Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-02-23
A NOBLE OLD MAN TINDICA-
TED.

A NOBLE OLD MAN VLNDICA-
TED.
One of the saddest results of the refusal
of the National Returning Board to admit
the evidence in the Louisiana case is that
that "noble old man. JAMES MADISON
WELLS, who is looking through the bars
in Washington is thus deprived of an oppor-
tunity to clear his character. 1t had been
sworn to by MADDOX that he offered to
sell the State to the Democrats for S 1,C00,-
600 and by L1TTLEFIELD that it was at
his direction he, as clerk of the Louisiana
Returning Board altered the returns so as
to elect HAYES. Both of these gentlemen
were men of character, they were obliged
to be for they were Republican office hol-
ders, and we all know what altitude of char
acter it requires to obtain that position. In
denial of this, the noble old man could
only fill himself full of whisky, and load
himself up with canes and pistols and &c
before the congressional committee, and
sauce. and shake his stick at DAVID DUD-
LEY FIELD. The National Returning
DOdIu udu CuU ulHO A llOA dIf OULCl AuOuS
than that of relieving himself from these
charges, and in the course of events thu
character of the old mar might have gone
down to the grave furnished by suspicion.
and without a friend to clear it. But il
the i%nscrutable ways of politics it has beer
cleared up, and the clearing will be wei
coined by a large number of his admirers.
including the Radical press, and Mr.. RUTH
ERFoRD HAYES. During the painful ex
aminations of Mr.. WELLS before the com
mittee it was wrung from him that ont
DUNCAN S. KENNER, Of New Orleans. hao
offered him $500, 900 to count the State foi
NICoLLs, and now Mr.. KENNER himsel'
has appeared in Washington and testified
1t is true that he differs in some slight, bu'
immaterial, particulars from Mr.. WELLS
one being that Mr.. WELLS accepted I'll"
offer, but the money couldn't be RAISED
while Mr.. WELLS left the impression Oh
the mind of the committee that he had r-
fused it. But this is a slight discrepancy
when weighed against the character of L
noble old man, and compared with tbs
purity of his motives in accepting it. 81
am getting old,' said this retiring bull
dozer, whose sands of life had nearly III
out; s'too old to hold office, and the tern
of office is too insecure anyhow ard h
wanted enough compensation to enabl.
him to retire to his plantation in Rapiles
county. No political advancement, yo,
will perceive! No office, no greed for gold
but simply enough to enable him to go t.
his farm, where he could hear the birds
sing, and the lowing herds. and sniff the
new moWn hay in his declining years. O.
course the opportunity of spending th'
evening of life so sweetly was a scarce
article, and consequently high, and h"
would have to consult a friend to assis
him in naming the figure. He consulte'
another high-toned member of the i5oasC
that old time Virginia gentleman, GEL
ANDERsON-who, with the usual ari L.
cratic Virginia notions about the value G
a frst-class man, fixed his own price &
$500. 600. his venerable friend to get what
could for his vote. This came near blow
ing the negotiation into the ali. and woul'
have done so if the noble old man, VIII,
wanted to retire to his farm badly, hadn',
come around and made, On his own &c
count, the 5000, 900 greenback offer. MI.
KENNER started around to raise The
money, heading the list with his own namf
for $4,000. DR.. CHAPLIN and JNo.
PHELPS went down on it for $500, and
Gen. BRENT, DR.. BEARD and many Others
subscribed but he couldn't raise the amount.
When he met WELLS after this failure,
the vote had been promulgated, and he
gently child him, whereupon the old man
turned to him, and with childlike candol
remarked, what could I do? You had
no money!" and then, in reply to a ques-
aion if he had made himself safe,' said
with cheerful confidence, s'You bet!"
At the close of this examination the
witness said that he had no enmity towards
WELLS, and s:none but kindly feelings to-
wards him ROW." How could he have
other than a friendly feeling to a noble
ed man, who had paid the Democracy tie
not empty compliment of giving them first
bid in the matter of the Presidency, and
who, if they could have raised money
enough would have handed it over ere re-
firing to his "plantation in Rapides
parish
If the NIcoLLs government is forced
out in Louisiana the venerable auc-
tioneer of States may have an opportu-
nifty of hearing the birds sing the vespers
of his life, but if not. then We fear this
noble old man, now looking through the
bars for contempt of Congress at Wash
ingtnn, may witness his last sunset from
the narrow windows of the Louisiana state
prison.
It is such men as JAMES MADISON
WELLS that Che National Returning Board
choked off frora getting justice.
The LoUDoUN COUNTY SPoRTsMEN:s