New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-07-04
TIE UBIQUITOUS WEBER.
A WITNESS WHO ALWAYS HAPPENED TO BE oN
uAyp JUST IN TIME TO DISCOVER WONDERFUL

"A
HARD JUST IN TIME TO DISCOVER WONDERFUL
TmNGs-nlE COMMITTEES RECESS.
10y TELEGRAPH THE TRIBUNEl
" sutvcTlv. July 3.-The Potter Committee
hos aiiourned until July 10, with the expectation
that after that time the subcommittee Will be ID
Session Curing the greater part of the summer
Some of the Republican members of the commit
Zee IN, of opinion that it will be very dinculV 10
secure !he attendance of quorum here, even Oh u
snb- ,onmittec. after July 10. The Congressman
nominations OF all the members are peholng, anu
some of them have very close contest MI nun
Con ~ virginia altbo ugh he lives only across the
river eo;,. Washington, will find his time occupied
IA pr,yeut Fitz Hugh Lee from taking his seat from
bi,n fc,eral Bitlcr. unless his friends are mis-
taken will b. occupied in securing the LABOR
1,roonba K 4 ,9,pmmisic nomination for Governor
In Mas cl,ps.tts aud in attempting to prevent the
,,roatcst disa,npointmcnt of his life after having
sccprcd thc nomination: and he will have little OPP
,ortp,itv To Give himself mp to his favOrite diver
sion of maliraing and traducng the representatives
of the marty 20 whose sutfrages he owes MS seat
General Cox, of Ohio. declines denomination, DuI
ne breads the tOrrd climate of Washington III sum
mer. and wants to get back to his law practice. MI
MeNfalon will have something to do to explain MS
course In tbe soldiers in his district, whom 1t Is
claimed IA. has msrepresened. Mr. Springer
although cries Of fraud are his forte, is coquetting
for the nomination of the Nationals III his dstHct
as well as Of his own party and will have some work
10 do at hone, Altogether, the subcommittee
chosen To prosecute the inquiry here is composed Oh
persons not likely to devote themselves To studes Oh
comparative perjury of Louisiana witnesses
TIC closing day of the investigation was occu-
MED by the examination of L. l.. Weber, the man
upon whom the Democrats rely to prove every sub
4 q, fI,otr liza
the Sherman letter. His story a simple one to-
dav. as be did not have to face crOsS-examnatiOn
and was not reminded of his own sworn testimony
in the past or of his letters. PTOfessedly radical
Republican. the witness Weber constituted him
self the advocate of the Democratic party. Quick
10 catch a cue from his Democratic examiners he
followed it up with arguments which might have
been prepared by Tilden's lawyers. he injured his
ease by excess of zeal.
II this Webbers testimony is to be accepted, one
must imagine him TO have been in practically every
parish of Louisiana at the same time. He has the
happy faculty for q witness Of always being az the
right place at the right time TO satisfy the Demo-
cratic purpose. Secretary Sherman says he never
eonversed with Don Weber aud Anderson in Mo-
reau's restaurant But Anderson swears he did. And
now comes L. J.. Weber, who, happening to be
going along the street that day. and peering through
the restaurant WINDOW, ulu see MI Sn6IIldh eh-
gagged in conversation When Eliza Pink
ston is brought to town. +. L. Weber hap
pens to be at the door when she arrives. and
hears the beginnings of what he calls q plot. A
false urat is to be attached to AndersOns protest.
l.. /. Webber happens TO be around as witness TO
that proceeding. The Republican cause is lost in
louisiana f. l.. WebbeT finds himself posted by II
convenient door to hear Packard and Kellogg
acknowledge that ii is lost, and to hear them say,
1--WE are beaten after ALL" Mischief is to be done
by the visiting statesmen. i. l.. Weber happens
to be there, notebook IN hand, to mark names,
dates, hours and circumstances, as some OF 1lldens
spies seem TO have done in Washington with respect
TO the private conversation of numerous gentlemen.
The Sherman letter is TO be delivered This witness
happens to be about TO read it when ii is fresh and
TO study that handwriting with which he was so
familiar from seeing 1t in CongressmaRs album.
The honor of family, the members of which, for
the sake of making political capital to bolster up
Government which they knew to be fraud, caused
lies TO be published about the death of their MUIR
dered brother requires that the sherman letter
should be destroyed; and out of old shOe-bOx it
is taken and destroyed by this witness at time
and under circumstances which it gave the witness
to-day great embarrassment to recall. He fixed
three different times for its destruction, and even
without cross-examinatiOn left the time in hOpless
chronological confusion. And so it is was all
through the case.
Weber as a jealous advocate was eager to get
points against Republicans upon the record, and
neglected no opportunity and disregarded no hunt
which the political malice ingenuity of his aIgl-
meDtative examiners gave him.