The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-02-07

have il with me properly identified. 1 ar
arranged with him certain preliminaries.
Odd you see the letter to Senator
West? Hseo 1ios
Al saw sealed letter / did not see its
contents, but this gentleman voluntarily
stated to me its contents, the chief portion
of which was that the democrats had to pay
81 0O0. 900 and that the republicans wanted
81 000, 900 to counteract that.
Q-The gentleman with whom you had
this conversation is, you say, within this
building now.
Ale was here this morning. l came
up to the capitol with him.
Q-By Lawrence: Who is this gentleman?
A-His full name is Joseph Harris Mad
dox. IL
Odd he give you any other paper than
this letter purporting to'be from Wells?
A.-Nothing in the shape OF a letter. or
credential. We made some notes as to the
basis on which he proposed 1 should en-
deavor to negotiate the affair.
Q-What were you to negotiate? Al
was to negotiate, if possible, money enough
tn pay Governor Wells and his fellow MEM
bers of the returning board TO do what con-
sidered right and proper, that is TO say,
to determine the state for Tilden.
He informed me he would give
| it for Hayes unless they were paid to give it
| for T1lden, under which circumstances | feel
perfectly justified in doing all in my power,
lest might regret it after. To attain that
| great end this gentleman with whom en-
| deavored to make the negotiation, am
| Happy to say. informed me that had our
positions been reversed, il he had been in
my place and in his, he would have done
precisely weat did
Q.-The thing which he proposed to you
was that you should make the necessary ne
gotiation to get Wells and the returning
| board to give the state to Tiiden. Is that it?
| 10, nj ,oH tbaf tho Cfafa .1f nj
isiana was certainly democratic by from 5000
to L., 900 votes but that it would be carried
| for Hayes by that returning board He knew
It's complexion; he had been acquainted
with Wells % years, he said, and with
Anderson nearly as long To get them to
| do what was right / assented to see these
parties at his instance, and to endeavor TO
| see if the negotiations could be made.
OH other words, the object was to raise
money?
but for this great object.
| Q.-And the money was to be given to
| Maddox?
A.-No; not to be given to him. A stake
| holder would have been sent down. -..-
| Q.-Who was to be stakeholder?
A.-That was to be determined by those
who would supply the sinews of war.
| Q.-Whom did you see in New York?
Al endeavored first to see Mr.. Hewitt.
He was out of town that day Sunday but
| note was sent to me in the evening that
he had returned. and did see him. Pre-
! ViOuSly / saw Mr.. John MOrriSsey, with
whom / had some slight acquaintance. ]
| stated these facts to him. He said
that while he had no particular
| computations in paying man to do what
was right, he did not feel that it was neces-
sity in this case. He said he would buy
these fellows as readily as he would buy
I
cided with him in the interest of 1000, 0OO
OF people, but he said we all
knew that Tilden was elected, and that he
had just received, or the public hadsjust re-
ceived information from Oregon which made
it unnecessary to resort to any such meas
ure. That was about the purport of my
conversation with Mr. MOrriSesy.
Odd you receive any money from
| him?
A.-Not any.
Q-pid you see Mr. Hewitt? :.
| AIN the evening l saw Mr.. Hewitt, and
went oyer the whole story to him, to which
he listened very patiently and kindly.
told him that while had been an attorney
at-law for great many years, and for 10 OF
- wears in Washington, had never used q
dollar corruptly and never expected to, but
that in this instance / felt the approval of my
conscience upheld by duty in presenting
this thing to him and he said, were our po-
sitions reversed, he would have done pre-
cisely the same He said this was the third
proposition of this kind that had been made
to him on the part of the returning board
in Louisiana, but that mine appeared the
most plausible and authentic, and that un
der no circumstances would they entertain
any such proposition, that if we bought
them now we would have to buy them evel
hereafter; that if the country was going into
civil war we might as well let il come and
be done with il, but that he had no appre
tension of any such result, and that the
country knew that Governor Tilden wa:
elected. That was about the purport of oul
conversation.
Q.-Was anything said between you and
Maddox as to how much of the money he
should have?
A-There was nothing said as to how
much he should have. 1t was his affair
He said if / could succeed in making the
negotiation that he should see should be
very handsomely compensated, that should
have certain percentage. | said
would take the money, and would distrib
ute it among the widows and orphans of the
south; stated that he had been a colonel il
the Confederate service, chief of staff u
General Breckenridge in one campaign, anC
volunteer aid in another.
Maddox was called by the committee. bu
refused to give any answer to most of The
questions asked him with regard to the offe
of the Louisiana returning board to sell on
to the highest bidder He finally consented
to consult his attorney, and if he advised
him to tell the whole story with regard t,
Wells and the returning board. he would lie
loose tomorrow. The committee then ad
journed until tomorrow.
MORE TESTIMONY.
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