I heard a citizen ask James G. Stuardé, one of the judges acting with me "who swore him in ?" and he declined to answer. Do not know if any of the other judges were sworn in or not.

Sworn to and subscribed before me March 25, 1868.

Official :

JOHN MCGUIRE.

N. P., M. C., Alabama.

R. C. DRUM, Assistant Adjutant General.

C.

Answers of Wm. J. Sartle, second lieutenant 15th infantry, inspector of elections for Barbour county, to queries No. 11 and 12 in circular of 10th February, 1868.

11. The attention of the board seems to have been given to the manner in which the reception of votes was conducted, and everything corrected which was calculated to obstruct voting, except in such cases as are set forth in my answers to No. 12. Whether or not the board of registrars were in fault, I shall leave to the decision of the commanding general, simply giving a view of the premises.

12. No obstructions were offered at the polls either at Eufaula or Clayton,. further than very energetic and somewhat noisy electioneering on the part of the so-called conservatives for the defeat of the constitution, except threats to publish the name of any white man who voted at all in the newspapers,. which threats were only executed in the case of the only two white men who voted in Eufaula, whose names were published in the paper at that place, in what was termed by the editor the "roll of infamy." The right of challenge of votes by the so-called conservatives was exercised to the fullest extent, and though the people of Union sentiments might feel fully convinced, in their own minds, that the challenges were made for the purpose of retarding instead of purifying the election, and though that was the real result of such challenges, still they were made according to the letter, if not the spirit, of the law; so nothing could be proven against them.

At Springhill, a freedman, whose name and whereabouts I was wholly unable to ascertain, came to the polls on Wednesday and voted. On Thursday he returned in company with his employer, one Dixon Bishop, who said that he (the freedman) had been deceived in regard to his ticket he had voted the day before, and that he wanted now to change it. In these statements the freedman acquiesced, and after considerable discussion, in the course of which Bishop made use of the expression that "he had come there for the purpose of having that vote changed, and he'd just be damned if he didn't have it done," the managers consented to the change, and it was made.

The managers being the only men of Union proclivities in the vicinity, and being entirely without protection, the man Bishop being a dangerous character when under the influence of liquor, as he was at the time, and he having the fullest sympathy of all the white bystanders, in this latter as in all other respects, allowed the irregularity to take place to avoid a disturbance, which seemed imminent should their consent to it be withheld. On Saturday the same freedman returned again to the polls and informed the managers that he had been forced by the man Bishop by threats of discharge and to kill him if he refused to change his vote, and that he then wished to change it again, and H. Ex. Doc. 303-5

make it what it was in the first place. Mr. Black, the chairman of the board of registrars, was present the last time, and the managers reported the facts of the case to him, and though he informed them that such changes were illegal, still under the circumstances he consented that the change be made again, and it was done, thus leaving the vote what it would have been had no change taken place.

The board of managers were considerably annoyed and the voting retarded by the noisy ridicule of a party of men, the chief of whom seemed to be this same man Bishop, who were continually calling out in the room when the voting was taking place, to the freedmen, who were trying to vote, to come over to them and get the mule and 40 acres of land that the Yankees were to give them for voting the radical ticket.

The managers requested them to desist several times, but it did no good. There was a man present named James Hatcher, who was said to be the special deputy of the sheriff of the county, sent there to preserve order and prevent interference with the election; but so far from doing anything of the kind, he did all he could to encourage Bishop and his party in their performances, both by precept and example.

WILLIAM J. SARTLE,
Second Lieutenant, &c.

Official:

D.

R. C. DRUM,

Assistant Adjutant General.

Answer of A. C. Taylor, second lieutenant 15th United States infantry, subassistant commissioner, inspector of elections for Butler and Crenshaw counties, to query 12, in circular of February 10, 1868.

12. The sheriff summoned upon his posse twelve men, all of whom were noted for their active and bitter opposition to the reconstruction measures, and many of them for their violence and recklessness in dealing with freedmen.

These men crowded around the polling-window, and occupied all the space behind the ropes, so that every voter had to run the gauntlet of their jeers and threats. The language and demeanor of the posse were calculated to intimidate and dishearten all who wished to vote. For some time, until stopped by order, they made every colored man take off his hat and bow, before they could pass. They frequently stopped voters, and tried to persuade them not to vote. Two of them stood, one on each side of the window, to challenge and take the names of those voting. These were Dr. Parmer and N. V. Clopton.

Outside the ropes were crowds of the bitterest opponents of the election, exchanging jests and information regarding those who came to vote. Employers and employers' clerks were there, watching to see whether their hands voted. Some of the posse would frequently go out into the town and give information to employers with regard to their employés, which would result in their immediate discharge, thus serving as an intimidation to all others. One colored man was insulted near the polls by Lewis Bear, (merchant, of this place,) because he was going to vote. Bear followed him a short distance, and caned him. This was in Butler county. In Crenshaw county it was still worse. Tickets were taken from the colored voters and destroyed, and one man was even run out of the county for no other reason than that he was distributing constitution tickets.

