Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-03-23
KANSAS AFFAIRS.


should have fair opportunity to judge for them
srlves by an impartial reference to, and cOnsidsra
tion OF the testimony, pro and 6on. without being
obliged 10 depend exclusively the arguments in
the case, which have now become too volumnous for
critical anayss. II ID for this reason that we regret
our inability, resulting from want Of space, to in
rude in our columns the long report of the Board Of
Commissioners appointed To investigate frauds said
to have been committed in the two elections ol De.
cember 2ls 1857, aud January i;h, 1853.
The following extracts WILL however, suffice to
convey some idea Of the nature Of the document in
question: the which, il il embo1i-s accurate state
ment Of facta directly duplicates the Judges Of eec
iiOns aud Mr.. John Calhoun himseli. Indeed, the
official character OF the report aud the testimony
which pnrports 10 ndduce renders it impossible for
Mr.. Calhoun to avoid the charge OF corrapt conni-
vance in the guilt Of iasifying the returns If elec.
ton. Ii i, due TO his pc stion and the grave duties
which he has assumed that he shall vudicate his
duct in this matter
The following statement is made with regard to
the election at Kickapoo. on the Plat OF Decsmber,
1851:
kicKaPoo PBrcIScT-L -Le0rrnroyM Comfy.
The urns OF the election at this precinct Decein-
her 2lst 1857. "n the adoption of ths constitution
framed at ltcomptOn, show vote Of ] Ol1 for ths
constitution with slavery. aud IL tor tho constitution
without rlavery-tOta, ,Url9 votes From the best
evidence the Board could obtain, the whole number
"f legal voters living in this precinct cannot exceod
$50 or 40, and il Il rs not appear that there WAS a
iu turn out on that day Of such voters.
Frauds were committed by persous voting more
than once, first voting IN their own names and then
in The names of others. Purkins testifes that man
named Wilson told him he had voted six times That
On the list Of voters are found the names of Thos
u Benton, VIM. H. Seward, Adam Bible, Horace
Greeley, j. W. Denver, Edwin FUrrest, John Fre.
mont, and james BuchanH together with the
of other persons known never to have been residents
in the precinct.
Similar instances of frauds which could not have
been peIpeirated without the connivancs of the
judges of elections, are asserted 10 have been
United in Delaware City, Shawnee and Oxford.
Nearly one third OF the Report concerns the falsi
flying of the returns Of tho Delaware agency pre-
uuct, after they had bean certified by the ndges Of
election and placed in tho hands Of John ID. Hender
son, a special mail agent, Tor transmission 10 MIR.
Calhoun Many facts ndduced to give color TO the
inference that Mr. Calhoun informed of the fraud
by which the certificate Of the Judges was separated
frem ;be true rslurus, and another list of names
were added. 1t also sppasrs that Calhoun svaded q
summons To appear before tho Board. to testify as to
| his know ledge of thees fsct-:
"On the frat day Of the session of Tho Board jam.
AIRY lS;h 1853. its attention called TO the report
then current in the community, that the r-iurns from
Delaware Agency had been altered by John u. Hen
| dersnn ON a3 10 iii Tn. Bnard sat at Lsavtn
worth from that day until the 'sIlh January. Hen
d-rsou testified before II on the 2;ih; Franklin on The
| 28lh. The aubpRna OF the Board wss issued on the
| third day of it's s-ssou tor Calhoun but he remained
| at Weston, and haa been within reach of the
| procts Of the Board since lrs organizati "
| The Board was afterwards. Informed that the true
returns had besu concealed under wood pile, by
| General l.. A Mclean, Of Lecompton. ci-f clerk in
| the otlics Of Surveyor G.neral Calhoun. a warrant
being Issued for tie purpose tho returns were ounc
| thus concealed on the Premises of tbs Surveyor Gen
| eral.
| Added tn this The testimony OF tSu nf The Judge.
