Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-06-09

any informally on doubtful package, so a
1 10 call the attention o. the messenger to It
1t the messenger insisted upon ny receiving
| it / did so. and in such cases | q ,clined t
part with 1t again for correction, n for an!
purpose until it was laid before the two house
in Joint convention.
Ques.-Did YOU at any time learn from
anybody that the Louisiana return + st pre-
sented was defective, in containing but on
list of votes for President and Vice Presi
dent? Ans.-No, sir; | knew nothing OF it
Ques.-Wheu dId you first hear Of that
Any time before the election was complete
| Ans.-No, sir; not until quite recently, ex
| cept as appeared in the count; of course,
am cognizant of that.
| Ques.-Do you recollect the fact of opening
the Louisiana returns? Any present racol
lection of which envelop you preached first
ADs.-Yes, / think the record will show: i
was one received 10y mail, with no CORE
| spending one by messenger; that was frs
read by the teller; when ! opened the return
| / handed it to the teller; my present recol
| lection Is that the teller was Senator Allison
it was either Senator Allison or Senator In
gals.
Q1es.-Did he open the return, or did You
Ans i used large sh al = Z of the end;
# the envelopes audi pu!icl Ju. the contents
and handed them to the teller, so that die
not know in advance the contents OF any Of
OF them.
Ques.-Speaking from present recollection.
do you recollect cutting off the end of that
return? Ans.-No more than that | cut
most of them off. There were some l tore
open with my fingers, but found the paper SO
tough got the shears; my belief IS that every
return was opened by myself, either with my
fingers or a pair OF Shears, without any ex-
ceptlonF.
In reply to further questions, witness tes-
tilted that in receiving or Directing to re-
ceive the returns, and in opening the returns,
and In every other respect, he had acted I'M
partially, and did not know the contents of
any of the returns until they were opened ID
joint meeting.
Ques-Did you then know, from anything
that had been suggested to you outside, or
from anything that was said in the meeting.
that any of the signatures were not genuine
Ans.-No; the only thing | can remem-
Der that was said Ia relation to the Louisiana
returns-and | cannot now remember who
said twas an expression of fear that In the
correction of the returns the date of the time
when they met was put in, instead of the
time when the college should have met.
Ques.-That expression of fear must have
been before the returns were opened, because
on opening them the fact would have dis
closed itself? Yes, sir; | remember | made
the remark that If any return was correct, 1t
would probably be the one that came by
mail, and my reason for this opinion was the
fact that it was made at the time.
Ques.-Did the messenger or anybody else
say anything to you about the manner in
which the corrected Kellogg return was
made? Ans.-No, sir; knew nothing about
that.
Ques.-Then it was not until long after the
election that you heard any doubt expressed
in respect to the authenticity OF the return !?
Ans.-I did not hear any doubt expressed I'M
til four or five weeks ago. | think [ first
heard it from General Garfield.
By Mr.. Cox-l desire you to state now dis
tinctly what rule you adopted with regard to
giving an opportunity for the returns to go
back for correction where there was no appa-
rent informality, and at what point you held
fast to those which had once been received.
Aus.-In every case, think, Irrespective
of the States from which the returns came, if
mality, called the attention of the messenger
to it, as | thought it my duty to do. may
have erred in that, but, at any rate, treated
both sides alike. | have that justification. [
called the attention of the messengers to the
statute, and if they still insisted on handing
the return to me, as they did ia one or two
cases, took it, and when it was once in my
hands declined to give 1T up.
By Mr.. NJ Mahon-lt was, then, the same
messenger that brought you the second Loui-
siana return that brought you the first, and
whose attention you had called to the infor-
malty in the fret? Ans suppose SO; bat
cannot say, because did not know him.
Q1es.-Think about that, whether it would
not have struck you as a little odd if another
man had come with the returns from Loui-
siana? Ans.-No, sir; | think now it was
not the same man.
