the
rest were Democrats. Well, they made up a registration of 700.
When the day of the election came they tore up the registration
papers and let every fellow vote as many times as he wanted until
they got 996 votes in the ballot box. Then that was not all. The
Republican judge got angry and went away, but he took the key.
Then they broke open the box, tied it up with a rope, and took it
to the police officer, and then changed it so that when it was
counted over 900 votes were Democratic and only 48 Republican!"

A similar fraud was attempted at Columbus in sight of the penitentiary.
The returns of elections had been filed with the county records.
Between Saturday night and Monday morning thieves stole one of the
returns and added three hundred tallies for every Democratic
candidate, thus changing the number of ballots from 208 to 508.
The judges were about to count this return, knowing it was a forgery,
when public indignation was aroused in the city of Columbus, shared
in by its most distinguished Democratic citizens, and fraud was
prevented. I felt, and so declared, that these mean crimes were
infinitely more despicable than the violence in the south, which
sprang from a fear of the southern people that their institutions
would be impaired by the votes of men debased by slavery and
ignorance.

I went from Washington to Petersburg, where I was hospitably
entertained by General Mahone. He had been greatly distinguished
for his courage, ability and success, as a Confederate general in
the Civil War, and had long been a popular favorite in Virginia.
He took the lead on questions affecting the debt of Virginia in
opposition to the Democratic party, and a legislature in favor of
his opinions having been elected, he became a Senator of the United
States. He voted as a rule with Republican Senators, but maintained
a marked independence of political parties. I admired him for his
courage and fidelity, and was quite willing to speak a good word
for him in the election of a legislature that would designate his
successor.

The meeting at Petersburg was held in a large opera house on the
evening of the 29th of October. When I faced my audience the
central part of the house and the galleries seemed to be densely
packed by negroes, while in the rear was a fringe of white men.
The line of demarkation was clearly indicated by color, most of
the white men standing and seeming ill at ease. The speech was
fairly well rece