The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-21
JOHN SlIERMAN'S WITNESSES
TIE OUTRAGE MILL IN THE CUSTOM
HOUSE IN NEW ORLEANS.


tee examined to day some OF the same witnesses
whose testimony was used in 1876 by John
sherman and tho visiting statesmen to give tho
semblanco Of truth to tho sanderous report
which they made on the Louisiana election,
and to furnish n poor pre,oxt for tho unlawful
rejection Of Tilden's majority OF 5000 votes
Three OF Sherman's witnesses we're examined
Their false and forged nflldavits were part OF
Presidential message to the people, furnished
ms sworn testimony OF tho truth by Sherman.
Garfield Hale. Stoughton. and others. Their
evidence was AIS used by Anderson Wells 4 Co...
to justify part OF their rejection OF 1900 Tlden
votes In Louisiana. To-day these witnesses de-
nounccd tho testimony that John Sherman
and Madison Wells procured Iii may be said
suborned) as completely false. and forged in
lettcr and In substance. These witnesses were
Tom Dalton. Amy Mitchell. and Riley Nornss
of West Fcliciana. They showed to-day how.
when Sherman and other fraud accessories
were here. and while the Returning Board was
hidden away from honest eyes communicating
their frauds they were bribod. threatened and
frightened into making aiildayits which they
them, and which they now declare to be unwar-
Mr., Jules Aldise. Chairman Of the Committee
on Ways and Means in the Louisiana Legisla-
turs. testified in substance that he knew Hiram
Smodley rs man not to be believed on oath.
ored to secure brbe from him iwitnessl 10 So
cure the Auditors books and other State dOcu-
mmenss menss when n9d 9esn sn from I'll" Site
Smedley. alleged were In the custody Of n rel
atiye in Mobile. smedley's programme was TO
store them to the State Government He wanted
$500 10 begin the lob with. but the witness. who
lice, and that he had been arrested for stealing,
declined to have anything to do with him. and
had him SUMMONED before Legislative com
hnE m tod Ets.N Hl..r Fl
whereabouts oi the books. This Smediey Is he
whom the defence called to testify that a dead
ture 10 the Anderson Weber document
II; ". Dalton testified that he lived in West
Feliciana in November. 1876. Knows John s.
dcavorcd TO briOe him to influence his testI-
mony Witness was constable in the Fourth
whore he voted the Republican ticket openly
for him after the election and verbally sum
he made an affidavit before Commissioning
Wo9lney; One iiagan wrote the affidavit. and
charged. Four days v9fte,rward he was
him. w Il wal %eth no What he 2nd soSd and pS he 10
fused to swear TO il. He was then informed
that he had only been verbally summoned, and
unless he signed. lie had no money to return
home, aud was induced 10 sign the affidavit.
Tho aiiidayit says that be was witness to vo-
lence. intimidation. and murder in specific
cases in his parish. which ne denies having
stated or that any existed He said that the
election was perfectly fair and peaceable. and
that he. as an election officer, was present at
two polls. at short intervals. all day: that about
leading Republican to persuade them not to.
To Gov Cox he answered that he had never
seen any bulidozing and didn't believe his peo-
Pile wore frightened by any, and that he himself
dation Dali %sC "r yISlence which he 6eeved While he
was before Howes committee and previous 20
his testityine pressure was brought to bcar on
help To make Hayes President and Packard
Governor. and 70 induce him 10 sustain his am
davit. When this was brought up before Howc's
committee and he was about to explain that II
was false. an objection from Senator caused
pause IN lae proed,ehhnSs pHrnf m I'm t9s o pause Use
AFFIDAVIT. saying that they wanted this testimony
10 give Hayes and Packard clear title. and wit
ness was induced To support his AFFIDAVIT before
that committee but swears now that his testi-
mony was false.
Isaac Mitchell. who WAS killed near Bayou sara
In September. 1876. She made an affidavit in
the Custom House on Nov. 80, ls56. The peo-
pie there made her make that AFFIDAVIT. some
folks behind hor pushed her up 70 II. She
didn't make i from what she knew. Capt
jerks brought her down, and took her to the
Cont Nerandah. There she was kept for three
weeks understanding Kellogg paid, her
board, nnd taken 70 the Custom House
her AFFIDAVIT. There. were right smart OF
people in ,here Here she was, shown
men. some with faces hid underneath the tow
els, and one with sheet over his horse. came
10 her door. almost knocked her down whom
she went to open II. dragged her husband from
n pile OF seed cotton I'm the back room and into
the yard, riddled him with bullets. and ordered
her and her sistcr-ln-law to drag him back into
the house; and that a towel dropping from tho
face of one Of the men disclosed the fea-
lures Of Charles Barrow. Snc denied this
affidavit in toto, and sid that her husband
was shot In the field. Two shots were fired.
which woke her up, This was at night:
IN al tII
and hearlng her husband calling. went TO him.
He could not say who shot him. She saw no
day who llred the shots Her husband was shot
in the stomach ana lsg. Sae again denied hay.
sb Pbs ff d e T e y yna a F'SSea IN Ser monb 1S
told her to say. and sho wouldn't have said it
| then. but she nad been scared.
testimony. that every statement contained
in the affidavit was false; that she didn't say
| anything because she knew it, but said what
they told her to say. Her testimony also showed
| that she had been trained in the Custom House
TO testify before this ccommittee.
Klcy NOrfiss testified that he lived in Wost
| FeHciana in November, 1876, whore he voted
| the Kepulcan ticket without ieur or molesia-
| only attended one, Mr. Barrows meetlng and
| heard colored man, Charles ltradloy, speak
Tor Tlden and Nichols Ten day., after the
| election l.e was taken 70 tho Custom House by Il
| United States Marshal, whore he made an AM
| dRvit. VI > didn't know whether II was an AMI
tain ntcrroeatores aud answers which appear
| in the sherman report. 1t presents the most
ntrocious account of Violence to the witness,
and the murder Of others which he
eGG' aad said tho Only Only VIOLENCE ever ever oirerad
| him was one night when he was threatened
| with hanging If ha did not disclose the names
| Of n band Of negrOrs organized to murder white
men, women and children. He could not and
was released withoutany harm being done him.
| He was asked to join Democratic club by Mr.,
| barrow and was toldthat If he objected he need
| not do 20. Witness Objected, and never WAS
moested for remaining Republican and yot-
| ing the ticket lie never SAW any bulldoZing in
the parish, and meyer testified that Onnd
| came down from Wilkinson county TO influence
| tho election. He did not know whore
| Wilkinson county was. He did moi swear TO
| these things in his AFFIDAVIT and did not put his
| mark to them. When no was talking at that
| table in the Custom House man was behind
! him. outtalkiug him, and he supposed that that
| man said the other man wrote. III he had
| known TINT these statements and answers had
| been written for him ho never would have
| sworn TO them. lie was told to make an AM
! davit to help the Republicans, and they would
| take care OF him. 80 =,
| Orleans ItcGVtoA testified that he WAS LIVING in
| Now Orleans u 1876. A deputy sherl1 from
a summons ior AIpy&trhcll and Tom stow
! ard, Hs WITNESSES in the Curoncr's Inquest eyer
| Iko Mitchell. The deputy sheriff asked Mat
| th.,ra IA f,runar rpe n pf Wpst lglieiuuu tO