Ques.-Did he exhibit to you a new ap
porntment as messenger? Ans.-He exhib
tied to me his authority to deliver the returns;
presume his authority Is among the papers.
Ques.-If the man VINO brought the second
(Kellogg) return was not the same man that
brought you the first, didn't that excite some
suspicion? Ans.-No, sir, not so long as he
exhibited paper authorizing him to act as
a messenger.
Ques.-Didn't that indicate to you that
there had been a second meeting of the elect
oral college? Ans.-That was not my mat
ter; they might have authorized the same
person to act as messenger.
Qnes.-After you laid the returns before
the two houses, did you ever, as a m ember of
one political party, at any time take the
trouble to look at the original returns from
Louisiana? Ans.-No, sir; not until short
time ago.
Ques.-Were you ever present at any little
social gathering of men of your own party
at which the respective contents of those GER
tlhcate5 were QlscuSSeQE AnS.-l tnlnk not;
l don't recollect it.
Ques.-I will not ask you for information,
and l do not wish you to understand that in
any question that put intend to make any
thing like a reflection upon you. Was the
fact that a paper of this character was re-
ceived a secret with you, or was it a matter
about which you talked freely? Aus.-I
talked about the different returns, and | re
marked frequently that it was surprising that
k1a,.o Fort,
Ques.-l suppose that you talked with your
friends about these inform alities, and said
North Carolina Is come in, and there are
such and such informalitles; or, Maine has
come In; and is so and so. Now, did you
ever mention to anybody that it was a little
queer, in the case of Louisiana, that they had
only taken one paper back to correct, and that
two papers had come to you on the same day
one by mail and one by messenger? Ans
| cannot tell now; ] may have mentioned it,
Just as in the case Of North Carolina
Ques.-Have you any recollection Of any
person to whom you mentioned 1t? Ans.-I
have not, but think it was generally under
stood that [ called attention to these matters
q did that on both sides.
At the close of Senator Ferry's examlna-
ton, the chairman laid before the committee
the following letter from Senator Mathews:
WASHINGTON D. c., June 8, 1873.
10 I1OH CldTksOn y. fOIlcF, hOuSe OI hepEeSeHt
atlvSS:
SIR have the honor to acknowledge the receipt
from Mr.. Irwin B. Linton, CLERK Of the committee OF
Investigation. etc OF which believe you chair
man, OF letter inclosing copy of the resolution
without intending any disfeSpect whatever to the
honorable committee or house OF representatives,
felt constrained SEN OF duty to myself, and tC
the senate of the United States. Of which am
member, to decline accepting this invitation unde
the circumstances at present existing. had no IN
formation OF the proceedings before your committee
which its resolution above referred to except what
derived from reading the reports thereof Ill toe pub
liz newspaper when observing, from the manner
and extent In and TO which they seemed 10 affect M
deemed II due to myself and to the honorable body
q which am a member On Wednesday. the fifth in
slant, TO bring them TO the attention of the senate
In a statement and explanation of personal ma
ture and. as matter or privilege. moved resolution
OF inquiry, which was adopted. l have just
submitted the whole matter to The senate
which, by the adoption OF this resolution
has taken Jurisdiction and entered upon the ibves
tigatioa requested. That body alone, SO far as ms
conduct Is concerned, is competent to render eff
fecttve Judgment upon the question. So far, there
FORE as your resolution Invites TO submit to your
Anderson IL evidence before It, | consider that II
would be improper Tor me- under the circumstances,
10 comply with IT. ] am not officially informed OF
the subject under Investigation By your committee,
In reference TO which am also by its resolution in
yited to appear and answer such questions as may
seem pertinent but from copy OF the resolution OF
the house OF representatives. from which your COM
mittee derives its existence and authority as report
ed In the Congressional Record learn that II Is linn
tied TO inquiry into certain alleged frauds In the
elections in Florida and Louisiana, and in cOnnec
ton herewith OF certain named gentlemen, oil
whom am not mentioned as one. have no knoIl-
edge whatever Of any matter relating to this sub
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