The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1879-02-05
TRYING TO BUY SENATOR'S,


fairs that have ever taken place in
Louisiana TRANSFERRED yesterday. 1t
has been for some days rumored Oh
the streets that the Lottery Compa-
nv were endeavoring to buy up
enough Senators to defeat the pas
sage of the bill repeating their char
ter. These rumors were so wide
spread and so specific that our es
teemed contemporary, the "Morning
Star and Catholic Messenger Sat-
urday morning referred to them ed
itorially. We did not believe that
the audacity and desperation Of the
Company could drive its managers
to such dastardly methods of saliva
ton. But it seems that our contem-
porary was better informed on this
point than ourselves.
Yesterday, during the day, subse
quent to the adjournment of the Sen
ate by which vote on the repeal bill
was prevented, well-known parti-
san and agent of the Lottery APP
preached gentleman who is prom
inent Democrat and told him quite
mysteriously that he had one thou
sand dollars to pay any Senator who
was supporting a certain candidate
for the United States Senate who
would absent himself from his seat
tomorrow to day. Our friend, de-
string to more fully develop the
scheme of bribery, made an appoint
ment to meet the one thousand dol
lar man in the evening with such a
Senator, and at the appointed hour
fulfilled the appointment, accompan-
led by-one ofbis friends. A CONVEX
sation was opened, and after some
talk the agent of the Lottery stated
that he would give three thousand
dollars to a Senator who would alb
sent himself as above stated, but
added, HE (lhe Senator) must not
be one of my men," Instantly the
two gentlemen dropped" on the
scheme. They saw that the real OBJ
ject was not to get o Senator away
in the interest of any candidate for
the United States Senate, but to buy
some member of the upper House
who favors the repeal bill to absent
himself from his seat when the bill
comes up to day. The two gentle
men shortly afterwards visited this
office and narrated to Us the facts as
we have given them. They are both
gentlemen of the highest character,
and we withhold their names only
because they desire to escape
noteriety.
The other incident happened on
Sunday evening, and in this case we
are authorized to give the names OF
all the parties. On the evening Of
The day mentioned Senators Ducros
aud z ,charie were seated in the law
ollie of the former, preparing the
majority report of the Judiciary
Committee on the Lottery bill, when
ex Recorder Gastinel, well known
partisan of the Lottery Company, en-
tered she Office and stated to Dir.
Ducros that he was authorized to
pay him a cash fee Of one thousand
dollars to defend DR.. Latham, at Bay
St. Louis, in Mississippi, charged
with murder. Mr.. Ducros, some
what surprised, replied that he was
not criminal lawyer, and asked
why he had been selected as counsel
in a murder case. Mr.. Gastinel re-
Joined that the trial would in all
probability develop cause for a suit
in damages, and that it was princi-
pally in the latter case that his SER
vices were desired. Suspecting
nothing wrong, Mr.. Ducros consent
ed to be engaged in the case, where
upon Mr.. Gastinel said: "Then you
must meet me at the train to morrow
morning; we must leave right away,
as the case is fixed for trial. I'll
have basket of good wine aboard,
and we will have good time
On the departure of Mr.. Gastinel,
Col. Zacharie called the attention of
Mr.. Ducros to the strangeness of
their visitors action, and to the fact
that the Lottery bill was to be re-
ported on the very day he was en-
ployed to leave the city, and would
be finally disposed of before he could
possibly return. The ex-Recorder's
persistence in urging the fee and em-
ployment had also been remarked.
Mr.. Ducros' eyes were instantly
opened; he saw the trick by which it
was intended to inveigle him from