The daily gazette., 1878-07-09
IOuisiana's Refruns.
PROGRESS OF Tp NEW ORLEANS INyEs-
TIGATIoN-THE TESTIMONY

PROGRESS of Tp NEW ORLEANS INyEs
TIGArIoN-THE TEsTIMoNY
OF YESTERDAY.
ne New Orleans correspondent OF tn,
New York Sun contributes the follow
ing :
~To-day F. A. WoolAey, Clerk Of the
Circuit Court and United States Com
missioner, testified before the sub-com.
mittee. lie appeared on the stand with
several bundles of affidavits and protests
originals and copies of large part OF
those alleged 10 have been used by the
Returning Board in 1876. The witness
admitted that these papers ought to be,
ne supposed, in the Office Of the Secre-
tary OF Sta'e, or in the possession of the
members OF the Returning Board. He
thought he got possession Of them from
the beard in January, 1877, or possibly
latter. he did not remember who
brought them 10 him, by wha, authority,
or when. He bad had general super
vision OF making the vrfioavits and pro-
tests. After they had been prepared
they were filed with the Returning
Board by the Republican counsel. Some
of the originals had been borrowed by
Republican counsel and never returned
He did not know which ones had been
borrowed, as he bad not kept copies OF
all the cases.
''Ihese papers have never been before
any committee till now. Some duplIca-
tes OF the documents now produced John
Sherman got and published in his re-
port. The witness opened the bundles
by request, and read the names of pro-
testers and aff1ants on each document, at
last coming the Weber protest against
West Feliciaua. This was handed to
the committee for close examination.
Witness was not aware of the existence
OF this document until three days ago.
Numerous inlerlueations were discov-
cred in it, aud Mr. Blackburn, handing
1t to the witness, asked him whether he
did not know tnat the inerlineations
were in another handwriting, different
INK, and made at different time, and
also whether part of the added matter
had not beon written over the writing
OF The original protest. This was the
fact but neither a complete acknow-
lcdgnent nor square deni, could be
elicIted from The witness. Mr.. Reed
objected to this question on various
grounds, chiefly because il coud not
further the objects OF the Investigation.
The objection was voted down, aud the
witness replied to the last part Of Mr..
Blackburn's question:, answering that
the fact was appare :.
"Many names of affiants were subse-
quently added to this protest. The origi-
nal document bears no date. The jurat is
dated November 10, 1876. The protest
is based on number of accompanying
aifidavits which were produced before
the committee. Several of these were da-
ted as late as November 20; others are
dated November l5; and affiants refer to
an affidavit made by one Vrisiniski, which
is dated November 20. Vrisinski subse-
quently swore that the affidavit, as it ap-
peared,was entirely different in substance
and meaning from the one he made, and
denounced it as a forgery. Another of
these appended affidavits, that of William
Jones, is dated November 21-six days
after the original protest ppears to have
been sworn to.
"The witness could not explain these
discrepancies. He remembered that
Vrisinsbi had published statement con-
cerning his affidavit. Vrisinsk, he said,
was present when he read his original
affidavit to him, but Vrisinski had after
wards denied and repudiated that atfida-
Wit. Witness added that some of these
atlantis to the Weber protest were in the
city when their atfidavits were made, and
that others were sent for. Some of the
affidavits were taken December 4. He be-
lieved the Returning Board promulgated
the vote on December 4 or 5. Inconclu-
sion, he testified that corps of Fifteen or
twenty clerks, who were engaged for
several weeks, assisted in the work on
these protests and affidavits, and that ten
or twenty soldiers took copies for John
Sherman.
'Ihe witness was then discharged, and
the committee went into executive session
to form some plan for the examination of
this mass of documents. Many of the
most important papers are missing, but
those produced to-day are considered of
extraordinary value, as they will be of
material assistance in obtaining testi-
mony.
SIN view of the appearance of the late
Eliza Pinkston's affidavit. exposing the
conspiracy before the Returning Board,
in which she and John Sherman were
the chief actors, certain Republican Off
cials, impelled, apparently, by an appre-
hensioa that Eliza will be Brought before
The Congressional Committee, have been
seeking to obtain from her contradiction
OF her late sworn statement. 1t has been
affirmed by leading Republicans here that
Eliza Pinkston has made complete de-
NAL OF her last affidavit. This affirma-
tion is based upon the statement of Hen
ry X. Smith, Postmaster at Canton, Miss,
who, in letter of June 23 to high
Federal official here, says that he had an
interview with the woman; that she con-
tradicts her recent statement and reaf-
firms her old story; and that the demos
Gratis promised her S3 day and mileage
to New Orleans ii she would contradict
her former testimony, and they got her
to sign paper which was not read to her.
One of the persons present when the affi-
davit was signeu told me to-day { nat it
was done in due form, and that TWO of
the witnesses were prominent ciLizens
and gentlemen of high reputation in
their State.