The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-06-13
An Improbable Witness.

The Potter investigation on Thursday
last, did not result as the managers had eX-
pectcd. 1t had been currently reported that
two OF the Louisiana Electors did not vote
for Hayes, and that the names of those two
men had been forged to the returns, so as to
complete the number OF Electoral votes to
secure the return for Hayes. To establish
this, Judge Levisse was summoned, and the
following is synopsis OF his testimony, as
given by the Washington correspondent OF
the Baltimore american
Judge Levsee. one of the Presidential Elec-
tors for Louisiana, was examined to-day before
the Potter committee. His examination was be-
gun by asking numerous questions touching
the attempt to bribe him TO vote for Tiden an
account of which was fully testified to before the
Senate Committee eighteen months ago. Moth
ing elected from his evidence upon this
point, and it apparent from the beginning
that this course Of examination was followed to
cover up the real purpose OF calling him to the
witness stand,
In order to properly understand the testimo-
ny of Judge Levisee q brief history of the cleo
toral certificate OF Louisiana may be necessary
at this time. The Electoral College of Louisiana
met at the time and in the manner prescribed
by law, and its proceedings were duly certified
to the President of the Senate. The law directs.
that after the certificate has been properly made
out and sealed, an endorsement shall be made on
package contains the electoral vote of the State
named, and that this endorsement shall be sign
ed by each OF the Electors. In the case of Louis
lana the usual endorsement was made upon the
outside of the package, but the Electors omitted
to append their signatures. Upon receiving this
package by mail acting Vice-President Ferry
noticed the omission, and not being lawyer,
and fearing that the omission might be fatal
was considerably exercised over it.
When Thomas C. Anderson who was chosen
messenger OF the Electoral College Of Louisiana
arrived with duplicate package, upon the out
side OF which the Electors had also failed to ap-
pend their signatures, Mr.. Ferry declined to re-
ceive it, After consultation with several prom
inent Republicans Anderson returned to New
Orleans to have the omission corrected The
outside certificate is not regarded as essential
and instead OF obtaining certified copy from
the triplcate return filed in the office of the Sec
rotary OF the State OF Louisiana, Kellogg and
others determined to get up new certificate
This course was followed, and certificate was
College We're recorded with unnecessary detail.
Judge Levisee having left the State his sigma
his name to the new certificates, and these were
forwarded by mail and messenger to Washing
ton. The original paper and the duplicates thus
described were duly presented to the two Houses
and were referred by them to the Electoral Com
mission. No question was raised as to the out
side endorsement OF the papers, nor the
omission of signatures to such endorsement
known at the time except to few persons. After
lican Electors were duly chosen and that the
vote cast by them should be counted.
These are the facts in connection with the
ton OF the present investigation, numerous alb
surd stories have been placed in circulation,one
of them being that at least one of the Louisisna
Electors voted blank These stories had doubt
less obtained credit with the committee and in
consequence Judge Levisee was to-day made "a
witness. After explaining his experience with
prominent Democrats who attempted to bride
him to vote for Tilden, questions were put to
him touching the organization and proceedings
| Of the Electoral College. The witness explained
that the College was organized in the usual
manner. and that, after voting unanimously for
hrnn nrf1A no fn0tr do
out and signed in the usual form by all the Elec-
tors.
Several papers were presented to him purport-
ing to be certificates of the electoral vote of
Louisiana, two of which, so far as his signature
was concerned, he pronounced forgeries. The
third paper, he said, was genuine. This vas the
original paper received by Mr.. Ferry through
the mails, and which was first presented by him
to the two Houses in Joint convention. Levi
sees testimony to-day simply proved the facts
above stated. and was great disappointment to
the Democratic members of the committee, who
expected that Levisee would testify that at least
one blank vote had been cast in the Electoral
College of Louisiana, that some other error
would be discovered which, had it been knownat
the time, would have proved fatal to the success
ofthe Republican ticket