The Portland daily press., 1878-07-25
Testimony of the Visiting Repub-
lican Statesmen.
The Returning Board Not Inn
properly Influenced.
Some Doubtful Testimony Regarding
the Sherman Letter.

dent Grant, while IN Philadelphia on Nov,
10th, participating in the closing ceremonies of
the exposition sent for witness. He went into
the auditorium where he found the President
surrounded by a number of distinguished
gentlemen, among them Gen. Robert Patterson
President Grant proposed that he should visit
New Orleans to witness the action of the
Returning Board At first he declined, but
the President said that prominent Democrats
had gone and therefore he wanted him to 60.
Witness said this was owing to the fact that
his conduct was independent, and that he
sometimes kicked In the traces. The President
wanted him to witness the counting by the
Returning Board. He was merely to 90 to
New Orleans as looker-on and to see that
nothing improper should occur. Previously to
going, be had no conversation with anyone
he ought to 60. He left Philadelphia Novem-
ber 18th alone, but on the way found himself
in company with Gen. Sherman, aud on ar
| irving at New Orleans found number of
visiting Republicans
He had not had two minutes conversation
with any member of the Returning Board. He
| had no doubt that frauds were practiced on
| both sides, but that if just returns were made
| they would give the electoral vote to Hayes.
| Representative Hiscock called the attention
| of the witness to the testimony of E. L.
| Weber, in which he said the visiting states-
| men went SO far as to advise the Returning
| Board to stretch the already arbitrary powers
| they had, and that on the 9th of November
CQo heGurQluS DOaTu udQ uUlSu6u bu6lE COuub
| and had elected Packard and majority of the
| legislature and six Republican electors, and
| that this was communicated to the visiting
statesmen who influenced the Board to reopen
| and change the result.
| Representative Kelley stgmatized this state.
| ment as false in whole and in every part. There
was no basis for such an assertion. He had
| never heard of any conversation alleging that
| point had been reached making recount
| necessary to give all the eight of the Pfesi-
| do Il ~ Go &ho Ha af
| James E. Anderson for the first time at a
| hotel in Washington where they both boarded,
| and also after he had been summoned before
| this committee. He had never heard that
| Anderson was unwilling to stand by his pro-
| test or hestated to make an affidavit, nor did
| he ever hear that the returns of any of the
| parishes were to be manipulated for any pur-
| pose or that the affidavits were signed with
| fictitious names. In reply to the question:
| "Do you know of Secretary Sherman's having
had conversation with Weber and Anderson
| in New Orleans, the witness replied he had
| no consciousness of ever having seen Weber.
| While the visiting delegation occupied public
| parlor at the hotel Anderson and Weber may
| have come into it among others. Senator
| Sherman spent very little time there. Senator
| Sherman never came to the custom house.
| In the course of futher examination witness
| alluded to Eliza Pinkston. He believed her
statement at the time it was made and
believed it to-day. He also spoke of the
| affairs in Moorehouse parish as SO desperate
that the planters themselves organized to
guard their colored laborers from attacks of
the regulation.
| Oourtland Parker of New Jersey testified
| that while in Louisiana he heard no doubt
| thrown on Anderson's protest as to Feliciana,
| or that the protest was interlined. or that An
| derson wished to withdraw it. Witness went
| to New Orleans by the invitation of President
| Grant and not at the request of Hayes or any
| of his friends He knew of no act on the part
| of the visitors to Louisiana to influence the
Returning Board, and never heard of j. E.
| Anderson having conversation with Senator
| Sherman in connection with the vote of East
| Felicana. He characterized as false the allie
| cation of Weber that the visiting statesmen
| induced the Returning Board to reopen and
revise the returns in favor of the Republicans.
| Witness justified the throwing out of the
vote of East Felicana on the ground of intim-
| idation and said Senator Sherman carefully
| avoided any interference or conversation with
| the members of the Returning Board. He was
| not certain however that Senator Sherman was
present on the day that Eliza Pinskton was be.
fore the Board. Witness had never seen him
| in conversation with any member of the Re-
| turning Board or heard he had been.
