The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1877-02-14

Our old fellow citizen, no,c pretty
well known to notorious and doubt.
full fame, Mat. Wells, has at his own
Volition been summoned to testify
AS he is an important parsonage in
our Louisiana case, every body here,
friend and foe, wants to see what be
has to say. Below we give com
pendulum of his little chat, as given
by telegraph by A. C. Buell., the
Washington correspondent of the
New Orleans Democrat, and also his
letter to Senator West:
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.-The tale
told by j. Madison Wells to David
| Dudley Fields committee to-day was
as brazen and crooked piece OF
swearing as a2y Congressional Com
mittee has been treated to for q long
time. His Republican allies have
been all along roundy asserting that
when he was given chance lie would
blow Maddox's story so high that
nothing would be left Of it. To day
the committee gave him this chance.
He has told his version of the story,
but instead of having impeached
Maddox in the least, he will find his
cunning taxed to the utmost to make
his own story hang together.
To appreciate Wells testimony one
must have seen him on the witness
stand and have heard the peculiar
manner of his replies. From the first
he assumed u defiant air and was, al
most without intermission, in dis
pute with Field, who subjected him
to a severe cross examination. Upon
the West letter and the Vernon par
ish forgery as brought to light by
Littlefield, he halted repeatedly in his
sentences, rambled from one thing to
another, contradicted himself dozen
times, and impressed every fair-min-
ded man present with the belief that
he was lying from the beginning to
the end. When Mr.. Field attempt
ed to confine him to direct an
swers, he fatty refused to do so, say
ing that he meant to answer in his
own way or not at all. Az one time
he excitedly refused to answer, and
appealed to the chairman to protect
him, and stpiking the table with his
fist exclaimed: at you don't protect
me, I'll protect myself and that very
quick. too looking thu eateuingly at
Mr.. Field while he said this.
At another time when he attempt
ed to answer or interrupt question,
Field adroitIy ordered him to stop.
Wells turned to the chairman and in
quired, in voice quivering with ex
citement, II want to know whether
he has any right to order INC to stop,
AMI 60 outside Of the pale of a gentle
man to do it,
Field adroitly drew him into dam
aging admissions and increased his
confusion by skillfully pointing out
the Inconsistencies of his statements.
His attempted explanation of the
West letter was simply absurd. The
amount of it was that he wanted
West to beware of combination that
had been formed to defeat him for
re election to the Senate; that he
wanted Maddox to tell West the con-
dition of affairs in Louisiana and get
him to induce the President to send
troops to protect the board in the
discharge Of their duties; that he had
heard it rumored that millions, or a
barrel of money, had been sent from
New York to secure the State for
Tilden; that he feared the money
might be used to influence the cleo
tors, or to excite the mob to assassi-
nate the returning officers and des-
troy the records of the votes of the
State, that the counter movement al
luded to by him meant a move
ment of troops; that in saying he
knew his duty to Gen. Grant, he
meant that he felt it his duty to have
a fair count in the presence Of the
gentlemen whom the General sent
down there to witness it.; that in say
ing he did not intend tie rebels
should rule, he meant that they
should not carry the State by muir
der and intimidation; by saying ga
hint to the wise," he didn't mean
anything in particular, except that
West ought to be ready to send
troops at any moment.
He said he had been tempered
with, but Republicans are not easy