Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-06-11

81. PAUL
take IL, and was then promised an auditorshi,
IN the treasury. Among the prominent actor
in the Florida election of 1876 the followin,
had been provided as stated: Gov. Stearns wal
appointed on the Hot Springs commission; J.
W.. Howell, who got up Drigger's returns il
Baker county, is now collector of customs al
Fernandina; Joseph Bowes, election in.
spector, charged with manipulating ballots
in Lion county, is in the treasury at Washing.
| ton; William Il. Vance, clerk at Archer pre-
| cinct, No. 2, has a federal position at Washing
ton, r. II. Black, inspector at the same pre-
cinct, had federal cerkship in Philadelphia;
Bell, inspector in Jefferson county, received a
| federal appointment, but was since removed;
Geo. W. Lion, inspector in Lion county is
clerk in the treasury at Washington; Dennis,
OF Alachua county, had recently position in
the treasury. Moses J. Taylor, one of the re-
turning board of Jefferson county, is in the land
Office at Washington.
canvassing board Gov: Stearns said to witness
ne thought it OF some Importance that the first
| reading before the board Of the face Of the re-
| turns as they were received by him, was i'm
| portant, and said the result would be very
close. Drugger's return from Baker being the
most favorable of any one return from Baker
county, Stearns desired witness to read that to
the board in preference to the others, as it was
really the only properly made return. When
the visiting statesmen were at Tallahassee wit
ness was told by ". E. Chandler Gen: Lew
Wellace, probably Governor Stearns and others,
that Noyes represented Governor Hayes Moves
assured witness that Louisiana would be all
| right for the Republicans and talked of every-
thing hanging on Florids going for Hayes
Noyes came direct from Louisiana few DAYS
before the State canvass was made. he told
witness that Hayes and he were bosom friends,
and ne had come at the special request of Moves.
Witness did not remember that Noyev directly
made promises of any thing further than that
members of the canvassing board would be
provided for. This was both before and after
the canvass. From all he heard and all that
took place, witness looked upon Noyes as the
special representative of Hayes expressing his
Views t With regard to and lfet
leading Republicans of the campaign
would be provided for. Gen. Lew
Wallace was very active in getting up testi-
mony before the board, getting in returns and
evidence IN contested precincts and counties;
said he had been telegraphed to by Hayes, re-
questing him to come to Florida and said be-
fore and after the canvass he was satisfied that
If Hayes became President he would take pleas
ure in providing for the Republicans of Flori-
"a. Witness said his party feeling had more
to do with his course in the board than any
other cause, and did not know that he
was directly influenced by promises Of Office
though these were not without weight. He
felt assured that SO far as pecuniary profit
he could gain as much by casting his vote one
way as the other. Witness said be had come
to the conclusion that if the board had fol-
lowed the instructions Of the supreme court of
the State, had counted the precincts which
were thrown out by them and had thrown ont
the counties of Alachua, Lion and jefferson
which fraud has evidently been committed, the
State certainly went for Tilden. In
Jefferson ample evidence had been shown that
lOO Republican votes were surreptitiously
counted and in Alachua that 219 Republican
votes had been added to the poll list after the
election. These facts had come to his knowl-
edge since the canvass. Witness was told in
January, 1877. by Howell, then deputy col
lector of internal revenue, and recently
appointed collector at Fernandina, that he
had got up the Drigge return, throwing out
Johnsville and Darbyville precincts, and max
ing Baker county Republican instead Of Demo-
cratic. Howell was candidate for State sena-
tor at the election in 1876. Witness was also
told in February last by l.. G.. Dennis, of Ala
chua county, that Black Ida, inspector, and
Vance, clerk of Archer precinct No. O. after the
election brought the return up to Gains
vile, and there added to it 219 Re-
publican votes. Dennis told this
to witness in Washington, and expressed a
desire to make an exposure of what he knew
OF the frauds in the Presidential election.
Jos. Bowes, inspector at Richardson, Lion
county, stated to witness about January l.
1877 that he would have to leave the State for
having stuffed the ballot box at Richardson.
where fraudulent tickets, known as little
jokers numbering "a, were fraudulently put
in the box. Bowes said at the time they were
going to so for him, and he had to leave the
State right away. He ard other parties men
toned now hold federal positions in or about
Washington.
H.
little jokers tickets prior to the election, and
was Informed by Bowes that the use intended
to be made Of them was to fold one in each
ticket Of ordinary size so that the voter would
vote two instead of one at time. Witness re-
monstrated against this, and thought at the
time that the plan had been given up. One
Bell, judge of Jefferson county, disclosed to
witness in Washington last winter, the manner
in which hundred Republican
ballots substituted for one hun
dred other ballots at the precinct at which
Bell served as inspector at the Presidential
election. The inference which witness drew
was that the substitution made change of
two hundred votes in the result.
On examination by Hiscock witness testified
that no direct offers of money were made by
either Noyes or Stearns to influence his official
action. On one occasion Mr.. Manton Marble,
after assuring witness of his belief that the
State cast its vote for Tilden, and that fraud
the State to Hayes: made an appeal to him to do
his duty. Witness repeated that if he felt that
Hayes was elected he would die in the ditch
before he would give up the State, to which he
alleged Marble said, there is no danger if you
do right of your dying in the ditch or dying
poor think Mr.: Marble had subsequently
made public denial of having approached
witness. Witness testified that at the time of the
canvass much excitement prevailed. and that
he received threatening letters from an anony-
nous source, and at one time was in fear of
bodily harm, because, when returning home
one evening with two friends, he was
apparently accompanied by man on
horseback unknown to him, though
neither on this nor any other occasion
was violence attempted against him.
Afterwards witness was cautioned bv Marble
against man reported to be on the way from
New York claiming to represent Tilden and al
legged to have money for him for the purpose of
influencing witness in his official conduct.
Marble emphatically asserted that Tilden knew
nothing Of any such and had nothing to do
with such characters as he, and would counte-
nance no such proceeding Witnes could
not at the time understand from the
| representations made by Noyes, Wallace
| and Others that they suggested to him anything
that was immoral or wrong, but that they were
simply commencing him for doing what was
right, at the same time conveying the assurance
| that he would be provided for because of the
service he was rendering. Witness had nt
knowledge at the time of the canvass of tn.
frauds narrated by him in his published aft
davit, and his present knowledge of them wal
confined to representations made to him by tn,
authors of them. In some instances the,
came from disappointed ofice-seekers
though Bowes and others had beef
! provided for, and were holdin,
Office under the administration. If called upoi
under like circumstances in the absence Of
| nj he RI I,
sonal representations of fraud. he would no
decide as he did in the board before, but woul,
vote to give the State to Tilden, for he be
ieved these representations to be true from hi