The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-07-10


letters and statement emanatiDg from the
state auditors Office and that is supposed TO
have supplied the immediate cause of his
death. and to that extent might suggest Its
authors. While 1 consider this threat
the immediate cause of his assassina-
ton, do not believe that 1t
would have occurred IL he had not made the
protest which deprived the people OF their
votes. and thus placed himself in such po-
sition that his personal enemies were encour-
aged to make this murderous assault In
the Sherman report appears a purported
affidavit from me as united states
supervisor, containing a somewhat
sweeping allegation of intimidation IN
the parish of West Feliciana. / declined,
when requested to make an affidavit on this
subject, TO do so. This paper was subse-
quently prepared by l.. b. jerks. and with
out reading or examining il 1 signed 1t. L
performed no duties as United States super
visor, and should not have signed the paper
if L had previously read it. l
did not not, swear =. at,.cbas p bv
the commissioner as a matter of form merely.
1 have no defence to make for my action ex-
cepr TO say that 1T was done without deliber-
alton. Mrs. jerks visited my sister in law
in the summer of 1871, and urged her to
hunt for the Sherman letter. Mrs. Weber
declined to do so, or give her any informa-
she brought letter from General Sheldon,
offering to pay Mrs. Weber's expenses
to New Orleans and Washington in con-
nection with Sherman, and threatening III
case she did not come to have her arrested
and forced to go. Mrs. jerks and her hus-
hand have always called the paper the
Sherman letter. Tom jerks, in fact, has
claimed that his association with and CO.
operation Anderson was such as TO give him
an equitable right to some OF the benefits
that were supposed to be embraced in ii. l
have never heard it intimated until she gave
her testimony that Mrs. jerks was In any
way connected with the authorship of the
letter. / have not nor has any member OF
my family, sought to use this letter as
means of obtaining office, l saw the mem
bers of the MacVeagh commission in
New Orleans Was informed that
money had been used to secure
the abandonment of the Packard legislature
by certain members thereof. L could say
something OF amounts paid in certain cases,
but could not say who disbursed the money
or who supplied it, had two conversations
with General Hawley relative to
the recognition of the Packard gov
eminent by the administration, and
he said the president could not and
would not recognize it. He conveyed the
impression to my mind distinctly that the
recognition of Nichols and the abandon
ment of Packard was foregone conclusion,
and that this question had been determined
by the. administration before the commits
sion left Washington.
A TROUBLESOME LETTER.
A letter was here shown Weber, which he
identified as having been written by himself
He then said:
GENTLEMEN or THIS CoNIMITTEE-I object to
the consideration of this letter, or its publica-
ton as any part of the record. If IL Is pub
lished it viii place me in a very false position
with the people down there, and ask the
committee not TO allow it to be read for that
reason. The statement / have made in there
is not in accordance with the facts. / wOu.d
like to say word or two about this matter.
That the time wrote this letter, what wrote
was given 10 me as facts, but since have as
certained that was misinformed, and there
fore 1 misstated the case at that time.
1T Is as follows:
STATE SENATE, NEW ORLEANS,
March "A, 1877.
j. H. Weber, Esq:
DEAR CoUsIN-Your favor OF the 18th inst
was received only to-day. In answer thereto
am sorry to say that though had heard my
cousin living in st. Louis, he never gave me
any definite understanding concerning him.
This is the only reason can give you for not
has not yet reached me. / should certainly be
pleased to have the opportunity to reply 10
any erroneous statement made concerning
A. w. / have mailed to your address a copy
of the New Orleans Repub lean, containing a
correct and uncontradlcted statement of the
brutal outrage. also forward to your address,
in writing and in separate envelope, the
same statement, which you can use for publ
Of IN S amy PAPER for b she S
rave written another statement, giving
more particulars concerning the affair, but
The assassins of ID. A. w. are at large as yet
and officiating in the capacity of Nichols
officers in the parish he lived in, WestFeliclana,
and republicans, with terror imprinted on
their faces, whisper to each other, "who will
be next?"
We desire no new election in Louisiana
We desire and demand the recognition of the
legal ana lawful Packard government from
which Mr.. Hayes derived his title to the office
of the chief magistrate of this nation. We de-
msnd it not only as just right 10 which we
are entitled, but We desire IL and demand
il, that we may have govern
wherein all men without regard to nationality
or color may enjoy the same rights of civilI-
cation without fear or favor. Under govern
ment at this time in this state, administered
by Nichols and his bands OF assassins, and
founded upon blood, there is not and never
A. leaves a wife and three little babies, the
oldest only three years OF age. This
alone would have been enough to have
brutes been thirsty for the blood OF the inno mo-
cent and defenoeleSS republicans. j had ad
vised him TO stay away from the parish until
10 remain at home I'm the bosom of his family
whom he cherished and adored. His un.
fortunate fate seems to have been apprehend-
ed, as you Will notice in his letter written tC
Senator Mcmillan, of Minnesota, three days
before he was murdered, and published in the
same New Orleans Republican / send you
Our situation in the north can not be-
understood, as l am sure the people
would not tolerate the state of affairs
which actually exists here. One by one ou
white and colored republicans are muir
dered here by day light, and always by
/ parties unknown. We have endured more
than our share OF wro g and outrage, anc
unless the general government comes to oul
rescue we must either suffer the fate OF ID. a. ol
leave the state. This is threat made agains
/ us publicly and without fear. ID. AS wife anC
| babies have moved from st. F.ville to Donald
sonville; have also been Obliged for security
| sake, to move to the same place. We have
abandoned all our property, and left it at Tn,
! mercy of The brutes. II Packard is governor
/ and have no doubt of II, he will in du,
/ time have the assassins of my
brother arrested and punished If Nicholi,
/ becomes governor and an attempt on our par
/ to arrest and convict murderers is made, We
will beyond any doubt suffer death. have
written this In haste. In my next L will Civ,
/ you more details concerning II. A. WIS death
/ With best wishes, am, yours,
! (SIgned) +. L. WEBER,