Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-02-08
CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATIONS.
The senate Sub COMMITTEES On priui,oros

The Senate Committee on Privilege
and Elections, ON the 9th, examined A. r
Bush, of the clearinghouse of Ladd s. Bush
Of Salem. Oregon. Witness testified that h,
sent a certain dispatch in cipher (produced h,
Senator MitchelD to c. Il. Tilton, New York
IN reference to paying fees of lawyers retained
to argue before the Governor, or in any Of tht
courts, against the issuing of an Electoral Ger.
tificate to Watts. He received the followinp
dispatch from A. E.. and c.. e. Tilton, OF. New
York, on the 2Sta of November last: 'tUse ali
means to prevent certificate, very important .
The witness understood the dispatch to refer to
Watts, but Pelton told him afterwards it re-
ferred to Cronin. A little more than Sl5, COO
was placed to the credit of witnesses firm. which
he understood from Bellinger was for use in the
Electoral matter. Senator Mitchell intro
duced a large number of dispatches, many in
cipher and without signatures. The following
are among them: A. S. Hewitt to Hon. y. Kei-
ly, stating that-''On investigation. the legal
as Electors are void, and the person receiving
the next highest number of votes should
receive the certificate OF appoint
ment: Canvassing officers should act
on this rule, and Governors certificate of ap-
pointment be given to Elector accordingly, and
the subsequent certificate of votes of Electors be
VIII force Congress to go behind the certificates,
ana open the way to go into the minutes in ali
cases, which is not only right, but will relieve
l., FELTON, to DR.. Geo. L. Miller. Of Omaha. in
terrence to sending a party to Oregon to look
aisef Electoral matters, which resulted in the
ASN oASScAs - 81. IA
The Committee on the Powers and Duties
of the House had Louis kenner, of the Louisiana
Returning Board, before them on the 9th. Mr..
Field showed the witness a certified copy of the
Parish of Vernon in which IFS votes had been
given for Hayes, while in the original returns
two votes only were given to Hayes: Witness
said that if any returns had been thrown
out he was not aware of it. 1t did not take place
while he was In the Board. Mr.. Field directed
witness to look with a ma PnIfVinp Dl9GG at fha
original papers, and find whether there had been
any erasures or alterations. Witness. after
something had been done, as if the figures had
been written over erasures......J b. De Berry,
telegraph operator at the railroad depot at
a number of kilograms sent and received
by him between the 9Th and 18th of November.
the purport of SEINE of which was as ollows-
From II. Chandler to Gov. Stearns-''We are
now absolutely sure of = electoral votes for
Hayes, and we must have Louisiana, South
Carolina and Florida by fair means or other
WISE" He could not give the exact language,
and did not remember the number mentioned.
Another dispatch was: "Send couriers to each
county and secure returns: They must be made
to show a majority for Hayes" From Gov.
Stearns to 4. Chandler: "We can not carry the
State Tor Hayes unless we have troops and mon
ey Immediately moed These the were not the ex-
Charles H.. Brush, telegraph operator at
Tallahassee, from the oth to the 18th of Novem-
Der, testified that Il. Chandler telegraphed Gov,
Stearns that he had seen the President and sec
rotary of War, and troops would be sent. Wit
ness did not pretend to give the exact words of
the dispatches.
J. It. Littlefield, Clerk of the Louisiana
Returning Board, testified before the Morrison
House Committee, on the 3Oth, that on the Sd of
December he altered the original returns from
two of the polls in Vernon Parish, SO as to
transpose lis Democratic votes over to the Re-
t huoi'caa exe eanaio"'e Ijree snas he 'ia G tnI s oy
Wells, and that, after making co.ies
of the altered originals and substituting them
for the originals, the latter were burned, either
by himself or by Gov. Wells, he did not remem-
Der which. but, at all events, with Gov. Weiss
knowledge. Littletield was subsequently ex-
amined by the IN on the Powers and
Privileges of the House, and detailed at length
the circumstances under which he made
the the alterations ans,haI in the returns mentioned;
destroying the original statement of
returns from Vernon Parish, as directed by
Gov. Wells, he took the paper home and gave It
half of the Nichols Government. (Witness here
identified a paper produced by the committee,
cross examination, witness said he did not
know of any other returns having been altered.
Before the Senate Committee on Privi-
and Elections, on the 3lth, VIM. H. Hol-
lister, Cashier of the banking house of kountz
Brothers, New York, testified as to IS, OCO be-
ing placed on deposit with Kountz Brothers on
the lst OF December by a stranger. who repre-
the deposit 10 be made by E. Davis to the
credit of S. ii. P. Patrick; and on the 10th of
December, $1,029 in gold was deposited in
New York, subject to the order of j. II. N. Pat
rick. and it is still there; the bank of Kountz
Brothers paid a draft of So, 900 on the 10Th or
18th of December, in favor of Wells, Fargo s
Co.. the draft was dated San Francisco, Deem
Der s. and was given by J. II. \. Patrick.
Senator Kelly was next callet. He testified
at Portland. Oregon. on the 9th Of December
asst. A cipher dispatch, directed to W. T: Pei,
0do:r Ne% b org seS slgned K KY X: Nv WAS n d paaf,es ah no
Senator Mitchell and handed to the witness, who
that he could not translate the dispatch.
he would give the substance of it, which was
hat he (kelly) indorsed a dispatch asking the
Democratic National Committee to send
; 900 to Oregon to pay airy legal expenses
,ase; an answer in cipher came to this dispatch.
he substance of which was that there was no
several kilograms passed between par
les in Oregon and New York in relation to the
paying of any legal expenses in connection with
he Watts case, and finally word was sent from
'oMYa h York to % Oregon that $500
which passed between Senator Kelly
md Patrick were in relation to the transferring
should be done, and through what bankers; the
dispatches had no other meaning; he never heard
If the unlawful use of money in connection with
his case mentioned, and never had an
LEA that any money would be used
improperly in connection with it.
iah M Mitchell ashea % on baea the im following IN telegram,
AcA AS aNohS'A W. AA' u AAS~ VIVA ~ SoAAb
With the testimony of Hollister: NEW YORK.,
November, It'll FL. n. Patrick. Salem Oregon:
secure your points at all hazards. Conimuni-
with me Immediately, giving prospects,.
[Signedl DAVIS"
Before the Committee on the Privileges
the House, on the 3lst, John T. Pickett, at
Washington, D.. c., testified that
lie had a conference with Joseph H. Maddox in
Washington on Nov. 20. in which the latter who
lad just come from New Orleans, proposed to
eCure the Electoral vote of Louisiana for the
Democrats for one million dollars. Maddox in
ormed witness that the State had gone Demo-
ratio by from $ 900 to 10, ESQ majority. but that
t would be counted for Hayes by the Returning
6oard unless the Democrats would put up the
mount required Maddox further informed
witness that he was the bearer of a letter from
Wells to Senator West, which letter
tated that the Democrats had put up a million
f money, and that the Republicans would need
mother million to cOunteract it. The result of
he interview was that witness went to New
FORK and submitted the proposal to several lead
ng Democrats, among them Representative
who said that was the third PROPOSE
ion OF the kind that had been made to him on s
bn porf nf rho Dot <in ~ poor1 bnf fh a L nlar