The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-12

mittee were not sworn, and there was no one
authorized to administer the oath.
Here Mr.. Cox spoke rather sharply to the
Witness and he retorted:
81 WILL NOT ALLOW YOU
to bulldoze and browbeat me, Mr. Cox. / will
tell the truth now; you needn't try TO brow
beat me-"
Witness showed great excitement, and 1t
looked like fight between himself and Mr..
Cox, but it passed over.
|, when testified that volley Of shot was
fired on my premises, was under the lmpfes,
sion that such was the case. nave found
out since / was mistaken. [ have mace false
statements to influence votes, Nineteen
| twentieths of the reports in circulation about
outrages were false. / have ascertalned since
that the parties that came to my mouse ga
not intend to kill me, I will furnish the
names hereafter. will not answer any ques-
ton that is put to me in an insulting way.
To Mr.. Cox-And / will tell you here now,
Mr. Cox, il you don't treat me right, will
make you do it. ] want to be treated IKE e
gentleman. Sensation.l l am glad OF the
opportunity to tell the world that my testi-
mony before the Boutwell, committee was col
ored by political bias, and part OF 1t was
| false The outrages in FeliGlana were all I'M
aginary. found
THE SHERMAN LETTER
In shoe box filled with papers OF d. A.
Weber 1t was in the house OF myTather-in-
| law NV brothers papers were taken from
| Bayou Sara to DOnaldsonyille. The ware
house is back of his store, where the box was
opened. There was no one there when
| found the letter. tore it up in small pieces
| and threw It Uv5r The lleeree ! destroyed 1t
Immediately. 1t was few days after MI RS.
jerks had paid visit up there. 1t was after
| testified before the committee at jackson !;
that was in 1876.
we found out from her that she was anxious
to get this letter, and knowing that it was in
| existence | went over to the warehouse to
hunt for it to destroy it. / did it for the pur-
pose of shutting up the matter; didn't want
1t to appear that my brother had filed pro-
test without right. | didn't want to show my
brothers villainy. There was no villainy on
his part.
IF vILLAINY THERE is,
it is on the part of John Sherman and the
visiting statesmen. There's where the vii
lainy Is. lApplause.I
no ground for a protest In East Feliciana. l
did not want to expo my brothers wrongs.
| believe the American people will justify my
acts In making statement before the COM
letter relative to my testifying. | was writ
ten from Washington by Mr.. William e.
Chandler. / will bring the original and a
copy of my answer. | correspOnded with b.
E. Anderson about it, I saw Mr.. Sypher, a
| LAWYER in Philadelphia. Mr.. Anderson took
me to see him, but [ have not had any con-
versation about my testimony with him. !
always told Anderson, Ia Washington, would
not tell anybody what would say: No man
can truthfully say ! ever told him what
was going to testify to- l am Republican
now, but | propose to
EXPOSE THE FRAUDS
some of our friends committed. determined
to expose the frauds after the election | then
knew that Packard and the Republicans were
defeated and that Tilden was elected. SO faI
as my personal observation goes know that
When | was called for by the committee il
then made up my mind to speak the truth
THE WHOLE TRUTH,
and nothing but the truth. The reason de
termined to tell the truth was to show the
treachery, the villainy and fraud OF the Re
publican party.
There was an Indictment against me.
want to say to you now that you Republicans
want to be kept In power that's what yoU
want. The Indictment against me was fol
bribing a negro TO vote for candidate fol
parish treasurer. 1t Is still pending, and IL
in the court of West Fellciana. The trial was
at one time pressed, and the bond forfeited
| filed at that time an affidavit that my life
was in danger. | made that affidavit at the
instance of the district attorney. I made 1t tt
get the forfeiture of my bonds set aside
was never offered any money for the tes
timony | am now giving. So far as the Dem
; ocrats are concerned no one has approached
me one way or the other. When left here
; on my way to Washington Mr.. j. Z. Harris
: asked me IL I had received my appointment
bv Gen. Anderson. He said Gen. Anderson
! wanted me to go to Washington to cOntradic
the statements of Jas. E. Anderson. / GannO
say that Mr.. Harris did attempt to influence
me- but think Anderson wanted me to visi
him 50 as
TO INFLUENCE ME.
In Washington was met in the Capitol BY
a gentleman named Hustled He used to live
in Baton Rouge. He appeared very friendly
and we went down and got two glasses o
beer. The next day Mr.. Hustled called at my
: boarding house two or three times to see me
I was out was down at the Riggs House
ing all day for me. Hustled then said tina
he had had an interview with MIR. Sherman
Mr.. Sherman, be said, felt very kindly dis
posed towards myself and my brothers fam
| lily. He said he had a desk near Mr.. Sher
man.
l did not answer any Of his questions.
: considered his visits to me as approaches.
met Mr.. Tom jerks after, and he stated II
me, after we had taken one or two glasses o
beer, in confidential manner, well, nov
, Weber, if you go on our side and testify II
favor of John Sherman, we will have gOOt
position in the Custom-House and get a soft
thing" took that as an approach to intlu
I ence my testimony. There was another gen
IN CONFIDENCE
} approached me, but would like to be excused
from answering. The gentleman is now il
West Virginia. / decline to answer and Civ
; his name. I will state he was Republican
and acting for the Republicans.
On my way to Washington another gentle gen k
man told me to lay over one day, so that b
could hold consultation with me-
l I don't know how the Democrats knew
what would testify to; not to an earthl.
soul did tell it,
The first person told about the Sherman
letter after I had destroyed it, think, wa
Samuel Fl. st. Martin. / told another gentle
man, Col. George W. Carter, an old friend O
mine, about
DESTROYING THE SHERMAN LETTER
before testified. When Mrs. jerks went Of
to trade for that letter, in the early part Q
the year, told Mr.. Morris in New Orlean
/ (Mr. Robert Morris) about the letter. can
tell which I told first
) Mr. Morris said to me: 'Why don't yo1
t take that letter to John Sherman; you cal
get $4,000 for it." / laughed, because I knew