Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 March 1879 — THE INVESTIGATION. [ARTICLE]

THE INVESTIGATION.

The Potter Committer. When the committee met, on the 24th, the Chairman read a letter from C. W. Wooley,, of Cincinnati, in which he stated that he was ill and unable to attend upon the sittings of the committee. He had read the evidence of one John F. Coyle, and desired to say tout so far as Coyle's statements related to him they were absolutely untrue. Ho respectfully asked that this letter, which he had sworn to, be placed upon the records of the committee. Mr. Wooley further wrote that, if the committee would receive and file a sworn statement from him as to all his transactions in political matters in Louisiana and Florida in 1876. he would prepare the same at once. This affidavit was not received, and the Chairman was instructed to write Mr. Wooley that the committee would hear him personally at the earliest practicable moment. The Chairman also read a letter from Alexander Thein, who, according to Coyle's testimony, offered to sell the Florida Returning Board for 81hl),(X)0. He asked is rmission to refute, before the committee, the charges against him. William E. Chandler put m evidence sundry letter-, to show that Gen. Barlow was acting in the Republican interest in Florida, and informed the committee that his Florida cipher and numerous telegrams sent by him were in possession of John I. Davenport. James H. Maddox testified that Wharton knew that (lov. Wells was for sale, and he proposed that they should see Packard in regard to it; they talked the matter over with him. and $30,000 was mentioned as the sum that would lie required; Packard did not decline to put up the money, but said that he would take the matter into consideration; a few days afterward it was suggested by Wharton that Packard should promise an office to Wells; Packard Said that lie could not promise him an office at that time, but he had done Wells many other nets of kindness, and he must judge from the past what he would do in future; wit-nei-s repui»ed the conversation to Wells, who declinrfotlie offer; he said that he might want to leave New Orleans, and did not want an bffice, but money; Wharton proposed that he(Maddox) should keep up the negotiations with Wells, to prevent his entering into any.other, but the witness declined. D. J. M. Jewett testified that he acted as Secretary to the Republican Committee in Louisiana in 1876, and knew that ta'se protests were made from several parishes. Witness gave an account of the Bossier massacre of 1868, and said the commander of the rioters wtas Jack Wharton, now United States Marshal; other details were given by the witness as to the drawing up of protests; the protests were drawn up upen the evidence and affidavits of the Supervisors, and they were obtained in some instances only by dint of considerable pressure; Wm. E. Anderson refused to make his protest when he arrived, but subsequently on the same day he made one; on the following day he repudiated it; bn the 17 th he readopted it and on the 23d it v as transmitted by letter to the Returning Board; the witness testified that he had the original of the Richland protest aud that it was drawn by Kellogg; on one evening he was asked to attend a meeting in the private office of the Postoffice, and he did sot met there Mr. George T. Smith, Member of Congress for that district, and a number of Supervisors; Smith stated to him that they wished him to draft protests for one or two parishes; the vault in the Postoffice was unlocked and a number of packages taken out, which proved to be the consolidated statements and legal indorsurfs of De Soto, Webster, Bossier and Caddo Parishes; the several Supervisors from these parishes were present; witness drew up the protests; they were afterward copied by the Supervisors and inserted in their projier package with the other documents. Referring to the second Electoral certificates, the witness stated his belief that Blanchard had no complicity in it: he (witness) received a letter from H. D. Clark during last summer, who was also charged with being guilty of forging names to those certificates; assured Gen Sewell that the forgery was not done -by him, but that it was his impression that it had been done by Thomas S. Kelly; had not a copy of any of these letters. Being again asked what persons were in the Postoffice at the time the returns were opened and the protests put in, the witness named the following: E. D. Smith, Cashier of the Postoffice, who had asked him to be present; C, 8. Ferguson, of DeSoto; F. H. Hutton; of Bossier; J. W. Morrow. Supervisor; Fred G. Heath, candidate for Legislature, - and Gen. Gardiner. Percy Baker, State Senator for Bossier, was also present; remembered the meeting with Weber and asking him if he had filed his protest; Weber’*reply in substance was: “My head is a cursed sight more important to me than Packard being returned.” The Chairman then produced the Jewett-Kellogg letter, butj having asked the witness if it was his bandwriting and the witness having replied in the affirmative,the document was laid on the table without further questions being put in regard to it. The committee went into secret session, during which it was resolved to take no more oral evidence, with the exception of Woolley and Solomons. if they can be brought before the Committee,

The committee, at an executive session, on the 25th, decided not to take any more testimony unless some one requests to be heard. It was voted to adjourn until the 28th, to consider the matter of preparing a report. The committee met in secret session on the motning of the 28th, all the members being present. The Chairman produced letters from Senators Allison and Ingalls, who were the Tellers on the part of the Senate at the time the Presidential election returns were presented, stating that they had no knowledge of wbat became of the Electoral certificate of Louisiana known as the "John Smith” certificate, which was withdrawn and suppressed from the records. A communication was read from Rogers, Private Secretary of the President, stating that the latter had no knowledge of a letter from Iheodore Bourne in regard to the confession of certain parties connected with the Florida frauds, and Inclosing a telegram from Bourne that a letter asking for information in regard to the matter had been received from the President. The committee appeared to consider that tbe production of the Tetter which, it is alleged, was sent to the President, is of great importance, and they instructed the Chairman to make a farther search for it. , A letter from Mr. Jewettt, to the effect that after a conversation with Mr, G. S. Smith he was satisfied that he had been mistaken in regard to that gentleman opening the New Orleans Postoffice vault for them to get the election returns was next read and laid on the table without comment.