Official:

A. C. TAYLOR, Second Lieutenant 15th Infantry.

R. C. DRUM,

Assistant Adjutant General.

E.

Answer of A. C. Taylor, second lieutenant 15th United States infantry, subassistant commissioner, inspector of elections for Butler and Crenshaw counties, to query 13, in circular of February 10, 1868.

13. It was notorious through the five days of election, and before, that threats were made to all employés that if they voted they would be immediately discharged. J. R. Abrams, a merchant of this place, discharged a colored man before the election, because he refused to promise to not vote. The "Conservative Club" of Greenville passed resolutions to that effect on the Saturday preceding election. Many were discharged as soon as employers found they had voted. Colored men came in numbers each day to get an opportunity to vote as soon as the polls were opened, before the rebel spies had gathered. Many more applied at this office to know if they could vote secretly, to avoid being discharged, and to keep their families from being turned out of doors. Names and details can be furnished to sustain these facts.

Previous to the election many white men had expressed their determination to vote for the constitution, giving fair grounds to presume that 150 votes would be cast by them in this county. Many came to town expressly to vote, but when they saw the polls in possession of and surrounded by the most turbulent and lawless rebels in the county, their hearts failed them, and they returned without voting. I have personal knowledge of several who said to me that they wished to vote, but that the possible consequences to themselves and families was more than they could undertake to risk. In my opinion 300 more votes would have been cast in this county if there had been a fair and untrammelled election. Lewis Bear, of whom I have spoken, required a colored employé to make oath before A. R. McKellan, justice of the peace, that he had not voted, so as to avoid a dismissal.

The following named men of this county, with many others, dismissed their colored employés for voting:

S. J. Bolling, probate judge of this county.

William Hartley.

Lewis Bear.

Jerry Gafford, (and threatened to burn them out.)

Seth May.

Dr. Hamilton, (or Haumer.)

Sam Tisdale and John Dean.

W. F. Mahone and Mr. Barber, of Crenshaw county, discharged men for the same reason, and prevented men from voting by similar threats.

As soon as the registrar reached the county seat of Crenshaw to open the election, he was grossly insulted by a Mr. James Staggers, and would probably have done him violence but for the interference of the sheriff of the county.

The only reason that can be given to account for the paucity of votes there on the constitution question is, that they were prevented by abuse, threats, and intimidations. After the election, the registrar was told that there was danger in his leaving the place to come here.

He secured some colored guides to bring him by an unfrequented road, after leaving an abstract of the returns with the judge of probate, to be used in case he was molested.

To-day I was informed that most of the time since his guides have had to live in the woods, for fear of being killed.

Official:

A. C. TAYLOR,

Second Lieutenant 15th Infantry.

R. C. DRUM, Assistant Adjutant General.

CONFEDERATE PROPERTY IN EUROPE.

LETTER

FROM

THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY,

IN ANSWER TO

A resolution of the House of 26th November last, relative to certain efforts of that department for the recovery of confederate property in Europe.

APRIL 21, 1868.-Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and ordered to be printed Motion to reconsider order to print pending.

JUNE 5, 1868.-Stands referred and so much as in manuscript ordered to be printed.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT,

April 17, 1868.

SIR: have the honor, in reply to a resolution of the House of Representatives of November 26, 1867, calling for certain information from this department concerning efforts for the recovery of confederate property in Europe, and of contracts with agents or attorneys in relation thereto and also information concerning a settlement made with the firm of Fraser, Trenholm & Co., to report as follows:

This inquiry involves analyses of numerous and complex legal documents, proceedings and correspondence regarding the same, the preparation of which has been unavoidably delayed in consequence of other engagements of the special counsel employed by the government to superintend those proceedings as well in Europe as in the United States.

The exertions of the government to recover confederate property abroad have not been confined to Europe, but have been extended to other parts of the world, and especially to the West Indies, in which those exertions have been diligently and successfully prosecuted.

But, as the resolution of the House applies only to such efforts made in Europe those only will constitute the subject of this communication.

Proceedings to this end commenced soon after the cessation of hostilities in the southern States.

The consul for the United States at Liverpool (Mr. Dudley) received information from the consul of the United States at Havana (Mr. Minor) of the shipment at Havana on board the British ship Aline of a cargo of cotton, supposed to belong to the confederate government and consigned to the commercial house of Messrs. Fraser, Trenholm & Co., at Liverpool, which house consisted professedly of four persons, namely: Theodore D. Wagner, James T.