The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-02-08
Pickett's WidOW.Relief Scheme.

The witness Lttlefeld who stole the Vernon
county returns in Louisiana, substituted a
forged copy in their place, and then sought in
vain to criminate the Returning Board, having
been disposed of, now comes the next witness,
John T. Pickett, who, according to his own
story, at the instance of ex-Gov. Wells, the
President of the Returning Board, negotiated
with Mr.. Tilden's managers for the sale and
delivery of the vote of Louisiana for cool
million of dollars, the proceeds of his share of
the plumber to be appliedto the relief OF South
ern widows and orphans. Mr.. Pickett, by the
way, has tender spot somewhere in his COM
position for widows. He is the gentleman it
will be remembered, who sold the Confederate
archives to the Government for $4,000,
which handsome sum, according to this
veracicus witness, he squandered upon
Southern widows. The plth of this mans
statement is that Gov. Wells entered the ne
gotiations through one Maddox, an internal
revenue agent, and himself, to deliver the
electoral vote Of Louisiana to Tilden for
Isl, 0O0 600; that he has an original letter OF
Gov. Wells and sundry kilograms under ficti-
tious names to support his story and that he
went North and rendered the vote to the Hon.
John Morrissey, Hewitt. and others of Tilden's
1110nOS anu DdTT0l-ulAuaS0Ts, Dut tu0y were
scared by the price. Hewitt evidently was
suspicious that there was a large-sized negro
in the fence somewhere, but Morrissey was
willing to enter into negotiations with Pickett
if he would drop $900,00 in his figures. As
| 800, 900, however, would not cover Pickett's
| gigantic philanthropic scheme with reference
| to the Southern widows, all hands dropped the
million-dollar offer, and turned their attention
to Oregon, where the market was 30 dull that
$1,000 draft could do just as much execution
as 81, 100000 in Louisiana.
| Even if this story were true that Gov. Wells
initiated this scheme to sell out Louisiana for a
million of dollars. and that Pickett went to
| headquarters to negotiate the operation, it
would not have followed that Gov. Wells were
dishonest. Had he been in the selling business,
had he been corruptible man, he would have
fixed his figures at fair market value. The
result Of Plckett's mission, even as narrated by
himself, shows that Gov Wells could not be cor
rupted. Accepting Picketts version, then, if
there was no attempt made to purchase him
by the Tilden clique, it shows they knew he
was honest or feared that he was
setting q trap to catch them. II there
was an attempt made, it shows that he could
not be bought. The most effectual disposition
of Plckett's Southern-widow yarn, however, is
the plump declaration Of Gov. Wells that it is
lie He disclains all knowledge Of Pickett,
and never heard of him before. The letter
written to Maddox has no connection with the
alleged sale of the Louisiana vote, and the
whole story is an infamous lie, baseless s.s it
is malicious" The Governor further intimatee
that there will be an exposure on the other side
in few days, and that the Democrats seem to
forget there are two sides to the controversy.
Meanwhile the case of Pickett is sad one
"Damn my interest" says Pickett to Maddox
ssthink Of the interest Of 100000 900 people,
ST said that would take the money, for
would regard it as spelling the Egyptians, and
would distribute it among the widows and or
phans of the South, }" said Pickett to Maddox.
Was ever such colossal scheme Of philan-
thropy nipped 80 untlmely in the bud before
When one thinks of the vast amount Of relief
Pickett might have brought to the Southern
widows in these hard times, itseems almost toe
bad that he did not succeed in despoiling the