Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-02-06

4. | have answered that question. SAID that
I understand myself that the greater portion
Of it would apply 10 the State government but
it combined both State and federal
@. Was not the Tden party sustained by |
the same general vote as the Nichols party? |
A. They were pretty much.
Q. Then what would be the motive ou their |
part for destroying the returns IS 10 the State |
officers? A. Well, the Tilden party did uot |
have a majority Of tho vote. The vote OF the |
State had heen cast against Mr. IlIden and
against Mr.. Nichols. | ment for Hayes in the
parishes where there was no intimidation, and
where the law gave the power 10 correct the re-
suit reached by Intimidation it was exercised
g. understand; but, taking in the other
parishes and the whole State together, was the
total result Of the ballots as cast 10 favor Of
Hayes or OF Iiden? a. We did not couot
the whole of the ballots.
Q. But if they had been counted a. rcturo
ed 10 you? A. They were not al returned
to us.
O. Taking all those that were returned, was
the myiority 10 favor Of Hayes or Of Tl!den?
A. think they were in favor Of Mr.. Hayes
q. And because the ma iOrity was in favor OF
Hayes you thought the rilden party would hire
a mob to move on the board aud destroy the
returns? \. Yes. sir.
O. II the majority was in favor Of Mr. Hayes
tell us why you threw out IL, 900 Tidcn votes?
A. We threw out Iilden votes ard Hayes
votes, too.
Q. Did you throw out IIIden votes? 4,
Yes, sir.
g. How nauy? A. dou't suow exactly.
O. Ten thousand? a. don't know whether
We threw out ten thousand. We may have
dnne So or we may have not.
q. 10 the best Of your recollection did you
throw out ten thousand? a. l cannot say;
perhaps it was ten thousand.
q. What was the actual majority Tor Hayes
as reported By your board A. 5,4OO or $500,
| think.
@. Explain, then, how it happened that
there was majority Of ouy 3,400 for Hayes
when you threw out IL, 900 Tilden votes, and
when, az you say, there was originally 4 major.
ity for Hayes? a. 1t was by the rejection or
the vote in the parishes where there was fraud
and intimidation.
@. But you have stated that originally, be-
fore you threw out any Tilden votes the ma
iorily was i1r Hayes? A. say the majority
was for Hayes iu parishes where there vas a
peaceab!c, quiet election.
q. You did not say that? y. Well, if L
said the other it must be connected.
9. You have said that Mr. John Ray, 40
attorney of Louisiana, received fee from the
republicans. A. The promise Of lee.
=. Who retained him ? A. The board re.
tanned him and the party together. The board
retained him for his services to the board aud
the party retained him to be present at the
counting Of the votes.
@. And this Mr.. Ray, who received or was
promised fec from the republicans, was the
only person allowed to attend the secret sessions
of your board was he not? A. Yes, sir, the
only person.
| O. Do you mean really to say that you al
lowed the retained counsel OF one OF the parties
| to attend your secret sessions? A. No, SIT; /
dom mean any such thing. mean that when
ever the board required legal information MIR.
Ray was brought 10 aud the subject matter was
submitted to him.
A. Did you employ any democratic counsel !
A. No, sir; we did not.
Mr.. Field called attention to the paper pur-
porting to be the original return from the par
ish of Vernon But he p,otessed to be unable
| to identity it or to discover that any change
had been made 10 the figures. On being shown
the transpostion of It's votes from the demo
cratic to the republican side, he admitted that
| it must have been done for fraudulent pur
pose but denied that he had any knowledge as
| to how or where or when it was done. lie ad-
| United that Calvert, TO whom Maddox tclc-
graphcd, was an old and intimate friend Of his,
and had while in New Orleans, occupied =
| room in the same house with him.
The purport Of Weiss testimony having
been sent by telegraph to Mr.. kenncr, at New
| Orleans. that gentleman Immediately respond.
| ed that il Wells had spoken the truth he would
have said that he asked him (Kenner) for TWO
hundred thousand dollars to count the vote
| fairly, but that he replied that he did not have
the money. Mr.. kenner also says that he will
come to Washington and contradict Wells be.
fore the Committee i! necessary.
The Washington correspondent Of the Bati
more Sun, says -
The examination Of j. Madison Wells, pres
| ident of the Louisiana returning board, before
the House committee to-day, presented such q
| scene rs was never before exhibited in any Con
grcssonal investigation. 1t was evident from
first to last that Wells had come before the
committee with tho determination to brave
through the charges against him by sheer au
dacty and assurance. Whatever else may be
said Of Wells, he possesses the one rcdccming
trait Of genuine, continued courage. AS Wells
sat in the witness chair this afternoon, faciug
David Dudley Field who was cross.questioniDg
him, his teeth set hard, his eyes flashing, and
his hand graspng with nervous energy stout
hickory stick, lie looked like the vcrtab'e I'M
personaion Of 4 bull dozor. And it must be
confessed that the skilItul and accomplished
lawyer had to bend his whole mind to his task;
before he drove the rough old man into I corner.
Il is doubtful whether 10 all the long and va.
ricI experience OF Mr.. Field that he ever had
tougher contest than that which for nearly
four hours was waeed between him and Wells
this afternoon. Cool and wary as is Mr.. Field,
he was in imminent danger several times Of los
ing his temper, while on three several occasions
Wells lashed himself into such rage that he
almost sprung from his chair, and it was half
expected that he would attempt physical de-
monstralion on Mr. Field. lie pounded the
table with his fist, lie refused to answer, lie iu-
tcrjectcd replies and comments into the midst
Of Mr. Fields inierrogatorics, he sneered at
him rs New York politician, intmated in the
plaiuest terms that he vas 20 gentleman, aud
behaved generally in such manner that had
it been in u court OF Justice he would have been