The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-06-06
THEPOTTER COMMITTEE
ANDERSON's TESTIMONY CONrIN
UED.
10 Catch the witness with
DerOy Paper-Butler Calls
on the President for
Documents.

with the last Presidential election, met
to-day. The returns OF the Electoral
College OF Louisisns having been re-
celved from tie Secretary of the Senate,
they were submitted for examination.
After the returns were read, several
members of the committee expressed s
desire to be in the House to vote on the
tariff bill, and recess WAS taken.
The Potter Investigation Committee
having reSssembled. General Butler Of
fered the following resolution:
WHEREAS, James +. Anderson swesrs
tbs: between Msy 25ih and June lst
1877, Stanley Matthews told blm: IL
have just to-day had a letter from the
President in regard to your case, and |
have written him such letter as will
secure your appointment to some posi-
ton" and that, on or about June %,
the President said to the the witness
that he had received letter from Mat
thews, requesting hin to give him y
| place; therefore,
ResOLved, Tha. the President be re-
Quested TO furnish TO the committee sll
/ the original letters above mentioned
which he has received, II sDy, or certl.
fed copies thereof, with copies OF any
such letters supposed to b' written by
bin, as be may prefer, mi iOrdDr - s'clre
an intelligent Cross.eGsm.nRuUn "l wit.
nesses on the subject matter thereof.
| The resolution was adopted.
George &. Gorham, Secretary OF the
! Senate, was sworn and questioned 10y the
! chairman relative to the papers submit
ted TO the committee, and be stated that
they were the only pspers relating 10 the
! Louisiana Electoral College of 1876 IN
! his possession. lie knew nothing ,l any
! record Of the proceedings Of the Return
Isg Board until yesterday, when he wa.
| informed by correspondent that such
document was IN the keeping OF the
! Segcent-at-Arms of the Senate, snd thst
gentleman would give the committee any
information they desired regarding It.
James +. Anderson was recalled and
further cross-examlned by Mr.. Reed.
The witness was shown the document
purporting TO be the original agreement
signed by himself aud Weber, which he
yesterday testified WAS in the possession
| of Senstor Matthews, and declared the
document not to be the original, but WAS
a very fair counterfeit.
Mr.. Reed smiled, and the witness said,
Preserve your smiles until the inve tiSs-
| tion is over, and perhaps you Will smile
on the other side Of your lace
The chairman demanded order.
Mr. Reed asked the witness II be could
explain why he was 80 poaLIve that the
document was no. the original, aud re-
plying he said remember distinctly that
the sheet of paper upon which ] wrote
the agreement had two small red ink
stains on it's face, one At the top and the
other about the middle OF the page and |
erased those stains, leaving marks cf the
erasurc, and finding no such marks upon
this page know it is not the original
Mr.. Cox mrde a statement that in sC-
cordsnce with the suggestion from tie
chairman, he had called Mr.. Matthews
and requested the production Of the An
derson- Weber contract, and that Mr..
Matthews, in compliance with the re-
quest, handed him this paper.
The witness still persisted in declaring
that It was not the paper which he had
mailed TO Mr.. Matthews. The witness
was cross-eIanined minutely as TO the
! circumstances attending the signature
Of the Anderson Weber contract. At
one time he testified to his recollection
of its taking place At the Office OF Sey-
mOur, q notary public, and another time
expressed doubt as 10 whether one set
of the signatures (there were two sets TO
the same paper may not have been
made at the custom house. He could not
! q Z it definitely where the first set had
| been made, but he inclined 10 the belief
that both sets were signed at SeymOur's
! office.
In reference 10 one Of those variations
Mr.. Reed said: You stated that the fret
.et of signatures were executed At Sey.
mOur's Office.
Witneis-Then am willing to correct
it.
Mr.. Reed Now l want 70 know
! whether that is the truth or whether you
said that with the intention Of deceIVlDg
! this Com mittee?
Witness-AllOw me 10 say that have
no interest IN deceiving this Committee.
Mr.. Reed-Of thst, perhaps, we want
tome better assurance.
! NFuness-It is a matter OF indifsr-
! ence 10 me whether you want better as
| surar ce or not
Odd you see Weber sign the frat
one, whenever it was signed? Al say
| do not recolIect anything 81 70 the first
slgnstures, whether we signed them in
the custom house or where. Ny impres-
sion is lhst we signed both OF them in
Seymours Office.
Q-Do you say thst s no. your hand
writing on this paper lthe copy Of the
Weber agreement as furnished by Mr..
Matthews)2 Al say .ns. 70 the best
OF nv know ledge and oeIief /: is not my
hsadwrItIt z.
Q-Can you make It no stronger? A.
i csn make It stronger by saying that
think it 81 excellent counterfeit OF my
handwriting.
Q-Do you know whether i! Ia your
| handwriting or not? Al know hat
it is not.
Q.-Do you swear that it is not your
handwriting? Al swear that Il is
not my hsudwriIiDg. That copy wss
not written By me.
Q.-Do you swesr tina: this Is not the
original psper' Al Is not the orig
inal paper.
Q-is this WebeIs signature 70 il? A.
1t is neither Webers signature nor my
signature.
ODD you ever see that paper betore1
Al have no recollection Of ever sesin Z
that paper.
Q-Is not this the paper ths! you
mailed 10 Senator MsithewsI Al Is
not. know BY the fact that the sheet
Of paper on which l wrote the agree
men. hsd two spe.s 0! rel ink on it, one
on top St the right hand corner and one
Jus. below the centre which, spots
I erased. l remember it very die
; tinctly and this paper has 10 mark Of