The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-04
THE COMMITTEE.
VOW PACKARD PROTESTED IN A
GENERAL WAY FOR DELAY.

,r.,, rbOusnnd Dollars in Cash to Menu
t,ey of the Returning Board Paid for
mis- signature.
A. 1o.ao the members of the sub committee
rook their seats In Parlor and opened the
fourth days session.
Mr. stepger asked the sergeant alarms
whether Mr.. r. A. Woolfey was present. and
was informed he was not.
The chairman then sent the sergeant at
arms after Mr.. Woolfey and recess was taken
until 10 o'clock. on motion Of Mr.. Blackburn.
AFTER THE RECESS
James P. Harris was the first witness called to
the stand. He said:
In the matter OF the protests in the election Of
1876 [ acted as attorney for Mr.. Packard and as
his friend was in the cout try when the Re-
turning Board opened, and Mr.. Packard re-
uuested me to act for him Ia the preparation of
evidence in the matter.
prepared paper the exact terms of which
/ don't remember. 1t was paper suggesting
TO the Returning Board to grant time to pre-
pare evidence.
The paper did suggest that there was vio-
lence in the parishes. | think the term sug-
gested." as a lawyer. is the correct one. l do
not remember how many parishes were en-
braced in the suggestive document.
1t was by the authority of Mr.. Packard that
the charges were made of violence, fraud, etc..
In the parishes. It was signed by me as OF
counsel It is my opinion that 1t was both from
personal observation and information that this
was suggested. / don't remember the terms OF
Che paper. l can't state the name Of any of the
parishes that was In the paper. / don't know
where that paper is now. I never attended a
meeting OF the Returning Board, neither in the
nav I fhintY tnIf
was mentioned in the contemporary papers. I
don't know what the law is regarding the de-
posting of such documents. I know of no
other depositary of such papers
THAN THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
/ have no knowledge connecting that paper
with any action Of the Returning Board. / do
not know that the vote of any parishes was
thrown out that was not mentioned In any
protests 0thsr than those named in the paper of
Mr.. Packard.
Mr.. Blackburn then read from the minutes or
the Returning Board and asked If that did not
refresh the memory of witness.
He read where the minutes spoke OF the par
ishes Of Livingston Grant, Union, Franklin,
Vernon and Sabine as coming under the gen.
eral protest, and asked:
Now, here 1t Is called protest; is not that,
then, the correct term ?"
Mr. HI am not responsible for the use of the
term protest" see by the names of parishes
that 1t may refer to the paper filed. The par
ishes named in the protest, or certain polls,
my information don't know the processes of
the Reiur ming Board in their business
ar. B.-No; none but the good Lord doesl
MIR. HI asked Mr.. Packard what kidd Of
paper he wanted, aud he told me, but am not
certain that he ever saw 1t. It was a paper pro-
testing against the vote of these parishes being
r0nnfAd H.
names Of certain parishes and the time /
don't remember whore was when i received
took memoranda or not. It Is probable he gaye
ard limited his authority to me In making out
the protests. If l had put
IN ALL FIFTY SEVEN PARISHES,
he would have been satisfied if 1t did not pre-
JUDGE his interest. l did not hold any position
then. but now | am gauger In the Custom
1871 This was lot the OILY protest before the
Returning Board; think prepared protest
f9r the parish OF s MaTh and the
ing it, may have assist ed in preparing the
protest OF Weber. Weber left his protest with
proper. Itfok 1t to the Returning Board my
self. He left il discretionary with me as to
whether 4 should be fled or not. He said at
the time that he was going to leave the matter
with me; that If Tilden and Nichols were go.
ing to be elected, his property being in Felici-
ana. he could not live there, but If thought
sAAS SN-ASS SAN'S
WAS GOING IN
why could use IT, had been counsel for his
brother years before and performed a great
many friendly offices for E. L. Weber, and he
parish of West Feiciana was with Mr.. Packard.
about five or six weeks before the election. He
left 1t to my discretion to file or not
My recollection is that l assisted Mr.. Weber in
the preparation Of his papers Those three
protests. st. Martins. Webers and Paekards. |
are the only ones / remember Of having as,
sisted in the preparation Of had the general
supervision Of ever ythinR that was to go before
the Returning Board. / did not participate in
which was not to throw out votes; that is,
mean they were intended to show that the
election at the polls named was not held accord
ceiyed. ''"' anu 'i'' ''''' '0SD' -0' - 10 10
had
NO PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE
of anything on cleo ion day in the parishes of
Livingston. Grant. Union. Franklin. Vernon
and Sabine.
those parishes when signed that protest that
would warrant The rejection OF q vote: relied
entirely in the preparation of Mr.. Packards
protest on the Information given me by him.
The clerks employed In preparing these pro-
tests were J. N Hajins. man by the name Of |
Sheridan. Mr. Bromberg, formerly deputy
marshal. and Mr.. McCardle. / may not have
stated his name properly. think Bromberg
was the only one in government employ at that
time.
The work was done In the Custom House, In |
the United States District Court room. They
were engaged there several weeks. | don't
know the names Of any soldiers there, These
afadayits had accumulated for several weeks.
and when Mr.. Sherman and the other visiting
statesmen were here. they wanted copies. There
was regiment quartered up stairs in the Gus
6om-House. and as 1t required very large force.
THE SOLDIERS WORKED
day and night doing it. / think they were vol
unteers. don't know that they were released
from military duty at that time, think there
were twenty soldiers there. They were in sew
eral rooms in he building.
To Mr. Reed-This protest was a paper set
ting forth what Mr.. Packard wanted to prove
before the Retaining Board. It was not paper
that Gov. Packard or l made as on our personal
knowledge. My, duties were more clerical than
otherwise. / only put in legal shape what was
given me- I don't remember under what sec
ton 81 the law it was that based Mr. Packards
protest upon. Mr.. Weber never made any
question about what was stated in his protest
being facts. The impression he conveyed was
that he gave me the paper to file or not simply
as q
MATTER OF SAFETY.
He didn't think he could live there II Tilden
and Nichols were elected.
Mr.. Stenger-Was Packard's protest sworn