National Republican., 1878-06-11
IMPEAciQlNFI..
ICbnlsssed lroA fYra esoe.l j

shsvn that 100 ncpubliosn voSsS wen surs1p.
tittonsly countsd, aud IN Alnchya that v19
Repuesfcan votes had been aeded 10 the poll-
| list after the election.
These facts had come TO his knowledge since
the canvass. -Witnass was told In January,
| 1871, by Howell, then deputy collector of in
ternal revenns and recently appoin ted collector
| at Fernandina, that no had got up the Driggers
return. throwing out Johnsviiie and Darby
vile precincts, and making Baker County Re-
publican instead Of Democratic. Howell was
candidate for State Senator In 1870. Witness
was also told In February last, by L. @. Dennis,
Of Aiachua County, that Black, inspector, and
Vance, clerk, OF Archer precinct No. Q, after
the election, brought returns up TO Gainesville
and there added to II 219 Republican votes.
Dennis told this TO witness in Washington,
and expressed desire to mako an exposure Of
what he knew of the frauds In tho Presiden-
| tial election.
Joseph Bowers, inspector ct Richardson,
Leon County. stated to witness about January
1877, that no would have TO leave the State
Tor having stuffed the ballot.box at Richardson,
Leon County, where the fraudulent tickets,
known rs little jokers," numbering seventy
four wrre fraudulently put In the box. Bow
ers said at the time they were going 10 fix him
and he had to leave tho State right away.
He oand.other parties mentioned: now hold Fed
| eral positions In or near Washington. Wit
ness was shown by Bowers one Of the little
joker tickets prior TO the election, and was
informed by Bowers that the use intended TO
be made OF them was to fold one in each
ticket of ordinary size, that the voter would
vote two instead Of one at q time. Witness
demonstrated against this, and thought at tho
nme nn,i that the plan had been given up. Ono
Bell, county judge Of JcfFcrsm County, dif.
| closed to witness, In Washington, last winter
the mander in which 100 Republican ballo. 8
| were substituted for 100 other ballots, at
tho precinct at which Bell served
as inspector at the Presidential election.
The inference which witness drew was that
| the substitution made q change Of 300 votes In
| the result. On examination by Mr.. Hiscock,
the witness testified that no direct offers of
money were made by either Mr.. Noyes or
| Stearns to influence his official action. On one
occasion Mr.. Manton Marble, after assuring
| witness OF his belief that tho State had fairly
given Its vote for Tilden and that fraud was
being resorted to by the Republicans to give
the State to Hayes, made an appeal to him
to do his duty. Witness replied that if he felt
that Mr.. Hayes was elected he would die In the
ditch before he would give up the State; to
which he alleged Marble said, "Thors Is no
danger, IL you do right, Of your dying In the
ditch or dying poor" Think Mr.. Marble had
subsequently made public denial Of having
approached witness. Witness testified that 1t
the time Of the canvass much excitement pre-
from anonymous sources, and ut one time was
In fear Of bodily hsrm, because when return
ing home one evening with two friends he was
apparently accompanied by n man on horse
back, unknown to him, though neither oil this
nor any other occasion was violence attempted
against him.
Afterward witness was cautioned by Mr..
Marble against u man reported to be on tho
way from New York, claiming to represent
Mr.. Tilden, and alleged to have money from
him for the purpose of influencing witness In
his official conduct.
Mr.. Marble cmphatically asserted that Mr..
Tilden knew nothing Of any such man, and
had nothing to do with such character, rs he
would countenance no such proceeding.
Witness did not at the time understand
from the representations made by NoySs,
Wallace, and the others that they suggested
to him anything that was immoral or wrong,
but that they were simply commenting him
for doing what was right, at tho same time
conveying the ASSURANCE that he would be
provided for. because Of the service lie was
| rendering.
Witness lad no knowledge at tho time of
, the canvass Of the frauds narrated by him in
his published affidavit, and his present knOwl-
edge of them was confined to tho representa-
tions made to him by the authors of them. In
some OF the instances they came from disap-
pointed Oilice.sockcrs, though BOwcs aud
for and were holding Office under the
Administration If called upon undcr
like circumstances in the absence of tho
decision Of the Supreme Court, with these
personal representations OF fraud he would not
docidc as he did in the board before, but would
vote to give the State to Tildcn. for he be-
lieved these representations to be truo from
his knowledge OF tho men. Witness further
testified that tho election machinery
Of the State In 1876 was in the
hands Of tho appOintees of Governor
Stearns, William Archer Cooke, who was
attorney general of Florida and one of the
three members OF the returning-boa in 1876,
testified that on two occasions ut the hour ap-
pointed for the meeting of tho board he at
tended at the Secretary Of States office, where
the board met. lie was obliged to
wait an hour before gaining admis-
| sion, and that when the door wus
unlocked from the inside General
Noyes and Governor Stearns passed out, and
inside he found Cowgirl aud McLin, tho other
members of the board.
McLin, being recalled, could not recollect the
occasion mentioned by Mr.. Cooke, the Secre-
tary Of State.
Bloxham testified to having mado n search
among the Baker County election papers on
| file in the Governors office, and that no dupli-
cate of tho Driggcrs return was found there
l.. II. Booth (colorcd), inspector at Richard
son Precinct Leon County, at the Presidential
election, testified that he saw none of the ''sev-
enty.iour" little,jOkcr tickets about the place
or voted that day, and first knew of them by
| seeing them in the ballot boxes in counting
| the votes with BoweS aud Dent, the other in
| spcctors. None of them live within ten miles
of the voting place.