The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-08-01

w nlIVhhor' =, 60
Gov. Cox moved that tomorrow afLerl
noon, in time for the train, the sub com
mittee take recess, to meet at the cal
of the chairman. Adopted, Mr. Black
burn voting nay.
Thos. H. Noland testified that he was
a native of Massachusetts; in 1866 was
Secretary of the Louisiana LeYee TO-, IN
1859 was Internal Revenue Collector;
and in these three years was also chlet
enrolling clerk of the State Senate. In
1870 he was tax collector for Iberyille
parish, and was elected to the State SEN
ate from the l4th district in 1872 Lost
his seat after the dissolution of the Nc
Emery Legislature. In 1875 he was
working with the Republicans. L. L.
Affair omitted the names of five electors
ON the Republican ticket through ignor-
ance, because he thought the electors at
large and the district elector were all
that should be on the ticket. They did
not use the Republican Central Commit
tees tickets because they had been coun-
terfeited by Acklen. After the election
Kellogg, Packard and others talked TO
him about the mistake Of Allain's. They
said Allain's damned rascality would
lose the State for Hayes. This was two
or three days after the election. Judges
Campbell and Dibble said to witness it
would necessitate the rejection of Dem
ocratic polls in different parishes to tiX
the matter. Witness was engaged with
Russ, Hagins, McStearns, McArdle, Sher'
idan and others, in preparing afhdaylts
in the Custom House in November, 1876.
Being shown the original atidayits the
committee obtained from Woolhey, he
identified seventeen of them in his wri-
ting These were from pretended affi-
ants in West Felicana, East BatonRouge
Morehouse, Richland, and Livingston
parishes, He said: eve were instruct.
ed by H. ]. Campbell, H. c, Dibble and
]. P. Harris to get all we could out Of the
intimidation witnesses. There was no
special examination of the witnesses.
Most of them could not put their state
ments into into (intelligible) language.
If a witness said anything about a mat.
ter, we put it in as strong as possible,and
said the witness knew it. The purpose
was to make the affidavit read as though
the man testified of his own personal
knowledge. This personal knowledge
clause was put in that shape before the
witness testified. We found very few Of
them who knew anything of their own
personal knowledge, but most all had
heard Of something, We all got to wri-
ting these as statements from witnesses
personal knowledge. We all fell into
the same rut, in pursuance to instructions
received"
Witness knew two of the visiting
statesmen through introduCtions, Eu-
gene Hale and Stougton; knew by sight
Sherman and Garfield. He saw Slough
ton, Hale and Garfield in the rooms
where affidavits were being made. They
all seemed interested in the work going
on. Stoughton was busy up stairs in the
Custom House, but witness saw Garfield
every morning in the affidavit rooms.
These were the United States Circuit
Court room and the adjoining rooms.
Garfield would look over the afida tits
as they were being made. The afidavits
were handed Garfield, and he took them
to a desk and made notes. Stoughton
was mostly up in the Surveyor Generals
office. He (Stoughton) had the super
vsing of the affidavit testimony for the
Red river parishes. Hale was not 30
busy as the other two. The witnesses
were sworn before Woolhey, three or
four of them together. Witness never
read over any of the afidavits he wrote
to the witnesses. Thinks none of those
engaged in the work did it. He did not
think any of their afidavits were read
over to atlantis before Woolhey. Gould
not tell whether all the witnesses were
sworn. Vresinski did not want to give
any affidavit; one was written for and
read to him, suppressing nearly all it
contained, and he signed that, but made
counter affidavit when it appeared in
print. Many other witnesses were re.
luctant. The witnesses who made these
affidavits were brought into the Custom
House by leading Republicans, who told
the clerks they wanted certain points to
be elected from them. Witness testified
that all the foregoing testimony was
equally true of the other affidavit ma
kers. The effect of the announcement
after the election, that the visiting states
men were coming at the request of Gen.
Grant, was to create the impression that
Grant would sustain them in putting in
the candidates to be returned by the
board. This gave new life to the Re-
publican leaders; and they felt confident
that the board would count in Packard,
Republican Legislature, and with them
the Hayes electors. They told witness
before the Returning Board met, that
this was the intention of that Board.
The preparation of afidavits and testi-
mony in the Custom House was begun
before the Board met, and it was done
with the general understanding that the
Returning Board would throw out just
such polls as were in this manner pro.
tested.
Cross-examined by Gov. Cox, who said
that j. r. Harris and Hugh ]. Campbell
and others told be, before the Returning
Board met, that they meant in this way
to overcome the majority cast against
the Republican candidates.
Wesley Jackson (Colored) testified to
living in West FeliCiana during the cam
paign of 1876. He belonged to the Sage
Hill Club, which contained about twenty
negroes, and lasted two weeks. At the
first meeting he attended they told him
the club was organized to kill certain
white people. He told them he wanted
to get out of it then, but they threatened
to kill him if he did not go on. Gilbert
Carter was President of the club, and
they met in house where white people
formerly lived, on Sage Hill. Witness
was told this at the second meeting of
the club, which was on Tuesday. The
next meeting was to have been held on
Tuesday night. The white folks got to
the place first that night, and Gilbert
Carter was killed before daylight. Many
of the men in that club got out of the
parish then, and when he knew that the
white folks were after the members of
the club he left too.
Judge J. II. Kennard, formerly of the
Supreme Court, testified that he resided
in West FeliCiana in the summer of 1875.
The organization of the Democratic par
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