes should receive
the certificate of appointment. CanVasslnS
officers should act on this RUE,
and Governors certificate of appointment
be given to Elector accordingly, and
the subsequent certificate of votes OF Electors be
duly maze, specifying how they voted This
will force Congress to 90 behind the ceruncates,
and open the way TO 90 into the minutes IN all
cases. which is not only right, but will relieve
the embarrassment Of the situation. From w q.
t. Pelton to DIR. George L. Miller OF Omaha, IN
reference to sending party to Oregon 70 iooR
after Electoral matters, which resulted IN the
visit OF Mr.. Patrick to Oregon.
The Committee on the Powers and Duties
of the House had Louis Kenner of the Louisiana
Returning Bolrd, before them on the 9th. Mr..
Field showed the witness certified copy OF the
Parish of Vernon in which rs votes had been
given for Hayes, while in the original returns
two votes only were given to Hayes. Witness
having been asked 70 explain the difference,
said that if any returns had been thrown
out he was not aware of it. II did not take place
while he was in the Board. Mr.. Field directed
witness to look with a magnifying glass at The
original papers, and find whether there had been
any erasures or alterations. Witness, after
scrutiniZing the figures said 1t looked as II some
thing had been done, as if the figures hid been
written over erasures. I'D. b DE herry,
te.e graph operator at the RAJ road depot at
Tallahassee, Fla, testified regardlng
by him between the Sth and l til of November,
the purport of some of which was as follows:
From Il. Chandler to Gov. Stearns-'Ne are
now absolutely sure of = Electoral votes tor
HAYES, and we must have Louisiana, south
Carolina aud Florida by fair means or other
wise" He could not give the exact language,
and did not remember the number mentioned
Another dispatch was: "Send couriers TO each
county and secure returns. They must be made
to show a majority for Hayes" From Gov
Stearns to u. Chandler: 1--WE can not carry the
State for Hayes unless we have troops and mon.
words but the subs ance..... harles ii. Brush,
telegraph operator at Tallahassee, from the Sth
to the l2th of NOvemb r, testified that y. Chan
dler telegraphed Gov. Stearns that he had seen
the President and Secretary Of War, and troops
would be sent. Witness did not pretend 10 give
the exact words of the dispatches.
j.. T. Littlefield. Clerk Of the Louisiana
Returning Board, testified before the Morrison
House Committee, on the 3Oth, that on the Sd Of
December he altered the original returns from
two of the polls in Vernon Parish, 80 as to trans
pose l s Democratic votes over the Republican
candidates; tn he did this by the ress dl-
rectOn of Governor Wells, and that, after max
ing copies of the altered originals and substltut-
ing them for the originals, the latter were burn
ed, either by himself or by GOV Wells,
he did not remember which, but, at
all events, with Gov. Weiss knOwl
edge. Littlefeld was subsequently examined
by the Committee on the Powers and
Privileges Of the House, and detailed at length
the circumstances under which he made the al
terations in the returns mentioned He further
testified, that instead of destroying the original
statement of returns from Vernon Parish, as Ill
rected byGOv. Wells. he took the paper home
and gave it to his uncle, Mr.. Spearing to be usel
in behalf Of the Nichols Government Witness
here identified paper produced by the commit
tee, as being the original return referred to. }
On cross examination. witness said he did not
know of any other returns having been altered.
Before the Senate Committee on Priyi
leges and Elections, on the 8 tn, VIM. II. Hol-
lister, Cashier Of the banking house Of Kountz
Brothers, New York, testified as to 81 5000 be-
ing placed on deposit with Kountz brothers on
the LIST of December by a stranger, who repre-
sented the deposit TO be made by E. Davis 70 the
credit OF S. h. p. Patrick; and on the l tn Of
December, : ,039 in gold was deposited in
Kountz Brothers Bank by Charles DimOnd, OF
New York, subject to the order OF J. II. y. Pat
rick, and is still there; the bank OF Kountz
DrptI lave anr tfl-aff Of : f1Fn mr.
