The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-06
THE COMMITTEE.
.uru,s PROTEST BROUGHT TO
LIGHT YESTERDAY by MR.
BLACKBURN.
nav the Soldiers worked ON the Anda-
Wits In the CustOm-aaOusc.

Wits In the CustOm-asOuse.
a. :, o,eIock the committee met after their
tsanrth ~ Jn1y recess, Mr.. Il. A. Wool6ey be-
ing the first witness called
ma aaid: reside In New Orleans and have
.,nos 1s41. In the fall of 1876 was clerk OF
tbe Circuit Court for this district, and United
states Commissioner also.
Mr.. Blackburn-Were not most ofthe protests
tlled before the Returning Board acknowledged
before your
MIR. WI have no personal knowledge that
many protests and affldavits were acknoWl-
edged before me. know that some were at
tested before me.
Mr.. Bid you hold any other position at
that timer
Mr.. w.-Yes. sir, was supervisor Of cleo
tions. / assisted In the preparation of some OF
these papers, but cannot state definitely how
much. had the general supervision and al
lotted the work out to others.
Mr.. B-Then you had the general superin-
fendenee OF all these matteTsf
Mr.. WI did. / was the overseer OF the
WR3 r ~ ter these papers had been pre-
pared. did you file them with the Returning
Mn. VINO. sir; / did not attend session Of
the board. After these papers were prepared
the counsel for the Republicans filed them Win
the Returning Board. they
from time to time as they wanted them.
Mr.. B.-Could you name the parties VINO Dor
rOwed III m from your ,r.,. rt,.,o, nan
and Frank Morey ] remember as having taken
Mr.. Bid they return these originals to
MI. W.-They did not always return them to
me- Mr. Harris failed oftener than the others.
Ialowed these Paties 70 take a the 2r a9 an
comics made, In perhaps Hfty cases. can't re-
member ali of the eases. think had copies
Refon Rouge and the Felicianas. some forty, or
nfty documents. don't know what was hled
with the Returning Board. because l can't re-
MI. Bid they not take the originals in
Mr.. WI think they got
ALL THE ORIGINALS.
some az the papers have never been returned
Ia me. / have brought with me- all the original
naDers such as protests and athdaVltsl save
those taken by Messrs HILL Harris and Morey
AN Mr. nf BE- Have YOU there the protest Of s. B.
Packard, fled by his counsel. J. p. Harlis2 =,
WI hava not The Protest gob tbi ea Py Mr
had II. have heard OF parishes being protest
cd that we're not protested before ne. Q2nsjd-
arabic of my data has been lost When the he
turning Board concluded to return my papere
BUNDLED THEM ALL UP TOGETHER
and found them in this condition, =,
find some that belonged on lie IN the seere-
that belonged to the election Of 1876. Mr.. Des-
londe was the Sc rotary of State then. got the
papers back a little more than year ago;
never knew had these papers until Wlthlh inc
The witness here produced two large pack
ages of payers, which he presented under the
subp0na dllces tecuns directed to him. The first
paper opened was the protest OF Il. l.. Weber.
quite ltngthy doeu ment. uu oo,,o l., uo,,r
posseskion2
from the Returning Board; one batch In Janu-
sry 1877 and another later have no recollec-
ton how they came; whether they came by
themselves; that is. one package az q ume'
Yhenca they came, and who brought them.
Mr. B.--Now, tell met tor want TO divide me
question, so that you can readily understand IL !:
Ehsn they we're brought; from whence they
were brought, and whether they we're brought
10 you In two packages or at one tlmef q
Mr.. WI can't answer any one Drancn OF
This a,lestion. / can say this however, that in
the multiplicity Of matters 1t ID Impossloie Ior
ma to remember. ..1 T..
your possess ion ever SINGER ..
Mr. W.-These papers have been conttnu-
y my Ts net En eVSf that the committee
known as the Field committee OF CONGRESS Isl
sued subj 9na tor these very documents and
MI. W Il do not know that subpoena from
The committee of the Senate was is, ded. These
NEVER FURNISHED
~ that committee, nor their duplicates.
There were some papers published IN MI
MI B'nWere not these papers demanded. by
The Field committee from the Ae'urnihs
NJ WI believe heard that they were asked
for but did not have them then men wohor rrotost
Mr. B-When did you hnd THIS weber proUest
which you have given US now! xv.Lo- ,,,.otoa,
MIR. WI never knew of the Weber protes,
until three or four days ago. That was the mrs.
Tonw III III Ihad learned at the time OF a pro-
test in the parish Of East Feliciana.
Mr. Blackburn-Look at that WEBER Per, protest
and tell us VIII at you find interitned there ,
Mr. w, latter reading the interlineatton liz the
protest)-The interlineation sets up the af1lda'
Wits Of the persons named. upon Whleh inc pro-
Al this point there was discussion at some
length over the question as to the admlsslplnty
Of the testimony OF the witness to snow thaC
THE DETERMINATION
was made after the protest was written. titan !.
MIR Woolhty resumipg-The inferllneatlon II
written in a different ink and appears to have
been written after the body Of the protest.
Mr.. B-Have you the affidavits mentioned IN
M MI WI have the aftldavits of the parties
mentioned In the protest. oo,.,.u .4
Witness then produced several afhdaylts' anc
particularly that OF Mr.. Vresinski. OF East Fe
Mr.. B.-whsn was this Weber protest sworr
Mr.. W,-The Weber protest was sworn to No
yember is, 1876, and this affidavit of Vresinsk
is dated Novemer 90. The proCst Is nleo
WITHOUT DATE.
hui attached to 1t is m affidavit with the oaGe o
November Is, 1876. The document Is presented
by me to the committee with the other docu
NH. B-Do you not remember that Mr.; Vre
sinski in publication. denied the truth OF tina
NH. W.-Yes, sir: Vresinski swore to that ath
dayit before me. He does not speak good Eng
5ish. i remember particularly, Weber wa
there with him at the time.
i had his affidavit and he made 1t before mt
I recollect It distinctly. heard that he
DENIED THE TRUTH
~ r. 7 couldn't tell whether he was drunk o
not at the time as l had never had any az
uuaintance with him before. He spoke IN yer
had English. | don't know that vresinskt rea
his All ii avit: read it to him. / don't kno'
shat Vresinski read the, affidavit; read II I
Ann think He seemed to be very nervous {
lie time. don't know, that he was drunk, fc
i had never seen him before ne repudlate
6he affidavit in a published statement attel
wards. Iii. -
Mr.. B.-What are those other affdaytts 20
I'D with tho Wph9F DrOt0StI