of the ballot-box in order to keep the crowd away, so that the voters could pass in at one end and out at the other. Q. Was that an unusual thing on election day?-A. No, sir; that has always been so. Q. So far as you know, is that arrangement followed in other towns? -A. Yes, sir. Q. It is to keep the crowds from. flocking in upon those who vote?A. Yes, sir; for the same purpose that the railing is put up here. [Indicating a railing in the committee room.] Q. It is said that you exercised an undue influence upon the voters in the factory; will you state how that was?-A. I do not think that I exchanged words half a dozen times with our men in our village. I do not think that I make a practice of it among our men, but there are a few men there with whom I do sometimes talk politics. Q. What are they?-A. Democrats and Republicans both. Q. Did you practice any act of coercion or intimidation or unusual pressure upon the voters in that establishment?-A. Not that I am aware of; not the slightest. Q. So far as you know did you persuade anybody to vote the Republican ticket or for Mr. Talbot against his wishes or his judgment?-A. I did not. The only solicitation that I made that day, I think that the only thing that I did, was this, to assist Mr. Rice, the Democratic candidate for Representative here from Boston. I did solicit a few votes for him that day. I did ask some of our men to vote for him if they could consistently. Q. You wanted him elected?-A. Yes, sir. Q. It is said that you watched the men vote, and that they were in fear by reason of your watching. Is there anything in that?-A. I do not think that that is so. I do not think there can be a man found there who will acknowledge that as a fact. Q. Did you watch the men vote?—A. No, I did not watch their vot ing, or the manner in which they voted. I stood there at the end as they passed through, in order to give the name to the town clerk, and to assist him in the checking of the list, so that they could not crowd up there. Q. You were chairman of the assessors ?-A. Yes, sir. Q. And as such you had something to do with the vote ?-A. Nothing at all. Q. The selectmen do the business in town?-A. Yes, sir. Q. It was your business to furnish the selectmen with the list ?-A. No. Q. I was mistaken as to that. It is said, too, that you brought the men there in teams, or caused them to be brought there in teams, from the manufacturing establishment. How far is the establishment from the polls?-A. It is about five miles. Q. How were the men taken to the polls?-A. Our teams always take them there irrespective of party, whoever wants to go. Q. Was there anything unusual in the election in November, 1878, in that respect?-A. There was not. Q. It becomes a necessity for somebody to provide teams?—A. Yes, sir; they are situated so far from the polling place that very few of them would go, if obliged to walk. Q. You say they are carried irrespective of their politics?-A. All go, irrespective of their politics. Q. Did you ever refuse to take a Democrat?-A. Never in the world. Q. It is said that, as you stood there at the entrance to the polls, if a 66 man passed along with a Talbot ticket, you said "That's all right, go ahead;" and if with a Butler ticket, you said, in some instances, Here, you don't want to vote that ticket," and put another in the man's hand. Was there anything of that sort?-A. Nothing of the kind. I have offered tickets as they passed along. The chairman of the Democratic committee stood beside me and held his ballots out, and I held out mine, and they could take which they chose, or one of each. Q. It was said by some witness (Terrence Kennedy, I think it was) that you had been in the habit of voting men there who had no right to vote, who were unnaturalized, or who were not domiciled in the place, or were not of age. Have you any knowledge of a case such as any of those?-A. Not in the least. They would have to qualify themselves, of course, before the board of selectmen. Q. Some witness has said that you brought the men up in teams, voted them, and then paid their liquor bills when they went back. Is there anything in that?-A. About five years ago. I think it was, going home one stormy day, I stopped in the hotel in West Sutton and found Kennedy there. I think it very likely I treated him; perhaps I got a cigar there and treated a few, perhaps eight or ten; not more than that, Q. Is that all that there is to it?—A. That is all that there is to it. Q. It is said, also, that you took out $2.40 poll-tax?—A. Their polltax is $2, and their school district tax was 40 cents, which amounted to $2.40. Q. So that you took out the poll and school district taxes?—A. Yes, sir. All those taxes are on one tax bill. It was at their request that I did that. Q. That was all regular, and that is all that there was to it ?—A. Certainly. They requested me to do it in the majority of cases. Q. Are the hands in that establishment free to talk politics?-A. Yes, sir. Q. Do they talk politics?-A. Yes, sir. Q. Do the Democrats in the establishment talk politics?-A. Yes, sir. Q. Have you any Democrats in the establishment who occupy positions on the Democratic town committee, or who take an active interest in Democratic politics?