The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-14
THE INQUISITION.
new FACTS OBTAINED FROM AN UN'
WILLING WITNESS YESTERDAY.
~sR Bone only Held UP de Hand when
dey swOre NE, but DIdn't Hiss
tire Hook fMr sure"

Yesterday morning there was not nearly so
large O crowd present at the committee par
Tor TO hear the testimony as on the preceding
day, which was owing, probably, TO the fact
that no interesting witness was expected on
the stand.
The committee put In an appearance at
about II o'clock, but had to wait for some
time for q witness. Mr. J. N. Tomlnson, of
Che Collector Office was called for, but he was
not on hand He had, however, on the after
noon before, produced to Mr.. Stenger cor"
reoted list of the employees of the Custom
House.
The first witness called was II. G. Fisk, and
in q constrained. nervous manner he took the
oath, and sat down to what proved to be %
most uneasy seat.
Gov. Cox.-Mr. Fisk, state your age and
place of residence.
Fisk--I am twenty-four years of age, and
reside in this city
Gov. C.-State whether you have had any
Interview with Mr.. Dicks or Mr.. Wilder rela-
tive to the execution of the Anderson-W eber
agreement. State fully and at length all you
know about It,
Fisk-Some time In November, 1861 don't
remember the day called at Mr.. Wider's
and Dicks Office and Mr.. Wilder gave me to
understand that Anderson had called for me
and had said that he wanted to have paper
sworn to wthoutit its being sworn to. and with
out the contents being known. This was all
he said.
Afterwards, on June s. | had another con-
versation with Wilder, and he asked me If
had seen those names In the paper. Dicks,
nnA -,
bIndery then and got paper, and the three Of
us looked over it and read the agreement that
was published that Anderson had testified TO.
We saw In the paper the names of Dicks and
Wilder to the document
Dicks and Wilder both said that Anderson
did not swear to it, and Wilder said Weber's
name was not to it, / asked Dicks lis that the
document you want to see me abOut2' and he
said yes | asked him whether Weber's name
was to the document in the original, and he
said no. | was asked to make an affidavit by
Dicks rs TO what Wilder had stated / said
would not. He said, Come in. and III show
you what 1t Is" We went into a cOffee-h house,
No. 81 Exchange Alley. Dicks said he wanted
my affidavit
TO CoRRoBoRATE HIS TESTIMONY.
He asked me to make an affidavit by a col
ured mans name of William Williams and
4 made 1t at Williams dictation. Dicks put
to Williams affidavit q COrrObOratiOn, and it
was sworn to before Mr.. Ambruster in the
put in M :. Dicks possession When he went
TO Washington, on the ninth Of June, he told
me he had those affidavits safe.
After Mr. Wilders return passed bis house
on Gravier street. | was called In, and staid
there for two hours. / asked him how he
could swear to such things as that the sigma
tsire OF Weber's was to the document when
he had Il, He didn't answer. Afterwards, on
the thiftieth Of June, / saw him again. and
was with him some time. We re-opened, the
conversation about the document | asked
him again
HOW HE COULD HAVE SWORN
there were two signatures to it when he did
not see them. He replied that when he saw
the original document in Washington his
memory was refreshed I told him nothing
T,,I n ,,,,,17netary consideration would make
hiifi do It.,
When I saw In the papers that Dicks had
Gnrrr,boratei Wilder | saw fit 10 maze q
statement, and Mr. Chas, Hobbs knowing the
facts too he made an affidavit, Williams
also made an affidavit.
10 Mr.. stenger--T reside in the city-that
ought TO satisfy you. | live on Robertson
street, No. 80, between Bienvlle and Custom
house. / am not a married man. | sleep
there. just before that roomed on Marais
No. a. between the same streets. / am a
clerk by occupation, but am clerlting no.
where at present. The last place | clerked
was with MIR. Soards with his directory. l
was there some two or three months. l was
engaged In cAnvaSsing and compilation. In
january collected his outstanding bills, and
have had no occupation since. / had some
property in succession, and | received my
share Of it. The property was sold in } Une,
1877 and received can't tell how much by
several hundr, dollars. 1t wasn't $780, 1t
wasn't $4O0. 1t wasn't 5000, 1t wasn't $500; |
think It over 500. My interest was assigned
to the amount of $50 to another party.
/ am living by
ADVANCES FROM MY FRIENDS,
which will pay back some time, 1 have
known Mr. Wilder for ten years. / had the
privilege of going to his Office almost every
day Wilder's conversation with me about
the document was ten minutes after his con-
versation with Anderson. That conversation
was after the election II November 7, 1870 It
was shortly after. 1t was before Christmas
a month or six weeks before. 1t was between
the middle and latter part of November.
The agreement was dated the fifteenth OF
November, and that was about the time &C.
cording to my memory.
The reason asked Wilder, How can you
swear SOP" was because he had Dicks prepare
an affidavit to contradict what he had sworn
to. don't know that Wilder did swear so
asked that question from what read in the
Wu1er said that Dicks and himself had put
their signature to the paper with Anderson
in Wildtr's of1ice-to the paper which had beer
Mrs. M. T. Todd occupies the house and
have my room there. cOlored lady OCCu
pies up stairs. / don't know what business Is
carried on in the house. / don't know what
THE LADY UP STAIRS
does for a living was first asked to attenc
as a witness TO this committee. Hobbs tolc
me and Hiram Smedley told me.
To Mr.. BlaCkburn-Mr Dicks said to Mr.
Wilder, June 8. that something would bC
made OF their affidavits was after reading
the statement. They didn't take me into il
when they said "to keep quiet and something
would be made out of it," Dicks said he hac
written out the first iurat, and Seymour
wouldn't accept it, He couldn't say wht
wrote the second being shown the Weber
Anderson agreement l cannot find any iura
erased there.
At the bookbindery, on June S, was the only
time Dicks suggested something might b.
made out of the affidavits. l made my aft
davit June s. the day Seymour and Wilder
left for Washington. 1t was in Exchange
Alley where Dicks wanted to get my affidavit
+ said | would not make my affidavit until