The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1878-07-03
THE COMMITTEE.
xwuEwE HAVE THE PROTESTS OF
pArRARD AND KELLOGG GONE.
.restTmony Of the secretary of state
stronr. Judge Lyons and MCVea.

Not oil the members being present. W. A.
strong. the Secretary of State. In response to q
aubnoena duces tecum. appeared,
Tahn Devoushire, clerk OF the United States
J1istrict Court. was the first witness sworn. Mr.
gtenper call ID for the electoral certificates and
witness presented three sets OF returns. he
said Here they are. and have never been OPEN
ed. They are addressed to Hon. i. O. Billings,
and sealed with red wax with the seal crescent
City Bank. N. o.. on the first.
Mr.. stepger took this. which was the original
triplicate OF the Kellogg returns. containing
the certificate OF the Governor to the appoint
ment OF the Hayes electors, the vote OF the cleo
tors. which showed they had ballotted for both
President and Vice President at one ballot. and
were the ones carried to Washington by Ger.
Anderson The chairman read the indorse-
ment upon the envelope. and described the seals.
and handed tit Mr.. Deyonshire, who slit the
envelope open.
The second envelope was handed to Mr.. De-
1onshire and whilst the chairman described
its Endorsement by the Tilden electors and Its
seal having the numbers seventy-six in the
seal. the third and the curing envelope was
then opened. This contained the second tripli-
cate returns carried to Washington by Charley
Hill. and -.
and which we're counted by the Electoral Com
mission.
Mr.. Stenger compared, with q smile on his
face, the signatures on the last document and
those Of the first. The last are those on which
the alleged forgeries are said to have been
made and from Mr. Stenger's countenance 1t
would seem they were patent to the eye.
After all three envelopes had been opened by
the witness. he stated:
was present when the first and second sets
were filed. The first set was filed by Conquest
Clarke It was hpnded to Judge Billings in
chambers The second set was handed in by
the third set These payers have remained in
safe in the Judges, office, Of which have the
keys i took them from the safe and brought
them to the committee.
Mr.. Blackburn-Were you present when a
person made an application to Judge Billings
TO WITHDRAW THAT SET
OF returns [pointing to the first sstl
Witness-I was present when an application
was made to withdraw them. It was in the
Judges chambers. l can't remember who made
the application. there were so many in the
Judges office In the morning. 1t was about a
week after the filing Of the third set,
There is nothing to how when the papers
were filed, but l can tell The time. ] can't say
how long after the electoral college met The
third set was brought in the office some time
after the other two sets were hled-fuliy two
weeks. ,
Judge Billings refused to grant the aDplica-
tion, stating that
THEY WE'RE ON FILE,
and could not be Withdrawn.
Mr.. Reed raised the question that the papers
ought not to be tHkan from the custody of the
clerk, and Mr.. St niger rul ID that the committee
had right I, the Possession Of ~ he papers and
receipt being given r them.
Mr.. B-Did Judge Billings ever tell you who
had asked to w thdraw these returns
MIR. D.-J udge Billings never told me who 1t
was that came and made the application for the
first set of returns and never asked h m. nor
Anavn hnkl lHHf m En
w. A. Strong then took the stand and pre-
scented q numbar Of documents. He stated: /
Louisiana. In response to the order Of the
committee | have made search through my
whole office.
ot the protests Of W P. Kellogg or his counsel,
and nothing of the protests of s. B, Packard or
of his counsel / find some protests for other
parishes on the part Of other persons. / think
my office is the place to deposit the records OF
These protests have we're found there. but
Kelloggs and Packard's were not.
Witness then examined sngly the aff1davits,
protests, interroRatories and answers found
relative to the election OF 1876. These we're the
Returning Board d gumen,s. which were exam
were here. Thei wets protests and afhdavits
from the parishes of oQachita, Rtchlandi Web
East Baton Rou ge, East Feicnna, Plaquemines,
st. Tammany. st. Charles, Madison, Carroll,
Blenville, aud from the second, eleventh and
most OF the copies re attested by +, A: Wool
fey, Uni ed States Commissioners, md that the
dates Of 1876 had been scratched ont with pen
and 1877 substituted, Amongst others was the
noted protest Of James Il. Anderson, OF East
Feliciana. which WAS sworn to- before Hugh J.
Court here Attached to Anderson's protest was
a corroborating aff avt signed by Thos. ID.
jerks and sWo n to before
HUGH j. CAMPBELL;
also with three others appended by G. T. Nor
HnpghnFrV and ,Il1n Brook.
10 Mr Blackbuin-The above are all the
statements ON fle in my office. have destg-
mated which were original and which were
copies. j found them in the office when took
possession on the twenty-seventh OF May. 1877.
turning Board. or part OF them some are
gone. The Secretary of States office is the
place Of deposit for the archives of the state.
made a very thorough examination and search
for the protess When | took possession OF
all documents relating to the electi ions together
and 1t was this lot that searched. know
some Of these papers as having been before the
fore that body. entered ON the duties of my
ONCE on the eighth II January, and got posses.
sion In May, about the n neteenth.
got possession from N. b. Trist. who received
the Office from E. honore. who was the Secre-
targ Of state under the r. Packard government
came into my possession only after the abdIca
ton OF the Packard government There are on
ME In my OHlC6 now
NO PROTESTS
or statements besides those l have brought
here. There are PARISHES in which votes were
thrown out which do not appear in the papers
have brought here. l have not found any
protest signed by either S b. Packard or his
attorney, J. T. Harris. There Is no protest on
file Of Packard or Harris against the parishes
of Morehousa, Richland and others.
MIR. Blackburu-Yuu made some remark
about the jurat on one paper. What was ii?
Mr.. S.-Iu the protest of the third ward the
iurat was signed by PHrick Creagh. on Novem-
ber is, 1876 1t is my opinion that his office had
ceased to exist then. 1t was a week alter the
election. and he signs it as assistant supervisor
of election.
To Mr. Reed-I do not know that that poll was
thrown out. heard that lhe Hpers lost. or the
protests of Packard and Kellogg.
WERE BURNED
through Mr. r. l.. Smith, of the DEMOCRAT. /
cannot point out the provision Of law making
me the depositary of Returning Board docu
mentS.
Mr. Stenger stated that he had caused sub
puna TO be issued to +. A. Wolfley, requesting
him to appear with certain documents. He
handed the clerk letter. which was read, The
lAttar rna that ha fMr WOOfleV( could not