The Weekly Comet

The Election Returns.—At 1 o'clock yesterday evening we were enabled to lay official returns of the election before our readers—a feat never before accomplished, we venture to assert, in New Orleans. A slight error occurred in the summing up of the vote for Sheriff, but it was soon discovered and corrected before many of the papers had been sent out. So great was the eagerness of the public after election returns, that notwithstanding the rain was pouring down and the streets were flooded with water at the time we issued our evening edition, containing the full returns, more than three thousand were sold before three o'clock.

We have revised and carefully corrected the returns from the list furnished by the Sheriff, and republished them this morning.

Our readers are aware, as a matter of course, that the ballot boxes of two of the precincts, which give small Democratic majorities, were destroyed on Monday night. It is well known that in the Sixth Precinct, Wickliffe had a majority of 213, and Bell's majority was 231. The majority in the Ninth Precinct was at least 21 for these candidates, and some say it was as high as 60; but we doubt this, because the votes for Justice of the Peace and Constable were counted and returned to the Sheriff, and they show only 21 majority. Counting the votes cast in these two precincts—Mr. Bell's majority over Hufty, for Sheriff, is 260.

Aside from the broken ballot boxes, the tickets in which had all been counted before the outrage was perpetrated, as we are informed by the Inspectors, there were a couple of hundred ballots in the several protest boxes, concerning the legality of which our judiciary will no doubt soon be called upon to pass judgment.

The Democrats, we understand, intend to contest the election, under a law passed by the last Legislature. What the result of the contest will be we are not now prepared to hazard an opinion, but shall await the development of coming events which are already beginning to cast their shadows before.—Delta