10th of December, in favor of Wells, Fargo 4
Co.; the draft was dated san Francisco, DeceHl-
Der 6. and was given by }. II. Y. Patrick. SEN
at I Kelly was next called. tie testified that ne
became acquainted with J. II. y. Patrick ri
Portland, Oregon, on the 2Ith Of December last.
cipher dispatch, directed TO ". I Peiton,
New York, signed by j. II. n. Patrick and in
dorset by Senator Kelly, was produced by Sena-
tor Mitchell, and handed to the witness, who
stated that he could not translate the dispatch,
but he would give the substance Of It, which was
that he kelly ind rsed dispatch asking the
Democratic National Committee TO send
S l 900 TO Oregon to pay any legal expenses
which might arise in connection with the Watts
case; an answer in cipher came to this dispatch,
the substance Of which was that there was no
money; several telegrams passed between par
ties in Oregon and New York in relation to the
paying of any legal expenses in connection with
the Watts Gaze, and finally word was sent from
New York 70 Oregon that S 90 could be had;
the cipher dispatches which passed between Sen
ator Kelly and Patrick were in relation 10 the
transferring Of IS 900 from New York to Oregon,
how il should be done, and through what bank
h. never heard of the unlawful
use of money in connection with
this case mentioned, and never had an
idea that any money WGuld he used imprCs.griy
in connection with it Senator Mitchell offered
the following telegram, which he asked to have
inserted in connection with the testimony Of Hol-
Patrick, Salem, Oregon: Secure your points at
all hazards. Communicate with me imnedi-
ately. giving prospects.
[Signedl 'DAYIs !"
Before the Committee on the Privileges
of the House, on the 3lst, John II. Picket, at
torney at-law, Washington. d. C. testified that
he had a conference with Joseph II. Maddox in
Washington on Nov. %, in which the latter, who
had Just come from New Orleans, proposed to
secure the Electoral vote Of Louisiana for the
Democrats for one million dollars. addOx in
formed witness that the State had gone Demo-
cratic by from s , o. to 10 600 majority but that
il would be counted for HAYES BIZ the Returning
Board unless the Democrats would put ~ TIE
amount required. Maddox further informed
witness that he was the bearer Of a letter from
Gov. Wells to Senator West, which letter stated
that the Democrats had put up q million Of
money, and that the Republicans would n ed an
other million to counteract it, The result Of the
was that witness went 10 New York and
submitted the proposal TO several leading Demo-
Gratis, among them Representative Hewitt who
said that was the third proposition Of the kind
that had been made to him on the part of the Re-
turning Board, but that under no circumst noes
would they entertain the proposition Joseph
II. Maddox was then called and identi-
fed the following memorandum as
having been written by him: 50 For one
million dollars the vote OF Louisiana can be Sc
cured for Tildsn and Hendricks. The manipula-
ton must be done by me, and as far as possible,
TO protect members Of the Returning Board who
may favor such result. Details to he agreed upon;
money to be paid in instaliments, one-fourtf
when the fftn member is elected, one fourth
when one member resigns and another is elected
10 his place, and one fourth when another re-
signs with another elected in his place. the bal
ance of one-fourth TO be paid when cert hcates |
IRE gwen" Question by Mr.. Field: Was that |
he proposition that Governor Wells wanted Won I
o carry out? 4 i decline to answer. Odd l
n did not Mr.. Wells negotiate with you for the |
-0tes Of the Louisiana Returning Board: Al |
iccliHe TO answer that question. Odd he |
yop 10 negotiate: Al decline to /
lnswer that, also. ODD you know whether /
he authorized any body else to negotiate: A
dont know; not OF my personal knowledge. !
l.-How came YOU TO make the memo 4
andum, which l have read in evidence
eginning, For one million dollars:" Al i
10 n0r desire TO explain il at present. IfIex-