The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-07-11

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 a means of
obtaining effice. l saw members of the Nc
Veagh commission in New Orleans, and
was informed that money had been used to
secnre the abandonment of the Packard
Legislature by certain members thereof. l
could tell some hing of amour paid in
certain cases, but could not say who dis
bursed The money or who supplied it, |
had two converse ions with Gen. Hawley,
relative to the recognition of the Packard
COVE pment by ihe 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 abandonment of Pack
ard was foregone conclusion, and that this
question had been determined by the ad-
ministration before the commission left
Washington.
After the conclusion of Weber's state
ment, Mr.. Cox placed document before
him, which he had written to a cousin in st.
Louis two weeks after the murder of his
brother, in which he denounced it as a
dastardly political outr ge, perpetrated by
agents of the Nichols government. Mr.
Weber objected to the letter being consid-
cred, on the ground that it would place him
in false position before his neighbors in
Louisiana. He finally swore, in reply to
Gen. Cox. that this letter about the murder
of his brother was wholly false; that the
statements about the wife and ch ldren of
his murdered brother were false, and all
written for political effect, to help Packard
at the North.
On cross-examination in regard to his
knowledge of Sherman's handwri ing wit
ness said Il saw Secretary Sherman write
in he New Orleans Gus om-house once or
twice, and have seen his autograph in an
a har dos rnd tn q
ten sta ement upon this point, which he said
he had prepared four or five days ago, an
ticipating that this subject would be in
quired into by the committee. He was not
allowed to read it, however, and he went on
to say: " remember seeing Mr.. Sherman
write in the Custom-house, either on the 10Th
or 10th of November. Garfield, Hale,
S oughton, Sherman and Others were
sitting in different groups at tables
in the Collectors rooms in the Custom
house. I was right in with them. I
was going. in and out all the time. 1
went and talked with Secretary Sherman,
and 1 read the writing he was making. Ali
the Republican witnesses were taken in
there to them, and it was in there tn y had
all s,eir conferences and talked together.
While | was there, saw Mr.. Sherman write
very distinc ly. 1 looked at him a minute
or two. On that occasion he told me to go
and get my brother, D. A. Weber, and James
E. Anderson. The statement contained in
my written answer, that have seen Secre-
tary Sherman write, and knew his hand
writing, is based on the occurrences that
have related"
Without concluding the examination of
the witness, the committee ad 10 rned.
Emil L Weber was on the 81 and again on
July 8. The most prominent point brought
out was decription of the celebrated Sher-
man letter. 1t was written on note paper,
oil IF fbo oft ~
third page, skipping the second. Another
| important point was that Morris Marks,
| whom Sherman recently appointed Collector
| of Internal Revenue at New Orleans, called
| ON Mrs. Weber and endeavored to induce
| her to write a statement to the effect that
| the Sherman letter was never in existence,
and promised her if she did so that she
should be appointed Postmistress of Don
aldsonyille.
l. Another striking piece of testimony was
upon Weber's arrival he was waited up n
by clerk in the Treasury Department who
said that Secretary Sherman was well dis
posed coward him Weber, and would like
| to have private interview with him. This
he refused.
| 1t was brought out, too, that Captain
jerks, the husband of the female, tried to
get Weber. to tell him how he was going to
testify, adding: g. If we testify all right we
will get easy positions in the Custom-house
| aJ new Srl6anB.
Mr. Springer questioned Weber with
reference to the recent confession of Eliza
| Pinkston. Weber said he had read the con
| fes>ion in the New York Heroid, and thai
he believed every word of it was true; thai
he believed that the Eliza Pinkston out
rage was put up Job.
With reference to the fraud in the
two Felciana Parishes, he said the re
turns from them were opened on the Gath
1t was common talk, and the rumor OF
the streets of New Orleans two or thret
days after the election, that we (the Re
publicans) had been beaten. Kellogg
Packard and General Anderson requested
me to use my influence with my brother
to see that he made protest. They
said he would be provided for, and that
would be returned as elected to the Senate
Anderson said that l would be all right i
my brother protested against the vote o
the parish being returned. I was defeate,
by 200 majority, but the Returning Boar,
; reversed the majority against me and re
turned me elected by 700 majority. Tn
! Republicans agreed before the election tina
they would not make a canvass in East an,
West Feiciana; that they were goin
. Democratic, and that the parishes were t.
be thrown out. Packard told me that if b
, did mot receive a single vote in eithe
, parish he would be elected Governor; tina
the parishes were to be thrown out, as
!
: majorities. The Committee adjourned til
; Wednesday, the 10th.
Before the New Orleans branch of tn
, Investigating Committee on July 3, WI.
, Simpson testified: Was formerly Privat
Secretary to Colonel Casey, afterward fo
i seven years Cashier of Customs. Witnes
y y was relieved from duty by Collector Kin,
= = Shortly afterward he met friend who ha
u also been dismissed from service in tn
i Custom-house. This friend, whose nam
. witness positively refused to divulge, tol
:. witness that be was present in G,vernt
> Kellogs's Office and saw member of tt
. Returning Board receive $4,000 befol
d, ing Board. he member refused
= sign until the money was pai
= This member and witnesses friend and i
= formant are now employed in Ihe Custor
! house. Witness wrote a long confdepti
q letter to President Hayes, complaining
y the bad treatment received in being di
= missed from his position in the Custo1
~ house, and also making the statement
~ above in regard to the bribery of memb
= of the Returning Board. The President l
y ferred witnesses letter to Secretary Sherma
- who referred it to Acting Collect Andt
;. son for investigation but nothing furth
,e ,e was heard of it until published in the new
~ papers few weeks ago.
y The Potter subcommittee met at elevt
~ IL the Circuit Court and United States Co
o. o. missioner, testified: He thinks me
Is 10 of the affidavits before the Returning Boa
u, y, were attested by him. He superintend
- - their preparations as Supervisor of Ell,
Il Il tions. His office is the repository for the
q papers. The original affidavits were b.
:" % rowed from him from time to time by RepI
" VI ican counsel. Some of them had not be
% p' returned. He brought here all protes
- - atfidavits, ETC., made before him; also, sol
=; ssJ he discovered among them few days a.
~ a which he thinks should have been on file
vi the Secretary of States Office. The pap,
as as were delivered to the committee and
ar ar cluded the original protest of ID. A. Web
ea with interlneations, which witness thoug
Mas M were evidently made after the origil
as as draft, being in a different ink and hal
of writing.
W =. The Committee at half-past one W,
a. into executive session. Adjourned till :
ou on urday.
of. News from Gen. Bradley's Expedite