Representative Hale testified he is at present
i member of the House of Representatives,
and was also member in 1876 Is a Republ-
can in politics and went to New Orleans solely
j at the request of President Grant and not at
I the instance of Gen. Hayes any person for
him. President Grant requested him with
i Ulutr Soutloueu 10 Witness Inc count OF the
vote in Louisiana. He and Secretary Sherman
| were intimate and they expressed their views
to each other with freedom. All the Republi-
| can visitors maintained the position that they
should be careful to abstain from any attempt
| ed influence on the returning board. So far as
he knew this principle was strictly carried out
Witness had no recollection of hearing of JAS
| e. Anderson while he was in Louisiana, nor
did he remember of having seen or heard of
| Weber. He did not know of Senator Sherman
II hnsr rs.a -
associates. Witness and Senator Sherman
were together every day. He had not seen the
| letter purpOrtng to have been written by
Weber and Anderson, dated November 10th,
| 1876, and the alleged reply of Senator Sherman
If such letters were written, he thought from
his intimacy with Senator Sherman he would
have heard of the fact Witness testified as to
I the part he took in the examination of the
returns from Baton Rouge, and like the wit
nesses who preceded him, he characterized as
false the testimony of Weber about the visiting
| Republicans influencing the action of the
| returning board.
By Gan. Butler-From all that you saw
while Witnessing the action of the returning
board, did you see anything to convince you
that if Hayes was elected President, PACK ard
was not elected Governor?
,A-No, sir; thought that if Hayes was
elected President, Packard was elected Gov
| ernor. thought both were elected.
| Mr. Butler-That is all want to know.
1 AsSPACooApNeAFO
| examiaed concerning his course as one of
| sub committee that visited louisiana
Gen. Butler asked witness whether there
was any doubt that if the Hayes electors were
Louisiana. Dapford replied that there was no
discrepancy or difference between the votes
cast for Hayes and those cast for Packard.
| except in Natchitoches, where Packard had
| 200 or 300 more votes than Hayes
Ex-Congressman j. Hale Sypher of New Or
leans, where he has resided for IA years. was
| examined by Chairman Potter and testified he
is Republican in principle and that at the
| time the Republican visitors was in Louisiana
he met ID. A. Weber, supervisor of elections, at
the entrance of the custom house on Canal
street, who asked, "Can take the promises of
the gentlemen who are here to provide for me
II am driven out of my parish?'' Witness
said in reply "What do you mean?"
Weber mentioned Matthews and Sherman es-
| pecially. Witness then said: "These gentle-
men stand very closely to the incoming Presi.
dent, personally and politically, and L think
you can trust them" Weber remarked that
he had been deceived good many times and
as he therefore did not feel like taking any
more verbal promises he would demand prom
ise in writing. Witness said it was the only
way. The next day he again met Weber who
exhibited letter which he read and then re-
turned it to him. Weber made no special re,
mark but appeared to be pleased with the let
ter, which purported to be signed by John
Sherman. Witness had seen Mr.. Sherman's
handwriting. He would not testify that the
letter was in Sherman's handwriting, but there
was nothing to make him think it was not his
handwriting. He presumed it was his. He
could not give the purport, but the published
letter, the original of which he had hastily
read, seemed to be substantially correct.
Representative Hiscock closely cross ex.
amined witness who saw Weber at different
times, perhaps three times after that This
was between 18th and Goth of November He
thought the body of the letter and signature
were in the same handwriting He had seen
the official signature of Mr.. Sherman but
could not name any particular document nor
would he swear that the signature to the letter
Weber had shown him was genuine. That
question did not enter into his mind. The
latter was written on note paper. He first
mentioned the fact of the existence of such
letter to his brother in Louisiana. He also
mentioned the fact to Judge Shellabarger two
weeks ago.
Secretary Sherman made statement that
he is now Secretary of the Treasury, but in
November 1876 he was Senator of the United
States. He was invited by President Grant by
telegram in terms something like the follow
ing: IL would be gratified if you would 60
to New Orleans to witness the count" At
first he declinea to 90 but received second
telegram from President Grant saying, 81
"a