Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-09-16


you? IL was Packard that was running
for Governor and that could not hold
his office, although he got a thousand
more votes than Hayes, who got the
vote of Louisiana. (Applause.l
40. In that inner room was there
anybody beside yourself2 A. Nobody
"He was asked whether there was
anybody in the inner room but himself
and he says no. No, that there was no
inner room, but there was nobody in
the inner room but himself.
Some OF the men who were getting
up statements about other parishes
came in there, but the room was as.
signed to me. tApplause.). There you
have it an inner room reached only by
passing through another room from the
public hall, and he occupied it and re-
ceived the witnesses there, as | will now
proceed TO prove. So the question, -
What did he do in the inner room
and that question was asked him under
oath. o. What did you do? a. /
took all those papers, commencing with
the protest, and read them carefully
and made a careful brief Of their con.
tents, giving the summary Of each wit.
ness in my own way, as | would If
were a lawyer in the case (Applause.)
There is Garfield at New Orleans-the
man that asks TO preside in the chief
Office OF this great nation. There is
Garfield sitting in that inner room OF
the Custom. hnnse, where the light Of
day and the judgment Of the American
people was cut off and receiving the
evidence that turned the parish Of
Waa4 E.ttrt.,u anI iY,s, ti..r,a
though he was lawyer in the case. and
so he swears when ] had completed
that felt great deal Of anxiety 10 see
the men who had testified, if ! could
Now, notice what he has sworn 70
That he occupied that room and that
when the testimony was all handed to
him relating to the parish OF West Fc.
liciaria, he examined ii and the test,
mony and he made out "A list OF one.
half or two.thirds Of the witnesses, and
he sent for them one by one. lie ex.
amined them, and when their testimony
was not as full as he desired he prepared
additional interrogatories which went.
in some cases at least, before the Re
turning Board. The summary i'm the
testimony in the case of West Feliciana
was prepared by him. A little further
about what he did Some Of these
aflidavits notice in the West Feliciana
case were made after you arrived in
New Orleans Did you have anything
to do with them yourself-in taking
them? A. Nothing. except that in
some instances, a. have already Telat,
ed, ] prepared intcfrogatories. Now.
gentlemen, he mentions As the most
remarkable case in which he prepared
the questions for the witnesses the case
| Of Amy Mitchell, so ! will read what
Garfield swore TO in regard to that case.
90. As regards the case of Amy
MITCHELL which made an impression on
you, can you tell whether it was before
or after you were furnished with "A copy
of her affidavit that you had this con.
versation with herr A. IL was after
ward. II was the reading Of the affidavit
that impressed me, and asked TO have
her sent TO me-
"'Q. see that the affidavit appears
to have been sworn 10 the 30Ih Of
November 4. advised them 10 take
fuller statement by interrogatories
from Amy Mitchell, and ! think | pro.
pounded a portion OF the interroga.
tories. The preliminary statement, the
simple affidavit, was earlier Now, gen
tlemen, | will turn over page and see
what the case OF Amy Mitchell was.
| Turning the leaves of a book She
first made an affidavit i'm the Custom
House, where she was examined pri.
vately by James A. Garfield That
affidavit was not full enough. lie pre-.
pared additional interrogatories 10 be
I ~ HaI sxS hum e..I rl 4
those interrogatorics, and in her testi.
mony before this same committee she
afterwards herself swore that there was
no truth in the statement given in
response to Gariield's interrogAtories.
In answer TO a question propounded by
Governor Co., :. Ohio, who is a Repub.
lican, Amy Mitchell said-she repeated
her direct test;mony--thate every state
ment contained in the affidavit was
false that she did not say anything
because she knew il, but said what they
told her to say. Her testimony also
showed that she had trained in the
Custom House TO testify before the
committee. / don't say tha: Garfield
was present when she swore 10 the
answers to interrogatories, but he pre-.
pared the interrogatories that were
answered, and he prepared the in;errog.
atories after he had an interview with
that colored woman, when there was no
person besides themselves present, and
the same woman comes before the com.
mittee OF Congress, not in an inner
room, not when the light Of Gods day
is shut of, but she comes before the
committee Of Democrats and Republi.
cans, and in that testimony, given
under oath and under the test of a
cross examination by the Republican
members of the committee. She saws
there was not a word of truth In the
testimony which she gave in answer TO
Garfield's questions, GApplause.) The
next purpose, gentlemen, have in
my mind is TO ask why did Garfield
spend eighteen days in the inner room
of the Custom Ho1se7 Why did he
have private interviews with the color.
ed and white people whose testimony