-A. Yes, sir; we have some there who take an active interest in it. Q. Who?-A. Mr. Stevens is one. I think he was a member of the Democratic committee one year. Q. How are your overseers, politically?-A. About equally divided, I think. Q. Are the Democratic overseers at liberty to talk with the help on political subjects?-A. I suppose so; I know nothing to the contrary. They are at perfect liberty to talk politics in any way they desire, so far as I know. Q. A considerable number of your employés are Frenchmen, are they not?-A. Yes, sir; I guess over one-half. Q. I understand that special efforts were made by the Democrats to reach that class of voters by having French speakers there. Is that true?-A. They had a French speaker there. Q. Was anything done by the corporation, by you, or by anybody connected with the corporation to prevent Democratic politicians from urging, talking with, addressing, and endeavoring to persuade the hands in the shop?-A. not the least thing. Q. Do you know Charles Smith ?-A. Yes, sir. Q. It has been testified, I think, that you took an envelope out of his hand and gave him another. Do you remember anything about that? -A. I brought an affidavit from him. Q. State the fact yourself.-A. No, sir; there was nothing of the kind done. He was one of those men who, of course, in passing up to the polls, took a ballot from me. I think he had a Democratic ballot in his hand at the time. I do not know how the man voted. Q. Did you take it away from him?-A. I did not. Q. Did you say anything to him when you gave him the ballot?-A. I might have said "There's a pretty good man. Vote for him if you can." Q. Did you tell him that he must vote it?-A. Not at all. Q. Did you ever tell any of your hands that they must vote so ?—A. Never in the world. Q. Do you know Charles Bell?-A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know Joseph Geear?-A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know Joseph Geear, jr. ?—A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know James Seymour ?-A. Yes, sir. Q. It is stated here that they told somebody, or that they heard somebody tell somebody else that they would have to vote as you dictated, else they would lose their places. Had you dictated to somebody or did you dictate to them how they should vote?—A. Not at all. Q. Did you in any way, directly or indirectly, by intimation or otherwise, give your employés to understand that they must vote against Butler -A. Never in the world, never. Q. Do you know Terrance Kennedy -A. Yes, sir. He did not work in your establishment?-A. He worked there about three years ago. He has not worked for us for about three years. Q. He lived in one of the houses of the corporation ?-A. Yes, sir. Q. It is stated that you gave him notice to leave just before the election and had some words with him. Give the facts in relation to that matter.-A. He was occupying one of our best tenements in the village, and we were very short of tenements. I told Mr. McArthur repeatedly that we ought to have eight or ten more tenements; that it would be a great accommodation to us if we had them. In looking over the names I came across his name, where he had only one child at work in the mill. It is my custom to notify them to move when they have not the proper kind of help in the mill. I sent him notice that he must give up his tenement. I thought it was rather a foolish act at that time, and I told Mr. McArthur so, that I thought I ought not to have done it until after the election, for Kennedy might make capital out of it. How. ever, Mr. McArthur said that as the notice had gone it was well enough as it was, and to let it rest there. Kennedy made a great deal of talk at that time, so much that be made it very annoying for us; but I cannot recollect what his conversation was. Q. He carries the idea in his testimony that Mr. Waters had been up to see him on political matters, had called at his house some time in the afternoon of this day; that you found out that he was aiding Mr. Waters and the Democratic party; and that you sent him a notice im mediately for that reason. Is there anything in that?-A. I did not know the fact of Mr. Waters' being there. Q. Had Kennedy's politics anything whatever to do with your giving him the notice?-A. Not a particle. He had occupied one of our best tenements for about three years with scarcely any one at work in the mill. Q. Did you want those tenements for your employés?—A. We did. We had expected that Kennedy would move. He was talking about moving; had been talking about it for a year or more, and we thought we would let the matter rest and let him move himself. Q. Did you, at the time you gave him the notice, know that Kennedy was active or was likely to be active in politics for Mr. Butler?—A. I presume I knew that fact at the time. Q; But it had nothing to do with your giving him the notice?—A. Nothing. Q. Mr. Kennedy says that he had some conversation with you; that he wanted to stay there until after the election; that you got violent and said he should not; that he wanted to know if he had any rights, and that you told him, "Not a God damned right." Do you remember any conversation of that sort?