The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-02-06
He Ia Violent aud Abusive Toward
The Committee.
He Declares on Oath That Hayes Had q
Majority In This State Before
Any Votes We're Thrown
Out by the Boar :.
Wells and His Armery-TWo Revolvers
Thug Knife and Loaded Cane.
Especial to N. o. Democrat ]

by u, Madison WeilS TO DaVlQ Dudiey
Field Q committee to-day was as braz-
on and crooked q piece of swearing as
any Congressional committee has been
treated to for long time. His Repub-
lican allies have been all along roundly
asserting TINT when he was given o
chance he would blow Maddox's story so
high that nothing would be left OF 1t.
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 man.
ner OF his replies. From the first he
assumed defiant cir and.was. almost
without intermission, in dispute with
Field, who subjected him to q severe
cross. examination. Upon the West let
ter and the Vernon parish forgery as
brought to light by Littlefield. he halt
ed repeatedly in his sentences, rambled
from one thing to another, eontradicted
himself dozen times, and impressed
every fair minded man present with the
belief that he was lying from the be-
ginning to the end. When Mr.. Field
attempting to confne him to direct an.
swers, he fatty refused TO do SO, saying
that he meant to answer in his own
way or not at all. At one time he
exoitedly refused to answer, and
appealed to the chairman to
protect him, and striking
the table with his fist exclaimed: eff
you don't protect me, I'll protect my
self and that very quick, too" looking
threateningly at Mr.. Field while he said
this.
At another time, when he attempted
to answer or interrupt question, Field
peremptorily yss4,rdered him to stop.
Wells turned to the chairman and in
quired, in voice quivering with excite
ment, II want to know whether he has
any right to order me to stop, and go
outside Of the pale of a gentleman to do
it,"
Field adroitly drew him into dam
aging admissions aud increased his con.
fusion by skillfully pointing out the in
constituencies Of his statements. His
attempted explanatio Of tho West let
ter was simply absurd. The amount of
it was that he wanted West to beware
OF a combination that had been formed
to defeat him for reelection to the Sen
ate; that he wanted Maddox to tell
West the condition of affairs In Louisi-
ana and get him to induce the Presi-
dent to send troops to protect the
board in the discharge OF their duties
that he had heard 1t rumored that mil
lions, or & barrel of money, had been
sent from New York to secure tn Q Stat e
for Tilden; that he feared the money
might be used to influence the electors,
or to excite the mob to assassiDate the
returning officers and destroy the re-
cords Of the votes of the State
that the counter movement alluded to
by him meant a movement Of troops |
that in saying he knew his duty to Gen.
Grant, he meant that he felt it his duty |
to have q fair count in the presence Of
the gentlemen whom the General sent
down there to witness it; that in saying
he did not intend the rebels sho aid |
rule, he meant that they should not
carry the State by murder and intimi-
iation; by saying "a hint to the wise"
1e didn't mean anything in particular,
except that West ought to be ready to
iend troops at any moment.
He said he had been tampered with,
,ut Republicans are not easy to be
bought, though they may sell out to
me another. IL necessary.
In his direct examination he pro-
lounced Littletield an unmitigated liar.
IN cross-examination he identified the
vord compiled" on the original return
rom Vernon parish as in the hand
writing Of kenner, but suggested that
t might be forgery after all. He said
he returns looked like an original,
md he could not see anything
wrong about it, but wouldn't swear
hat it was really the original.
Mr.. Field drew from him an admis-
ion that IL the Hayes electors have q
majority at precincts 1, and 10, In
iernon parish, the figures must have
'een transposed for purposes OF fraud
II speculation. This was an assump- .
ion OF innocent ignorance on Wells, {
art, and fling at Littlefleld's motive
! testifying to the alteration to the
eturn from Vernon parish. Wells per-
isted In declaring that the face Of the