The New York herald., 1879-02-08

had conversation with him outside Of the committee
The chairman then went through the st. Martin
affidavit nterrogating witness on every point where
his name was mentioned, the result of which was
general and particular denial OF au tno charges o"
Under examination by Mr.. Cox. Gibson stated
that he did not recollect any conversation OF any
character with Mr.. Weber in New Orleans, and had
no remembrance Of receiving from him or forward.
ing TO him u communication OF any KIND admitted
having received memorandum from Maddox as to
what certain witnesses were to testify when they
were called to the stand, and having given the same
10 either Mr.. Stenger or Mr. Blackburn. whomever ne
Glanced to meet first.
Q. You were generally IN the committee room our
ing the examination, were you not? A. think so;
every day.
O. Did you not take seat between Messrs. stenger
and Blackburn for the purpose OF advising them a.
the witnesses came the stand? A. Yes. sir;
think So except in few cases, which were detailed
Q. From my remembrance you were there much
more regularly than either of the gentlemen named;
am right? A. My recollection is that that is fact;
was there every day.
is had no writing material before you? A. No, sir;
have never done anything of the kind since ! have
other business than that of correspondent to perform
should not have been obliged to do SO; did send
Witness then testified that he never made any in
qury to the whereabouts of the witnesses in New
Orleans and did not know where they were quartered
until he heard II here.
GIpsoNs LONG STORY.
Mr. Cox then asked the witness what part of his
duties in New Orleans were journalistic proper and
what part political.
The witness replied that to this would
necessitate his telling rather long story; his first
visit to Louisiana was in the spring 1877 and he
remained there about two months; business kept
him there, and he also took deep interest In me
political situation he made the acquaintance of
great many republicans during his stay without any
special object except that he thought more mischief
might be done by encouraging Packard and his party;
through him and others he gathered great many
facts about the Returning Board ana the election
of 1876; shortly after his return from New Orleans
he received from Mr.. Dana an envelope containing
number of papers which he desired witness to look
into: these were the papers sent by James r. Ander-
son from Philadelphia; he Investigated them very
carefully until about the 18th or Goth OF June. when
he left the city with his family for month or
six weeks among the mountains of Virginia. on his
return he received other communications
and submitted the facts to Judge Black, OF
Pennsylvania who after seeing some Of the per-
sons referred to and obtaining detailed information
about certain crimes that had been committed i'll
Louisiana wrote letter to Mr. Dana. editor OF the
Sta giving his opinion to the value of the papers
in a legal and newspaper point or view; witness
carried the letter to Mr. Dana and upon his instruc
tons proceeded to Louisiana to further investigate
the matter; after this he made third journey to
Louisiana and the sum total of his investigations
communicated to Mr.. Dana had largely to do with
the course pursued by the paper in demanding an
official investigation; when the committee went to
New Orleans witness was requested by Mr.;
Dana to accompany it, and he did so. and
70 separate his duties as correspondent
md as a quasi adviser Of the s,ni. democratic tic
knew generally what they were after; he knew
great many things which they did not know-some.
In fact that he was unable to lay before them. be-
cause they had come to him conhdentially.
Mr.. Cox-You speak of your relations counsel to
certain persons. Are you lawyer by profession?
Witness-Yes; have no Office. but have great
deal to do with many in which the Sun is in
terested both here'and in New York.
Mr.. Cox--Was the only commission you received
in the case orally otherwise, and the only
from which you received money that should be ex-
pended in way in that visit. that OF the propre-
tors Of the SunS
Witness--I could not have gone to New Orleans
without the consent direction Of the editor Of the
Sun; went there by his request. or rather by his
direction, and whatever money I expended was
obtained from the Sun or was my own; certainly
had no other relations with any person except the
proprietors of the Sun; do not mean to say that
Mr. Dana understood | was going to New Orleans
simply as correspondent to note and report what
occurred he expected me to assist in every way to
aid the development of any facts which came
to my knowledge and in the event of certain things
transpiring would have been able to communicate
to the Sum- in advance of any other paper valuable
information which would more than have compen-
was precisely what has been described by witness
Maddox. brought me into close intimacy with the
democrats of course but knew all the politicians
In New Orleans of both sides
In reply to Mr.. Cox witness said II furnished no
money for the payment of witnesses, and as far as
my knowledge goes no money was paid for that pur-
pose.
CHEAP LOUISIANA TESTIMONY.
Mr.. Cox--Had you Information to the $3.50
that 1t has been alleged were to be paid to Dua?
A. No. sir; might say something else think
should have been fool to have paid $3.50 for the
testimony of any man; rs q supposittious PROPOSE
ton would reject it, because do not think would
gctmy moneys worth; testimony in Louisiana rates
Mr. Cox-Yes, we have testimony to the effect that
some Of the coiored witnesses received from $40 to
$50. That is considerably lower A. know nothing
OF that and do not believe IL.
THE DEAD WITNESS.
In further crossexamination by the chairman Mr..
Gibson stated that Mr.. Weber had furnished, in his
statement before the committee in Washington, the
of certain witnesses who had made affidavits
In the Custom House. some of whom were dead at
the time their aidavis purported to have been
made, and others who had testified upon hear
say evidence only, but who had been reported
az tbev had frpmt tleir roxVr kpo ,ls.I.ra
Weber was anxious to have that part of his testi-
mony supported by such witnesses as he could OBJ
tain. and he furnished the names himself. Witness
had talk with any of the witnesses Mt any time.
MISSING DOCUMENTS.
In reply to q further question with regard to the
papers that led him to visit New orleans, witness
ssid that the Morrison committee, in 1876
or 1871 ,oa attempted mp oo;o to get ~, the original
Returning Board, but the Board refused to
do more than to furnish copies: the papers upon
which the Returning Board were supposed to have
acted were attcrward sent TO Washington and placed
In charge of the Senate committee; few only of
these papers returned TO New Orleans: the rest
were abstracted from the committee room here,
and part of his business TO find out
something about the missing documents; he
government broke up and anxious that
these papers should be Immediately looked after
Mr.. Smith. reporter of the Democrat. since dead
instructed by witness to take up the search. and
he found safe in the executive Office and took out
great number Of the papers; his principal object was
to ind certain protest in the of kichland par
ish; he knew that n protest had been drawn UP by
Governor Kellogg which was not accepted, and .
second by Mr.. II. J. Campbell these were the docu-
lnens referred to in the list that he had given to Mr.
Potter.
ON being cross-examined by Mr. Cox in reference
To the teegrans tnat sent by 81 Martin tn him.
witness said ne did not understand they came from
Weber because he knew that Weber had no right to
send him such telegram; he had suspicious, but
these he did not care TO say anything about II.
they might prove unjust TO some person; he could
not rccollect precisely what he had said to Maddox
about these tolegrains he had no doubt that he
quested Maddox to look after Weber's school board
case and he himself spoke to Governor wcklifc;
Mr. Hawkes.. authority In the village aud several
other gentlemen thinking IL right that the man
should have fair hearing in the case he never
knew that " ebcr complained of his treatment by tho
democratic party knew nothing about the warrants.
Except that Weber had not come rightly by them.
An UNPAID BILL.
No other questions being put Mr. Gibson said he
had other little matter to- draw the committee s
attention to- He understood the committee now
in funds. and he begged to hand to the chairman
account for S1TI. which he advanced to the
Ciitee on July 20 10 pay witnesses who to New
Orleans after the subcommittee had left. Mr.. Potter
.l.I