Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-07-03
THE POTTER INTES
What E. l.. Weber Knows About the
Sherman Letter.

After our report of the proceedings before
Potter's investigating committee closed yes
| terday, +. l.. Weber concluded the reading of
| his statement.
The paper known as the Sherman letter he
said was source of considerable modification
to Mrs. Weber. In the summer of 1877 witness
examined the papers of his brother, found the
letter and destroyed it. The statement con-
Mrs. jerks visited my sister-in-aw in the
summer OF 1871 and urged her to hunt for the
Sherman letter. Mrs. Weber declined to do
About the 9th of May She brought letter
from Gen Sheldon Offering to pay Mrs. Weber's
expenses to New Orleans and Washington in
threatening, in case she did not come, to have
her arrested and forced to go. Mrs. jerks
an and he her husband have always called the paper
| the Sherman letter. Tom jerks, in fact, mas
claimed that his association and cooperation
with Anderson was such as to give him an
| equitable right to some of the benefits that
were supposed to be embraced i'm it. have
never heard it intimated, until she gave her
testimony, that Mrs. jerks was in any way
l have not, nor has any member of my family.
sought to use this letter as the means of OBJ
tanning office. saw the members of the Mac
| Neagh commission in New Orleans. and was
informed that money had been used to secure
the abandonment of the Packard legislature by
certain members thereof. could tell some.
but could not say who disbursed the money or
who supplied it. l had two conversations
| with Gen. HaWley relative to the recognition
| OF the PACKARD government by the adminiStra-
ton, and he said that the President could not
| and would not recognize it. He conveyed the
impression to my mind distinctly that the
| recognition OF Nichols and the abandonment
! OF Packard was a foregOne conclusion, and
that this question had been determined by the
adminlstratlon before the commission left
| Washington
| THE WITNESS CONTRADICTED BY HIS OWN
| LETTER.
=, Mr.. Cox here introduced letter written by
| +. L. Weber to j. Il. Weber, his cousin, March
"a, 1877. Witness protested against its being
| read, as the statements therein made by him
were moi true. Il was misinformed," he said
and and therefore misstated the case at the
| time" The letter, however, was read. In it
the assertion is made that It the asSassinS of
ID. L. Weber are at large as yet and officiating
ish he lived in West Feliciana) that the fam
lily were prosecuted by the democrats, and re-
terring to the Packard legislature as the law
full legislature" &c.
Witness, on cross-eXaminatiOn by Mr. Cox
said the statements were vOuched for by him
at the time, and he then believed them to be
been misinfOrmed. He now pronounced the
statements therein false. He subsequently
said the statements were made for political
snddch d d as ne eeieYed they would be published
favor of Packard Witness Submitted also a
written statement setting forth that his
sell obnoxious to the people of the parish by
threatening to publish a list of defaulting tax
| payers, and by having previously rendered
himself obnoxious by publishing his protest
his personal enemies took advantage of this
fact The murder was not done by political
enemies, but by personal ones.
| witness was rlgldly cross examined as to his
ing. He said he saw Mr. Sherman, Mr. Hale
and Mr. Stoughton, on the 18th or l6th of No
yember, in the New Orleans custom house.
They were sitting in different groups in the
custom house. He talked with Sherman and
read the writing he was making. Saw Sher
man write very distinctly. Looked at him a
minute or two, and Oh that occasion Sherman
told him to go and get his brother, D. a. We
Der, and Jas. E. Anderson.
The Testimony To-day.
The committee met at II clock a. m. E. L.
Weber was recalled. Witness stated that the
conferences between the visiting statesmen
and the republican leaders of Louisiana were
| held at the cuStOm-hOuSe and at the st. Charles
| hotel; it was understood by all that Secretary
| Sherman was the leader, and he SO acted; the
sublee. matter OF conference at the NEE tlngs
| state and its application the matter of pro-
| tests from East and West Feliciana parishes
was the subject of discussion at the confer
| ence: the republicans seemed to think that
Anderson's protest was not broad enough;
| witness had
| ACoNyERsAT1oN WITH SECRETARY SHERMAN,
which he thus related 80 Sherman said to me
! that he understood there was some trouble
about my brothers protest that he (my broth
er) didn't want it to stand as it was, because
facts; but Sherman said if he let it stand he
would see that my brother was provided for
and protected" w Witness continuing, said -
! ION November goth, in the evening, 1 noticed
| my brother and MIR: Anderson in MOra's res
| taurant talking to MIR. Sherman My brother
told me the purpoff Of the conyersation was
| quently obtained by him from Secretary Sher.
man. He showed me
| THE LETTER.
I read it. 1t was written on note paper-a
| double sheet; it took up all of the first page
and about half OF the third, skipping the sec
| HOW THEY MANAGE ELECTIONS IN LOUISIANA.
The returns from the two Feliciana parishes
were opened on the 18th; it was common talk
OF three days after the election that we (the
republicans had been beaten. Kellogg, Pack
ard and Gen. Anderson requested me to use
| my influence with my brother to see that he
made protest; they said he would be pro-
| yided for, and that / would be returned as
| elected to the senate; Anderson said would
be all right if my brother protested against the
vote OF the. parish being returned was de-
feated by l,2UO majority, but the returning
board reversed the majority against me and
returned me elected by 7C0 majority: the re
| publlcanS agreed before the election that they
would not make canvass in East and West
| Feliciana, that they were going democratic
and that the parishes were to be thrown out
Packard told me that if he did not receive a
single vote in either parish that he would be
elected governor; that the parishes were to be
thrown out, as it was the easiest way to dis
|
| questions by Mr.. Hunton as to the registration
in East and West Feliciana, witness testified
| that five or six hundred votes were lost to the
| democrats from the fact that Anderson was
| not there to register the votes
| ELIZA PINKSTON-A PUT UP JOB
| MI. HuntOn then branched of to Eliza Pink
ston, and asked witness if he was present
when Eliza was taken to New Orleans. He
said he was not, but had heard her case dis
cussed by the visiting statesmen. 1t was com
mon runor down there. he said, that it was
| put up jOb?"
| and belief it was"
Mr.. Springer called witness attention to the
| article IN last Saturdays New York Herald
| Purporting to give an affidavit from Mrs.
| Pritchard, formerly PlnkSton, and asked wit
| ness II he knew whether the facts were as
| stated in that affidavit.
Witness.-'To the best of my knowed ge and
| belief they are.
| MRS. JENKS AND THE WIDOW WEBER
The following letter was put In evidence:
| NEW ORLEANS, La, May 20, 1S7S.-Mldar1e:
| In the investigation about TO commence in
| Washington under the Potter resolution it is
| deemed important to have you there as a wit
| ness at once. Mrs. jerks will bear this note
to you and explain the affair to you.
! Very respectfully, L. A SHELDON
Md. u. a. Weber, Donqldsonyiye, La.