The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1877-02-08
THE VERNON FORGERY.
A FULL. EXPOSURE OF LITTLEEIELD s LIT
TILE GAME OF BLACKMAIL,

A FULL EXPOSURE OF LITTLEFIELD' LIT
TILE GAME OF BLACKMAIL.
Special Dispatch to the Cincinnati Gazette.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 81.
A persot familiar with the details of the
Louisiana case says1he sensational story of
LittleGed relating to forgery OF the returns
of. Vernon parish can be successfully refuted
by the following statement:
The Iittlefield conspiracy is one to make
money ont of the Republicans. if possible,
failing in that, ,ont Of the Democrats.
This forged return was offered to Morrison,
Chairman of the Louisiana Committee at
New Orleans, and declined by him as being
dishonolably obtained. Morrison stated this
in the Committee room, adding, that he did
not wish to have any thing to do with things
obtained in that way. Under the law of
Louisiana duplicate Of the Supervisors re-
turn is on lille in the parish record and shows
a Democratic vote of Gl7 against two Repub-
lican votes. 1t is notorious all over the State
OF Louisiana that Vernon Parish never does
cast any Republican votes OF consequence
and never did. The Returning Board fur
nished the Senate and House Investigating
Committees with q tabulated statement Of
the actual returns received by them from
Parish Supervisors as to the Electoral vote
bv Parishes. On that return Vernon is ac
curateIy put down, two votes Republican
and CAT Democratic, so that tue idea that
Governor Wells would dictate q forgery of
that kind is in the highest degree improba-
bic, when he knew that he would be contra
scted by his own records and by records OF
the Parish Supervisors. That fact proves that
the Returning Board did exclude three polls,
amounting to 179 votes. on the grund OF in
inhalation. upon aflilavts taken before jew
EFT, United States Commissioner, in New Or
| leans, on November IA, 1876. The story,
| therefore, OF I4ittlefield that after December
| 10, 1876, Wells directed him to pick out and
exclude those polls for which he would have
testimony prepared, is necessarily untrue.
The statement made by Littlefield, that one
reason for the forgery OF us votes, was that
the Board might elect Republican State
| Senator. Kelso, is proved to be untrue be-
cause kelso was not retained elected by the
Board, willie his Democrat competitor was.
| The story that it was necessary to add IFS
votes to the Republican side and deduct an
! equal amount from the Democratic side,
| which constituted the forgery, for the pur
| pose OF electing the Circuit Jadge, is proved
| to be untrue, because the confessed action of
| the Board, in excluding It's Democratic votes,
elected this Judge without necessity Of the
| useless forgery of adding l7s to the Repub-
| Iican vote. That the return is 4 forgery
there is no doubt. That the forgery has
| been made by Littlefield there is no doubt;
but inasmuch as he confesses himself to have
first forged and then stolen the paper, and
since it has been hawked around among the
Democratic politicians forthe last four weeks,
pretty good evidence can be found to show
who the parties are that are responsible for
forgery which was not necessary to Repub-
Iiean success and which will be denied hy
every person incrmnated by The testimon.