The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1878-06-18
.l7s9htNew York Herald) ,llaials
The Electoral Frauds.

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Another Surprise In the Potter
Committee. 'ai1'ai n
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LElBSGE'S S1ORT 0Fa BRIBERY |
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A Forged Signature to the Electo-
raj Certificate of Louisiana.
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WAsH1NaroN, June 6 The sessions
Of the Potter Committee are as full Of
surprises AN Scnsue,s,as.a-ss-s. nj, IN .aal
Yesterday Anderson ainszed not only
the lockers on, but the Democratic mem.
hers OF the committee by suddenly de-
claring one OF his own documents foiged.
To day Levissee, one OF the Republican
electors, called in belief that he would
clear up some matters about which, as
your correspondent has before reported,
there have been rumors here, startled the
committee. or at least good many of
them, by swearing that his signature to
some of the electoral certificates is for.
gerry. { 9Ay e
8 M THE BRIBERY STORY. :.
There has been current here for some
time q story, that Levissee was at a criti-,
cal period disposed, for consideration,
to absent himself from the. Electoral
College, and it has been said that Mr..
Kellogg, who kept a sharp eye upon his
men, was greatly alarmed at this pros.
pect, and on December 8 telegraphed to
Senators Morton and Sherman his fears,
and on the following day telegraphed,
again more urgently as follows: :fc,aa,I,,
r New ORLEAN., Dec. 4, 1876. Z
To Senators Morton and Sherman, Washing-
Give me your advice on subject mat
ter of dispatch OF yesterday Very ur-
gent W, z KELLOGG. >,
To which the reply was sent that il the
electors met and any elector vas absent
the others coull gil the vacancy. hs1sf
Levissee to-day testified that he was
| in fact approached by what turned out to
be the agent Of some gambling specula
tors with an offer OF money to absent
himself; that, never intending to do
what they Wished, he drew them -op, to
see what they would offer;. that on the
succeeding day the agent told him il
would not be enough to absent himself,
bat he must cast his vote for Tilden, on
which, having gone as far as be intended
with them and discovered the principal
| in the attempt to bribe him to be one 10
seph Hernandez, he says he dropped the
whole matter. In all this Levissee testi-
6ed as q Republican He swore that he
never intended to accept bribe; that he
attended the meeting Of the electoral
College; that be cast his vote for Hayes
and Wheeler; that he signed the tripli-
cate certificates and The record OF the
proceedings, and that in fact everything,
so far as bis acts were concerned, was
entirely regular. 80
| 2. 81 THE SURPRISE iiaiTat.
| Now came the surprise. The certif
Gates had been brought in at the request
OF the committee. In place Of three
there proved to have been six, double
set, and from what appeared this after
1 noon, and what has been before known
lit would seem that the first set we're ID
some way informal snd irregular. The
Iirregularity, so far as shown, is in tht
Endorsement on the envelope in whict
lthey were sent, and it is supposed tha
/ when the notorious Tom Anderson, o.
the Returning Board, who was the wor
1 thy messenger intrusted with the vote o
Louisiana, got here, the Vice Pfesiden
Tor some expert discovered this informal
'Iity, whereupon Anderson was sent pos
j haste back to New Otleans TO have new
set prepared. The envelope which helt
1.-THE first set is postmarked December Q
that which contains the second bear
date December 29, one copy of the Ger
! ! tifcate having, under the Law, to be sen
by mall o ~ 1s.o4 Ea.A5 - is,''i.
FORGERY OF LEvIsEE's NAME,
| Levissee was asked to say that bis sig
natures to these certificates we're genuine
II so happened that tho frs, paper b
took up contained what he at once an,
confidently declared to be forgery Q
, bis name. This was surprise, but b
went on to smother, which also be, ,declar
ed a forgery. Then he came 10 tw,
which contained bis genuine signature
| 'Ehe forgeries be declared to be rathe
clumsy limitations Of his signatule,thoug
, to an unfamiliar eve they are pretty goo
, limitations. 1t was shown later, by hi
testimony, that he was not in New Oh
. leans after certain day and could no
have signed the second set; and it ap
pears to be fact that when Andersol
returned post haste to New Orleans t
have new certificates prepared in place 9
. the first, Leyissee not being at han
/ some one was employed to sign his nam
h for him. In short the rest of the Return
ing Board united in a forgery
. OF course there is nothing in all thi
Ito affect the Presidential title, though
lie little startling to remember that thes
4 forged certificates were formally 0pene
and laid before both houses, s,were referre
in the most solemn manner to the Ele,
!. toral Commission, and were by thei
viewed and accepted as authentic ev
dence that the Republican candidate
were entitled to the vote of Louisian
III the forgery Of Levisee's name had
: that time been discovered Of course I'll
= certificates would have been rejected
49,, LOUISIANA REPUBLICANS. e -
: But what is important in this and
IT the previous revelations, and what II
country ought to regard as the m >st in
d portant result of this investigation, is tt
+ evidence it affords Of the character {
>. the men who called themselves Republ
n cans in Louisiana, who were for yea
forced upon that State by the Rspnbl
d lcan Congress and tue army, who maniI
e ulated its politics and robbed its citizer
e and were oil the while held up as sain
and martyrs by the Northern Republics
orators The Republicans themselv'
= now denounce Anderson as braze
q psrjnrer and graceless wretch, and SO |
v is But, such as he is, be was the OF
and only witness on whose testimor
they demanded that East Felciana Pa