of election al that precinct leaves doubt that tbs
returns falsilied:
The Board s-uad snbru1as for The Judges ant
rlerka Of the election, hu succeeded in finding only
| Grnfer and Munday, viii, had previously Testified
on the 2lst and 9t:h "t January. On h" ifh OF Fe
btuaiy they appeared aud esrif-d that this poll lia
| WAS ali n forgery except the pHper fastened In Tie
eud Of il containing h.ir original rtifrate. tally
| st also found with The poll.lisf, which they
said they had never before srcn. Their testimony OF
both examinations is consistent, aud, in the Jude me-
of the Board strictly tru" On both occasions they
| stated hat ths vote returned by them was bni Is
With tbtss returns the Board found certificate
| signed by The udgea and clerks Of Delaware Cross
ing, and I" on the 18th January, 1853 before
Samuel Sslter; cnimng to be iuslic. ul the peace
| Johnson county, as follows
| TERRITORY OF KANSAS,
| County Of Leavtnworth.
The undersigned, Judges and clerks of the election
held for State officers and members OF the State La
gslaure held at the precinct known as The Delaware
Agency on the 4rh day Of January, a. ID. 1858. dt
hbreby certify That the returns made by ns Of said
election correct and genuine and that any stale
ment made by any person as to The vote OF such pre-
cinct can only be determined 10 ts truth or isl-y
by reference to said reurna made by ia "a managers
| and clerks OF said election at said precinct
| IsAAc MUSDAY,
TEopoRt +. GaRREr, }Judgea
JAMES G. GRIaTE,
| w. {. WILSON, }rlL
| JAMES FISDLkY.
The character of the certificate. which nmits to state
the lumber Of votes actually polied, aud The manner
in which It was got up, leaves no doubt in the mind O
the Buard that il was obtained from these officers o.
election for the express purpose OF concta'ing ano
sustaining the fraud. Cole siatt that he was at Yves
ton, Missouri, from the l3h TO the 22nd January
asked Calhoun shout the returns from Delaware
Crossing. Calhoun replied that they showed a.vofe
Of 343. but that there had been charge OF some r
| regularity in them, aud "hs had s.nt messengtl
|
messenger had returned that day, and from the aiia
vii of the Judges rhs Democratic ticket would be elect
ed" The messenger was Jim Murphy" and wat
| then with Calhoun.
| Munday states that he signed the certificate
! for the purpoEe of relieving himeef from any
suapicon of having been guilty Of fraud that j.
Daniorib wrote il 1.-THE person to whom Henderson
carried the lsiter from Calhoun and Others and wht
was engaged in the fnrg-ry OF the Shawnee returns
at Wesiport, Missouri where it was sworn TO before
Salf. fha Of ha
suggested that the certificate should Stale what ths
| vote returned by the Judges was, but that Mr
Eindey said he thought It would bs better to stat
that the reiurDs, as made out by us. we're correct
Mr. Danfuith gave as his opinion that il would be the
proper way. and 40 wrote the affidavit" The state
nent and afidavits when signed we're left with Dan
| FORTH Grinter corrobOrates this statement.
The certificates and sidavils were sent by Calhoun
to I.scompton with lhe forged returns aud tally shee
from Delaware Agency aud found IN the sant
package with them. copy Of The certificate ant
affidavit were sent by him 10 Governor Denver.
The following ia the conclusion from the testimony
adopted by the Board concerning the Delaware Agen
cy case:
From the evidence taken bsfOre them the B0arC
state that the returns from The Delaware agency pre-
cinct were honestly made out by the officers OF th'
election and subsequently three hundred and thirty
sI names vera forged upon them, by or with lhs
! kno~lsdgs of John ID. Henderson; aud that johl
| Calhoun was particcPs crimiais after the fact.
The general summary ot illegal votes, cast at The
two elections no far the investigation Of the Boart
have discovered, is stated a. follows:
| The Board report that of the votes returned 0
tbs rIec,juu of the 1st December, lS5, thu slave
ry claus, of the Constitution framed at L.oompton
held at the precincts of kickApoo Delaware OIfort
and Shawnee, about the following numbers wer,
illegal and fraudulent: -,
| At Kickapoo, .W
Delaware city, ~