The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-06-07

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lertor oi thr Port-and o'hrrsl a man nqmcd
johnson called at his boarding house, manifest
ed eNtrcmg anxiety To s"" MN lslying llmt II
notn saving Tint he would call the next morn
ing. The ladies of the house had appeared
very an Nious 10 know the object Of the visit, for
johnson had been talking to them
Q-What had he snid TO tho ladies % tho
the housr2 All WIS. perhaps, his manner
me that he was mn IN excited and seemed cx-
ccssivey anxious to soc me, ana. among sOmo
0i me phrass anf "SE[s1bl2ils Tle1 o nn e nIS
words now after such length Of tme
ou Phg o. Of ms mo ES saG S vSad le
to 6S in his shoes, would make 5000
900 out Of it," That Is the way II
was reported 10 mo shortly after my return the
same evening. when the notc was handed to
mc. Ho said that IT would be too iate after to;
Docemher, and the electoral vote was to be cast
on the 9TH.
were TO be bribed-you or the ladies'? A.-The
ladies'. | was not looking for any bribc,
Q-The ladies therefore caught the idea from
Johnson's conversation with them A.-And
from his munner-irOm the whole thing.
Q.-And thoy were the first to got the impress
sion from tho interview and to convey 1t to your
Q.-Had YOU anything in your mind that his
business wis to work on you with money belorc
the ladies' conveyed II to you 10y their cpnNersa-
tion z Al cannot say TINT, because ! did not
know that lac wis there. ] did not know that
tnprN was any Sueh meeting, I went IN Nnl
they handed me this note Almost before had
read 1t. the Indies you know thoy ar very i'm.
pulsiVgl dashed right ~ To talk about It. aud
wanted to know what IL meant l pretended
not to know what II meant
Odd YOU know what 1t meantf Al did
not know what IL meant.
Q-Thcn why do you say that you pretended
moi 90 know ID ? A.-p"rhups | used THAT word
unaivisedly bat did not know what it meant
any moro than yOu would II yuu received such
anot" now. never had had any business with
Mr. Johnson.
wanted 10 soc you A..itrlaus ltwould " /
had had time to fleet but before had time
for "a moments T. lection tho ladies revealed
their idcn ON the subject.
O-Bcforc even you had an impression as 10
what Johnson wanted of you, they had con-
veyod t. you that he wanted to bribe ysd2 A.
Q.-And tho next day you saw him2 A.
Yes. say Jo nnsun thc next morning. He call
ed AT the house quite early. h,iore hHd Rot out
Of my room l.wrnt down To- tho pnr lr and saw
him. and ihon he asked m" ii would make an
appointment L. see Mr. Asher. He said nothing
about my seeing him. He dil al,uie To- ~"
notc nf tho evening before. ant wanted tp know
II | had got II. ! to.9 MIN had. and then he
iuus 60 see me. and he wanted To- know " | could
make an engagement with him some time that
Witness went on to rotate how he called on
Asher next morning. and how they walked to a
retired portion Of the town. r,,-,,
the river. II YOU have ever been in New Or
leans you will know that the business is all
lBaronue street being parallel with th" river.
When YOU get To the rear OF Baronns street the
qfety Il SieHPsd ny poST ,S peIPS ar CS,Ss a. A.,
not be noticed. and where wo would not meet
many persons.
A.-lerhaps seYcu Or eight or nine squares.
Q.-lou walked on tho street togetherr A.
We did not 60 of the street at all: we were
walking ON the str, 1t all the time.
Q.-ln the middle oi the dayI Ayes, from
! O'clock onward.
ter oyerY Al do not think We stopped AT all.
Perhaps wa may have paused moment but ns
general thing We walked slowly along. We
may have walked the distance of dozen
squares or may hc more, You would not have
TO 20 more than two or three squares back from
Baronne street ~ get to IA very quiet portion OF
,Q.--whnt do you mean by a quiet portion
| Al mean whore there We're but few persons
moving. and where nobody WHO knew US would
o. Then ali this conversation between you
ami him took place og the str.etsf A.-lcs.
Q.-State what took place between you and
| him Cn thnt occasion. Alt can only he re-
| cited from memory. of course impericrtly. but
nv recollection il quite distinct as 10 most OF it,
| will not undertake. TO r"clte everything pre-
ci,rly. but the Substhno" OF II WAS this lie COM
! mcn'ed Wiih some apolpgelc REMARKS, that ne
| hoped | would not take amss what he was
about 20 say, for. in his view oi the case, il was
| altogs thcr "A legitimate business. although II
| was one which might ba misconstrued or mis-.
| understood; hut, relying on my friendship md
| his long acquaintance with mo, &c. &c. and fOI
various reasons Of that sort. lie broachcd the
subject very slowly, and | did not hasten him
| My object was to hear what no had to say. aud
! let him develop his own plan.
Q.-lou were pretty suTo in your own mind
that he wanted 70 reach you with money
proposition2 Al believed that he WAS comma
To that; felt very certain OF II from the lndi
| cations.
'Q.-from what indications3 A.-From whO
| the ladies had said OF tho conduct o. this mar
| Johnson. and from the fact that instead o
| Johnsons : coming and stating 10 me the bus moss
| which he had with me. he asked me to see Mr.
Asher, and said not u word oflany business tina
he iJOhnsoul had with me. All these hings in
dirated to me that there was something un
| usual about 10 take place.
O.-Go on .nd give US exactly the first sen
tonce in which he hrQached TO you this monel
| propOsitonY Al do not know that can d'
1t In exactly the same words. but can give I,
| you in substance. After showing that he fel
very awkward about oroaching the matter, an'
after various apologize romarks and explana
tions. he came at il in about these words
Now, Judge, what l want TO know Is this
Would you be willing TO accept round sum
say 100000 or s40 900. and refuse 70 accept you
certificate Of election as Electorf' That was Verl
nearly precisely the manner in which he ilrs
presented the proposition in trangible shape
M. Mcmahon questioned the witness abOu
his ineligbilily as a Presiiental elcctor ton ac
vice that he hal taken on, tho subject his ab
sonting himself from tho Electoral College, th
dselarat2n q vacaGpey ne and the eectiqh q f. tn
came back TO the Asher interview.
o. What was, the propositi9n that Ashc
thHis~that' tH is. the lrst tangible form In which h.
presented il: Would you be- willing TO accou
a round sum, say $50 900 or 100000, and refus
to accept your certificate OF election us an cleo
tori"
Q.-what reply did you make? Al do nc
think made any immediate reply, hut talko
to him in u way to show that was cons idern
tho matter. My Intention was from the first
Mr.. Mcmahon tintorruptingl-l would rQthe
that you would give us the words used, Il
nearly IA you can. than any inference Us 10 thei
purpOrt.
The Wtness-I suggested TO him after re-
footing little. and after some hemmng an
| having, that that was small consideration IL
90 big a thing. / reminded him that man di
not have n chance often to make President [
| the United States 10y his single vote. or TO defet
one; that IT was very big thing and that
would be worth a large amount; that 100000 d
10000 was a mere bagatcllo for thing OF thi
sort That il the style and the manLer Of tll
conversation or my part. | only said enoug
to keep him talking. OF course ones in
while, Asher would have nothing to say. an
would seem to come to pause; and then.
assist him and help him along. and keep hil
him TO believe that his proposition would
O-In about what Language did YOU give thi
encouraging word2 Aust what hayc bee
sayiuE-that that was small consideration ~
near enough for so big n thing rs tnut was
Odd you do that more than oncef A.
presume So. l presume that tho salno thln
p Was repeated.
, O-What answer would Asher make to thai
Ale conceded the fact that that was n
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