The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-02-08

81 Lid nof ertsrsd isto / ) double game .ls
tan over the stats Of Lcuidiana to whicl
. ever party Republican or Democrats
fhou1d furnish : million dollars, witness +,
Piled that after his interview Nth Go,
, Wells 6e vas fsts1ed his (Wells') pfopos
ti6n to his Northern friends could not b
met, and he (witness) did not want It
b fmet. but wished the other propos
, The ground that 1t was better fcr. tn
people to buy their rights than I
lese them, Gen. Anderson, Of the Return
iug Board, testified to the sessions of th
Board being public and attended by yisitin
T members of the Republican and Democrat
parties; each side had stenographers to re
port the proceedings; when the Board wen
the statements Of Supervisors and affldavit
bearing upon the returns; only officials o
the Board were present at the compilation
OF votes; to witness knowledge there wa
no change of Vernon Parish, to re-elec
Senator Kelso,. Republican; he wa
not present in the Board whe1
the official returns from that parisl
were opened. The result was, however, il
favor of Hunter a. District Judge; witness
always looked upon Hunter as Democrat
believed Andrews to be Democrat, Is b,
belonged to q Democratic family; was no
aware Of any alterations Of returns, ant
never had any communication with any
member of the Board regarding the altera
tion or destruction of returns; did not heal
In New Orleans of any proposition from
GOV. Wells to sell out the State or anything
connected with such a thing; Maddox
never said anything to witness about
the use Of money to affect the result o.
oath or 25th Of November, DR.. W. A. Robe.
son, Democratic State Senator, came to wit
ness room and told him there was an oppor.
tunity to make q good thing, and that he
(witness) would get $200, 600 if he would in
sure the State for the Democrats; witness
refused to entertain the proposition either
then or when subsequently made to him;
the Returning Board threw out certain
| votes, believing that in doing SO they
were sustained by the law and eyi-
dence; they did this without regard
to party politics. Littlefield was before
the Senate Investigating Committee, on
the I'd, and stated that the return figures
which were altered by himself came into the
hands of the Morrison Committee through
bis uncle, Mr.. Spearing, who was Repub-
lican, but a Nichols man; witness gave the
return to Spearing without compensation;
| few days before doing SO, Spearfng had in
troduced witness to man named Clifford, o
bank examiner, and witness told 6pearing,
in the presence of Clifford, of the existence
OF the return which had been changed; Gif-
ford told witness if he would go to Washing
ton with him (Gifford) the Secretary would
give him $100,000 for the return; witness
would not go, because he would not set a
price on himself; he was not for sale; he
regretted what he had done, and wanted to
get out of the difficulty without having it
known that he had changed The figures on a
return; Clifford afterwaid d stated that " the
500. 900 was to come from the Secretary of
the National party or Treasurer OF the Re-
publican Committee;n witness told all be-
fore the Morrison Committee to clear him.
self Of the suspicion cast upon lin thai he
had stolen the return which had come into
the Committees possession through Spear
ing.
During the continuation of his ex-
animation, on the Sd, Mr.. Maddox handed to
Mr.. Field two letters signed by j. Madison
Wells, one dated Nov. 20, addressed to wit
ness, and the second, dated Nov. 21, to SEN
ator r. j. West. The first reads as follows:
" Dear Sir: Understanding the political con.
dition Of matters here, from association
with both political parties, and as friend of
the President and Government officers, would
it not be considered part of your duty to go
at once to Washington with as little delay
as possible, and place before the Presi-
dent the condition and pending danger of
the situationy Should you conclude upon
prompt action in the premises, allow me to
commend you to Senator West, who is my
friend, and with whom you will freely CON-
municate.' At this point Senator West en-
tered the room, when Mr.. Field asked him
to open the letter addressed to him. He
did SO, and read as .follows:"M My
Dear Senator: / regret much not see
ing you when here. 1 wanted to say
much to you which would be at
least jmprudent to put on paper. TRUST,
however, to meet you in Washington as
soon As the canvass Is over which Is upon
us. Our duties as returning officers have
augmented the magnitude of the destiny of
the two great parties-may not say the Ma
tionf fully comprehend the situation, as
well as my duty to the greatest living Gen.
eral, U. s. Grant, aud not with my consent
shall this oppressed people be governed by
his paroled prisoners, aided by their white
livered towards of the North. Let me, my
esteemed sir, warn you of the danger.
Millions have been sent here aud
will be used in the interest of Tilden,
and unless q counter movement is
made it will be impossible for me or
any other individual to arrest its productive
results. The gentleman presenting this let
ter is fully aware of the moves, and, if you
allow, win communicate freely to ourfriends,
and act promptly, or results will be disas-
trous. word to the wise. Strictly private
and confidentialn Mr.. Littlefield was before
the Senate Committee, and reiterated his
previous statements relative to Vernon Par
ish, ETC.. !; he was subjected to an hours cross
by Mr.. Howe TO test the correct
ness Of his statements and of his recollec-
tion as to the manner in which the fabricated
returns of Vernon Parish had been made
up; witness was unable to state why, when
Gov. Wells asked for three polls that
would make up the aggregate of Polls Q ana
9 destroyed, he or Davis did not at once
tell bim that the 17S votes were to be found
in Polls Q and Q, ready made to his hand. |
Gov. Wells sent The following letter to the
House Committee: "The testimony of
Joseph b. Maddox having been taken by the
Committee in reference to- the alleged con-
versations between him and myself, and cer-
tain letters having been produced, | most
insist that my testimony
In relation to these matters be taken with
out delay. l feel this is due me, that
what desire to say on that subject should
be known to the Committee Immediately,
and that the facts should go to the country
with those letters. There Is nothing in con-
nection with my conduct as member of
the Returning Board, or an individual,
the subject under consideration,
which desire to withhold. On The contra
r., am anxious that the whole Of these
facts shall be known. also desire to be in
in relation to the matter testified
to by the witness Littlefeld affecting me,
and most respectfully protest against fur
ther delay in the matter Of my examina-
tion.n
MISSISSIPPI.
The investigation into the conduct
Of the late election In Mississippi was con-
tlnued ON the Sd before the Senate Commit
tee on Privileges and Elections. j. T. Leces-
ter President of the Hines County Board of