Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-06-07


ton between himself and Asher regarding
| the transaction.
In reply he stated that after some prelim-
| mary remarks Asher asked him if he would
I be willing to accept round sum, say thirty
or forty Thousand dollars and refuse to ac-
cept his certificate OF election as elector. Lee
visse said he did resign on the advice OF his
| friends whom he had consulted, including
Beckwith, Judge Campbell and John Ray.
| He resigned because he thought he was IN
| eligible, as he at that time filed Federal
office. He was not advised. nor did he I'M
dersL"-d he would be elected to fill his own
vacancy, out thought it possible such would
be the case. As -
i THE OFFER OF THIRl. Of FORTY THOUSAND
DOLLARS,
\ 1t vas not often man had the cha bv his
| sirrtae vote to make President Of "a
| United States, and his service therefore ought
| to be worth a larger SUN. Asher SAID II was
| not enough. The conclusion OF the CONVEX
sation was this. He said to Asher: Tel your
man, who has the money, he has not got up
to the price yet. a..
of the other matters.
4 The Wituess-It Is difficult to recall whole
conservation OF that kind after so long tune.
\ IF you can suggest any point, VIII zen YOU
| 7-,arv t,S,ickly. There was the beginning ana
| tfe end: there was nothing else to talk about
| fiat rac>ember now, no other circumstances
| I,yF mat one, and the conversation lasted
mossably thirty minutes in all. IT you can
| rcesst to me any point about Wnlcn you
vish to inaulrefi tba WI anssn5 spu
Mr. N"Mahon-I was not there, ana am
| tr, 7ino TO End out what was said from gen.
| tie man who was there. r,,.l
WTtness--Yes, was there laughterI and
| I heard it, ant, will very freely tell you an
can recall; but alter SO long Illlie.nJaan
| a yea and half 60 cdnno'
| everything. tlo
| Mr.. I'd Mahon- But you te 'tineo oeiote 'lio
| senate committee afterward? &C.,. -
| Witness-I never read my test. u'"' ~"
| once since.
Mr.. M'MahoD-But it must have been. III
pressed on your mind?
| Wltness-It was impressed on my mind,
| and is yet-the substance of it.
| Mr.. NJ Mahon-GNe US some of the i'm
pressions of your mind now?
] Witness-I declare that have given you
all that can recall; this was the PROPOSE
| ton, and | said to him that that was too
trifling consideration for so big a thing.
| We kept walking along and he made some
| reply that | can't say what now. Perhaps
| he said he thought greater amount could be
raised. My intention was, when ] said two
| hundred thousand dollars, to put the figure
clearly out of his reach, so that | could have
good ground to talk with him, and battle him
| without coming to an agreement; l did not
| want him to say here is your two hundred
thousand dollars, | am ready to pay the
amount that you suggest; then l would have
| been in a corner myself.
| Ouestion-Whyp Answer-Because would
have indicated to him that | was willing to
| take two hundred thousand dollars.
Ques.-But why would you be in a corner?
Ans.-Because l would have accepted his
proposition, although in a qualified sense.
Mir. NJ Mahon-l understand you to say
that you put 1t at two hundred thousand dol
lars, so as to get the amount of his reach?
Witness-That is precisely what | did; l
did not want him to be able to say that he
was ready to pay the amount indicated, for
then what reason would have for saying to
him l would not take it, after indicating that
intended to do so? | simply wanted to
leave the impression on his mind that L
would take that sum.
Ques-I understand you to say that he
opened right away with the proposition that
you were not to accept your certificate IN con,
sideration of forty OF fifty thousand dollars?
Ans.-Yes.
Ques.-Did you make up your mind right
away, soon as he made that al, Pro Is@T r.
that which he might accept? Ans.-Yes.
Qaes.-And you say that you put the price
up right away for fear that he might accept
it? Ans.-I never intended to accept any
price.
Ques.-What apprehension had you that
anything might go wrong? Suppose that
you had said that you would take forty thou
sand dollars, what apprehension had you
that you could not get out of that by say
ing that you did not want his money but
that you only wanted to know whether he
was In earnest? Could you not have made
that point on forty thousand as well as two
hundred thousand dollars? Ans.-That is
different thing.
Ques-Howi is 1t a different thingP Ans.-If
made a proposition, and if he accepted it,
would have felt bound to stand 10y it, even
though it was O dishOnorable matter.
Ques.-So, if he had accepted that two
hundred thousand offer, you would have
stood by it?
Ans-I do not say; but l simply thought
it better way to put the price so high that
| was satisfied he would not get it.
Ques.-Ihen one of the reasons which OPP
Grated upon your mind In refusing to accept
his offer OF forty thousand dollars was that
you would have felt bound as an honorable
man to stick to the agreement, therefore you
put it up to two hundred thousand dollars
because you knew that he could not pay that
amount?
Ans.-Yes, was satisfied that he could
not; that was the smallest figure that l men
toned.
Ques.-Drd you mention higher figure
than two hundred thousand? Ans.-I do
not think so; | do not recollect; may have
put it at two or three hundred thousand.
Ques.-You thought that the barrels of
money were laying around loose? Ans.-I
1 SuppOoCu 81.
Ques-Anybody who was an elector was
cutting large figure in United States poll
tics at that time, because the election OF Mr..
Hayes depended upon his getting every vote,
and you put the figure very Larger. Ans
| Yes, certainly.
Ques.-You said that such chances did not
come around very often? Ans.-I said men
do not have such chances more than once in
/ lifetime.
Ques.-Or more than once IN a thousand
years? Aps.-Yes.
Ques.-You put the price so high that you
knew he could not offer it and thus you Sc
, cured your own virtue? Ans.-I had secured
my own virtue aside from that.
Ques.-ls that the plain, honest truth, that
you wanted to secure your own virtue?
Ans am not telling anything but the sim
pie, honest truth.
Ques.-Was that the plain, honest truth,
that you thought there was big thing lying
around, and that if he would give you the
two hundred thousand dollars you would take
it? Ans.-Yes, sir. Correcting himself)
No, sir. | beg your pardon; | did not say
} that. | want to make general statement
} right here which covers the whole case, and
It is not worth while for you to try to
lead me off the track, one way or
another. Here is the fact: l had an in
timation twenty-four hours In advance that
something wrong was going on, and this put
| me my guard. l informed PItkln, Of
Louisiana, and did this
| TO GUARD MY POLITICAL VIRTUE.
1t may, gentlemen, seem strange that such
things should exist in Louisiana. Laughter.
Levisse further said that in his conversation
with Asher he guessed what was coming be-
fore it was mentioned, aud therefore was
prepared to meet him. He listened to Asher,
instead of bluffing him or calling the police,
| and listened in such a way as to give an OPP
portunity to Asher to develop his scheme.
| talked as though was ready to receive
Ques-That you were ready to receive two
hundred Thousand dollars? Ans.-That is
the only figure | ever mentioned. / never
told him that | would take two hundred
, thousand dollars.
Ques.-Two hundred thousand dollars was
| the lowest figure that you ever named?