-A. He came up to my house on the next Sunday morning-I think it was the next day after I sent him the notice to move, but I may have sent him that on either Saturday or Friday. He came up to my house on Sunday about uine o'clock and staid until eleven. He acted very strangely. I was very anxious to go to church with my wife, but he staid around there and kept this talk going. Finally be said, "Damned if I am going to move any way." "Now," said I, “I think you will." "Well," he replied, "damned if I will; I have had counsel on it and I shan't move." As near as I can recollect it, he said, "Haven't I any rights at all?" I replied, "Yes, you have rights, and the man who owns the property has rights." I told him that, as I understood the law, a man could not be removed in seven days from his tenement-no, I don't know whether I made that remark or not, I don't think I did; but I know that he annoyed me exceedingly by remaining there so long when I was anxious to go to church with my wife. Q. Did he annoy you by his conversation that morning ?-A. He did. Q. Was his language respectful?-A. A portion was and a portion, I suppose, was rather excited, the same as my own. Q. You had a large number of Democrats in your employ who occupied your houses, I presume?—A. Yes, sir. Q. You did not give notice to any one of them to leave, I presume?A. No, sir. Q. Was anybody ever discharged from your mill for voting for Butler?-A. Never. Q. In all that you did in elections and in reference to elections, did you act with any concert with your employers?-A. Not at all, that I know of. Q. Do you know what are the politics of the owners of the mills ?— A. I do not. Q. They are not residents of Manchaug?-A. No, sir. Q. Did they ever tell you what their politics were?-A. I don't know that I ever exchanged a word with them on the subject. Q. Do you know Mr. Frank Kennedy?-A. Yes, sir. Q. He states that in the barber shop, one time, he heard the barber say he was going to vote for Butler and that Mr. Chase said he had better not, if he knew which side his bread was buttered on. remember any circumstance such as that?-A. No, sir. Do you Q. Who is the barber?—A. There is a barber by the name of Stevens and one named Brothers. Q. Did you ever say to any operative in the mill, or to any one dependent upon the mill for support, that he had better not vote for Butler if he knew which side his bread was buttered on?-A. Never in the world. Q. This Frank Kennedy states that he heard a mill operative of the Manchaug Company, John Stevens, say that he could get $10 for voting for Talbot, and that if he did so he would have work all winter. Do you know John Stevens ?-A. I know him. I think Q. Do you know whether he was given to understand that his work for the winter depended on his voting against Butler for or Talbot?— A. Not at all. He worked there about two or three months. it was about two or three months ago that he moved away. Q. Of his own accord ?—A. Yes, sir. Q. Kennedy says that this man Stevens was upon a voting list in Killingly, Connecticut. Do you know anything about that?—A. I do not. Q. Did you put any pressure (I will use that word) upon your hands or upon any in the mills to make them vote as you wanted to have them* vote?-A. Not the slightest. Mr. PLATT. You have perhaps read the testimony over as reported, and it may be fresh in your mind. If there is any other thing that you wish to speak of here in relation to this, you may speak of it. By the CHAIRMAN: Q. Was it on the day that Mr. Eli Thayer was to speak in Manchaug that Mr. Kennedy was notified to leave his tenement?-A. I could not tell you. Q. Mr. Thayer did speak there about that time?-A. Yes, sir; he did speak there. Q. Where did he speak ?-A. He spoke down in Coggeshall's. Q. The hall was refused to him?-A. The hall was refused to Mr. Waters. Q. Mr. Thayer was there, and you knew that fact?-A. That I don't know. I had no conversation in regard to that. Q. The Republican candidate had spoken in the hall there the week before?—A. He had spoken there; I don't know whether it was the week before or not. Q. Minstrel troupes were in the habit of performing in the hail ?—A. Yes, sir. Q. On the occasion here spoken of was the hall engaged?—A. It was not engaged. Q. The hall is owned by the corporation ?—A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know where the Frenchman spoke ?—A. Not of my own knowledge. I think he spoke in the barn also. Q. The Frenchman did talk to the French employés in French ?—A. He did; I so understood it. In fact, I was out of the village then. Q. Was that on the Saturday night before the election ?-A. I think it was. Q. You have a number of French employés ?-A. Yes, sir. Q. You were at the polls all day?—A. Yes, sir. Q. Mr. Knox and Mr. McArthur were there?-A. Yes, sir; I think they were both there. Q. Mr. McArthur, the agent, is the superintendent of the corporation? A. Yes, sir. Q. And you are its bookkeeper?-A. Yes, sir. Q. As such, you would know all the employés -A. Yes, sir. Q. It is your business to know them all?-A. It is my business to know them all. Q. And you did distribute tickets?-A. I did. Q. The men were hauled there in your own wagons, Democrats and Republicans?—A. Yes, sir. |