The Portland daily press., 1880-05-14

to you?
1 didn't notice it; think from Augusta
| What did you receive at that time, accord =
ing to your best recollection, beside these
blank returns?
l received something similar to what there is
| in my book there.
| Did you receive letter?
| think not a written letter. but it might
have been; 1 could not say, for l merely
| opened it, took it out, made COPY
What was that you received? Was it a di-
| rectlon in relation to making up the returns?
Merely request to send return, L think,
for Senator.
A request to send back returns for Senator?
| You had already made up one set of returns
| and brought them here, had you?
| Yes, had.
| And after that, about the middle of Decem
| Der?
About that I think.
About that time you received another set of
| blanks, with request to fill them up, and
| send them here to Augusta?
| One blank.
One blank?
YeS sir.
With request to fill it up and send it here
| to Augusta?
| Yes, sir; there might have been two, but
| think there was bnt one.
What has become of that letter?
cannot tell you.
Have you destroyed it?
No. not that l know of.
Have you lost it?
Not that 1 know of. L know the way it
came, and took it and sat down in my dining
room, took out this blank and filled tup in a
hurry, and probably left the envelope on the
table.
Into what did you put that blank?
put it, think, into plain envelope.
To whom did you direct it?
That is another question that 1 cannot
answer.
Now you say you have no recollection to
whom you directed it?
can say so if it was the last words spoke
on the earth.
To what place did you direct it?
To Augusta. s
But you cannot tell this committee to what
person you directed it, can you?
cannot; for L didn't pay attention to the
| envelope or anything of the kind.
Have you not said within three days that
| you directed it to the Secretary of State?
l might have said So
Was it or not true that you did direct 10 to
| the Secretary of State?
That would have been the proper place to
| direct it.
Have you any doubt that you directed it to
the Secretary of State, or the Secretary of
| States office here at Augusta?
| cannot say but that / did direct it to the
| Secretary of State.
You knew you had made up one return and
Sent IL mere, dld you not?
did, yes sir.
Was it usual thing to have second set of
blanks sent from the Secretary of State or
from Augusta with directions for you to make
| up new return and send it here?
No, sir.
life that you remember of?
No, sr;I remember the reply that made
to my wife when 1 received it.
Will you state what it was?
told her that guessed that in my original
return that sent out here to the Secretary of
State, there might have been some mistake
That occurred to you at the time?
Yes, sir; didn't know but there might be
some mistake.
You have examined this Senatorial return
marked Exhibit A" in the day time, have
you not?
Yes, sir.
Can you discover, or do you say, that the
name Andrew A. r. Smith has been scraped
or tempered with or changed from what it was
when you wrote it?
Ii it is has cannot see any change. 1t looks
as though there had been little something
there.
Whether or not in connection with the "T''
or the middle initial letter of the name of
Isaac L. HobSon there appears to be an era
sure?
That is the way generally make "T.''
ask you If there appears 10 be an erasure?
1t seems as though there has been something
but it is too far away.
You made no eraSure upon it?
| never made any alterations
Whether or not the names of all the select
men were signed by you to the return that you
made up when the blank was sent you in the
middle of December and returned?
Yes, sir; you mean the original?
mean the one that you made up in Deem
Der.
Yes, signed the selectmen's names
Did you fill up the return?
The return sent in December?
Yes?
Yes, every word of it,
You filed up every word of it?
Yes, sir.
And that was in your hand writing?
Yes, sir.
marked exhibit Az all in your handwrit-
ing?
Yes, every word of it. If there is any al
teration made in any letter, l never made
any.
With the exception of the middle initial let
ter of Isaac T Hobson's name, and the word
"t-y,'. on the sixty" do you see any word
there that is not in your handwriting?
No, sir nothing except that.
Now, have you any reason to doubt that the
return which you hold in your hand (marked
exhibit A') is the return which YOU saw Won
made up and sent here by mail about the mid
die of December last?
Now, | want to answer that properly; L
should say that in my first return it was can
drew r. G. Smith,
Have you any reason to doubt that the re-
turn that you hold in your hand (marked SEX
hibit A'') is the return that you made out and
sent to the Secretary of States office in the
middle of December,-have you any doubt in
your mind?
Mr.. Bowler-But that this is the identical
paper?
Yes, upon your oath?
I wish to answer that question as though l
never was going to speak but one word of
truth in my life; that is a pretty hard ques-
ton for me to answer
Mr.. Hale-To the best of your Judgment.
kind of have thought,-it is in my mind,-
that this may be my first return; but still l
would not say that it is.
Have you not said within three days
that you had no doubt that that was the return
that you sent in the middle of December?
don't know as have any doubt that it is;
but STILL it may not be so.
Mr.. Hale-You don't know that you have
any doubt but that it is, but it may not be SO?
What is there about that return by which
you can identify it with the first return which
have described and which you have de-
scribed?
This would have been "R. G.. Smith, instead
of ga. r. Smith,"
Now my question is, what was there about
that return that you hold in your. hand
marked exhibit A." that you can identify as
being the return, or leads you to think that it
is the return, that you say you made mp at the
townmeeting, and which contained the name
of Andrew r. G. Smith, instead of the name
of "Andrew A. r. Smith,
This don't identify my return.
What return doesn't it identify?
This don't identify the true record, and it
don't identify the statement that made there.
By Mr.. Hale:
You mean that it doesn't agree with it?
Doesn't agree with it.
Does the return which you hold in your
hand marked Exhibit A. agree with the re-
turn which you say you made up in town
meeting, and which you say contained the
name Of Andrew r. G. Smith?
No, sir.
Mr.. Hale-You want to be careful about
this thing.
Is there any reason, in looking at that re-
turn, that makes you think it is the first
return?
No; it ought to be r. G.. Smith instead of
ga. R."
Mr.. Hale-Precisely that is the reason why
it is not the first return.
Is there any reason in that paper that makes
you think it is the first return?
Mr.. Hale-You are giving reasons all the
time why it is not the first return.
Isn't it your belief and Judgment that that is
the second return?