Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1840-10-30

A. left the city OF New York on the l6th day Of
April. l6SS, think il was, do not remember Il
Albany, and remained there and at Troy two or
three days. l returned to Albany, from Troy.
found ON the pier quite number OF canal boatmen
that was acquainted with. As ! came to the
He asked me IL vas going to New York. l said
was. ! then walked into bar room, kept by John
MeArdle. There ! meet several persons, among
Ross, - Ferris, Henry Alexander, Erastus DAY.
and two three others, perhaps half dszen hose
names don't rems mber. They also asked me if
geins to the city Of New York. told them
that was They said they were going down there,
too. ! asked them what they were going down for
They said they were going down to vote at the city
election. Some of them were from Albany, some
from Oneida county, some from IIerk@er; the two
Meekers we're from Oaeida; and some from Lewis
Some were residents in Albany They asked me If
hadn't been spoken to; l to d them had not, as
had just cone into the city They said aid, that WIN.
bles Of the city of Albany, (they spoke Of them
"Bill Coulson' and "Wal. Thayer.') were en-
gagng voters to go to the city OF New York.
That they were to give them So piece for every
vote which they put in, in the city Of New York,
for every time they voted. They said they
going down in the De Witt Clinton that after
noon. told them had calculated to go down that
afternoon. There was nothing more passed at that
time. About o'clock that afternoon we started
from Albany in the De Witt Clinton. There were
% on board. The Same persons were there that
deck, near the capstan Whilst there, two or three
were laughing and talking VIM. Coulson comes up
to us, and says, "Don't talk loud; for there's
great many Albany people aboard, and if they find
out that IN engaged liz this bus mess they will raise
the devil with me. Before he left US, Erastus DaIy
came up, and asked him for some change He
handed hin two half dolla.s. We stood talking
there some time and at last we all went into the ca,
bin. We were then directed by Coulson and Thayer
to take seat on the stArboard side Of the boat
all in row, in order to get our passage tickets
We took our seats there, and either Coulson or
Thayer, | could not say which, came aleng and gave
us our tickets. Soon after this. tea time came
We were all directed to take our seats one side
Of the table Whether all received tickets or
not, cannot say; or whether got one, or whether
was passed by the clerk, cannot say. know we
al! got onr tea without paying for it Nothing more
said till morning, when all went offthe boat;
and went up street to Spring street, and there
think, in Spring street. From there we went up in
to Broadway. and up to Lafayette Hall. Whilst at
the house in Spring street, they washed, and took
something to drink, and Coulson paid the expense
taken up into the upper part Of the house, into
room fronting, l think, on Broadway; there were
two tables set, should think, nearly the length Of
the room there all ard in that room
there were some 20 81, aye, and perhaps over 100
The two tables were filed and they might hold be-
tween so and $50. After breakfast we came down
to the bar room, in the back side Of the aiding
From the bar room, some four or five were taken
into sort of hal. There, tickets were given us,
that had been printed for the loco foco patty, with
their candidates names erased, and the of the
Whig candidates inserted. They said the first ard
we were to go to was the Sth ward; we went out
back of Lafayette Hall and down towards the North
River; it was on the West side Of Broadway. There
several If them offered to vote some were challen
ged, and some we've not. The signal they were to
have in that ward to preve being challenged was
pin stuck into the left cuff these the Whig chal-
lenger was not to challenge And we were told that
the loco foco challenger would not challenge their
~ksfs had n dor tof. r..
type, it, Some voted there. We then went to
another ward, nearer the Battery, the same side
Of Broadway here several tried to vote, Blu. 1
could not say how many voted. Meeker, who at
tempted to vote, was challenged then he swore he
would vote at the next ward he went TO, if he
had to swear his vote in. l tod him he had
better not s,cear his tie in; if he did he
would get himself into scrape. He said il
didn't make any difference about his not beipg vo-
ter. He and l left there together, and no one else
with US. In the 9th Ward we met Coulson. Coul-
Meeker toek the tickets he ofered him. told Coul-
son should offer votes in that ward as many per.
sons there knew WI not voter there. However,
NIeeker went Up to the polls and offered his vote,
alone, then, till afterneon walking round the city,
got to ward the east part Of the city, and
to the polls and found there Erastus DAILY; he
told me he had voted at that ward. After that or
omnibus, and went 10 some ward, the name Of which
can say. staid round the Lafayette Hall till al
most night; between and O'clock after Sc raj of
them had come in there, Coulson comes in and gives
each man a dollar, and says TO them, Z" I want you
should be here BY o'clock in the morning. for I
want you to get all the votes in you tomorrow,
for you'll get $50 piece for each one" We all left
On that; some went one way, some another. Some
got there next morning at o'clock; got there We
~ late. do not remember what part Of the city we
were in till about noon. first recoIlect seeing
Coulsen after that morning in the First Ward. /
went down there, intending 10 vote; for had resi-
ded in tina; ward months, from September 18th
1888, till left for Albany just before the eectiou-
Coulson said, want vow TO go up TO the 9Th Ward,
for we want to see you" went up TO Masonic Hall.
We went up into back room-a sort Of committee
room; there We found several OF our AIbany compa.
MONS, and some strangers to me, who believe be-
longed in the city. They gave us directions what
10 do. They gave tickets To several there go
down to those polls and vote. Their signal there
was TO be given at the stand where they voted IL
was to be when the Inspector asked them their
names, "my name is George Ross" or MY name
is John DAILY, instead OF simply giving the n ime
"a George Ross" or John DAILY" Several went
out TO vote and left Couson me, two three others
Of our party, and the committee together. After
they had been gone some FIVE ten minutes, a gen
tleman belonging TO ii city came In, whose name |
did not hear,
lie took out pile Of bills and handed Il 10 Coul-
son there might have been $500 or $500 There
were many Is bills. Couson got up soon after this
and left. That was between two and three o'clock.
Previous to Coulsons leaving the room, he left word
have those that wished to 60 TO Albany that night
10 meet him at the steamboat Victory, for he would
be there. He met us there and gave each man that
went up So. The number who were there, cannot
,ay; he said he would see us again in Albany. We
EFF New York in the Victory, soon after o'clock
hat afternoon. have seen Coulson several times
since. and he requested me not TO mention anything
,bout the New York serspe," as he called II.
@ What directions did Ceulsen give these men
on board Of the boat about voting
A. lie gave them none there that can rceolleet
of-he nil hit have given them, and don't know IL.
q Where did he FIRST ms rvct them about voting 7
A. The fret that l heard anything about was II
Hall.
q. What did he say there
A. He gave us the directions where we were 20
70 and vote. I could MT rccelIect all that he did
say. lie gave us the idireetions' about the Wing
challenger.
O. Were the tickets that you received at Lafayette
Hail. those that the p, from Albany Hall votedi
A. Yes, sir.
Do you know how often: TO the utmost either