Evening star., 1933-02-12
Howell Restores Order After
Charges Against Longs
Machine.
Committee WITNESS
ALLEGES CROOKEDNESS
Declares Booths Stacked With
Commissioners to Defeat
Broussard.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS, February 11.-Fists
were shaken, arms swung and voices
lifted to shouts at this afternoons ses-
sion of the Senate Committee investi-
eating charges Of fraud in the election
Of Representative John H. Overton to
the United States Senate as Senator
Huey p. Long and Overton on one side
clashed with Gen. Samuel r. Ansell,
committee counsel, and Francis VIII
liams, the first committee witness, on
the other.
Senator Robert B. Howell, committee
chairman, finally brought measure of
calm to the proceedings and recessed
until Monday.
The storm broke when williams testi-
fled that the New Orleans end of the
State primary. at which Overton was
elected, was "the most crooked election
ever known in New Orleans" He added
that the previous election Of Gov. o. K
Allen was on q par with it,
The witness charged that Senator
Longs forces, which supported Overton,
had stacked the polling booths with
commissioners favorable to Overton by
having II dummy candidates file for
office. He declared the Overton faction
had proportion Of to / of election
ofiicials in the city and that in 40 per
cent OF the New Orleans precincts Sen
ator Broussard did not have . single
ofacial at the polls.
Claims Watcher Arrested.
williams asserted that one Broussard
poll watcher was arrested by police
man for mot moving ON" when 1t was
the duty Of the watcher to stand by
and observe the election proceedings.
Several hours later, he said, the watch
er was released from jail. but nobody
knows what went on at the polls during
those hours"
Senator Long said that an unbiased
Arbitration Committee, composed of
half Overton and half Broussard sup
porters, had been named to supervise
the election, but Williams, who said he
was Broussard's city campaign manager,
testified he had not been consulted and
had had no part In the selection Of the
committee.
Senator Long protested that williams
was relating hearsay testimony and was
expressing opinions.
Visibly vexed, Gen. Ansell walked be-
fore the bar and denounced "a situation
that smelled to the high heavens" He
declared the committee was not operat-
ing under rules Of evidence but that
even under such rules the proof OF
fraud was not required by direct testi-
mony. Senator Long shouted, ''But It
requires competent testimony"
Ansell said Williams had been giving
competent testimony, that Long has at
tempted to raise technicalities and that
both "Overton and his counsel had been
attempting to repress facts"
Rising from his chair, and in voice
shaking with emotion, Representative
Overton said he had assumed the COM
mittee was here as an unbiased group
to deduce facts both favorable and un-
favorable but the committee counsel has
gone out of his way to cast an aspersion
on me that Is absolutely false and
biased
Shouts Out Reply.
Il am not going to have my character
assassinated and sit here SILENT" said
Overton. Il rise to resent It,"
The Representative threw his glasses
TO the floor and shouted:
Il repeat that counsel's remarks have
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