The Kansas herald of freedom., 1858-04-03

j Signed,
ISAAC MUNDAY,
THEODORE F. GARRETT,
JAMES c. GRINTER,
Judges.
Signed. SW. G. WIILsos.
tJAMEs FISDLEY,
Clerks.
a copy of the affidavit to this eertif-
cate, and of a separate affidavit of Theo-
dore F. Garrett, wilt be fnHnd herewith.
The character of the certificate, which
onfits to state the number of votes actu-
ally polled, and the manner in which it
was got up, leave no doubt in the mind
of the Board that it was obtained from
these officers of election for the express
purpose of concealing and sustaining the
fraud. Cole states that he was at Wes-
ton, Missouri, from 18th to ed January;
asked Calhoun about the returns from
Delaware Crossing. Calhoun replied that
| they showed vote of 343; but that there
had been charge of some irregularity in
them, and "he had sent messenger
down to take the affidavit of the Judges;
that the messenger had returned that
day, and from the affidavit of the Judges
the Democratic ticket would be elected"
The messenger was Jim Murphy" and
was then with Calhoun.
Munday states that he signed the GER
| tificate for the purpose of relieving him
self from any suspicion of having been
| guilty of fraud. That J. Fl. Danforth
wrote it, (the person to whom Henderson
carried the letter from Calhoun and 9TH
ers, and who was engaged in the forgery
of the Shawnee returns,) at Westport
Missouri, where it was sworn to before
Salter, on the 18th of January; that he
(Munday) suggested that the certificate
should state what the vote as returned by
the judges was; but that " Mr.. Findley
said, he thought it would be better to
state that the returns, as made out by us,
were correct. Mr.. Danforth gave as his
opinion that it would be the proper way;
and so wrote the affidavit" The state
ment and af1davits when signed were
left with Danforth. Grinter corroborates
this statement.
The certificate and afidavits were sent
by Calhoun TO Lecompton with the forged
returns and tally sheet from Delaware
Agency, and were found in the same
package with them. A copy of the GER
tifcate and affidavit was sent by him to
Governor Denver.
From the evidence taken before them,
the Board state that the returns from Del
aware Agency precinct were honestly
mace out by the officers of the election,
! and subsequently three hundred and thir-
ty-six names were forged upon them, by
or with the knowledge of John D. Hen
derson; and that John Calhoun was par
ticeps cyiminis, after the fact.
JOHNSON COUNTY.
ShaUnee-The Board were required by
the Act establishing it, to make report OF
its investigations during the session of
the Legislature which terminates on this
the 18th day February. Almost its entire
time has been taken up in investigations
of frauds committed at precincts north of
the Kansas river, and in efforts to get the
returns and poll-books of the two cleo
tons. No time was left in which to 90
to johnson county and hold session there.
SubpGnas were sent to Oxford and Shaw
nee for the officers of election and those
supposed to have knowledge of the frauds,
to appear before the board at Lawrence,
which is about thirty miles distant from
i those towns. Some of the persons to
whom subpenas were directed proved to
be residents of Missouri-others had fled
thither since the elections-and Others re-
fused to appear. A posse of Is mounted
men were then sent with the Sergeant-at-
Arms, who. attached all the witnesses that
could be found, and brought them before
the Board The testimony obtained is
not as full as it probably would have been
: had there been time left for the Board to
have held sessions in the precincts in
johnson county, where the frauds were
committed.
The poll list of the election at this pre-
cinct on the 21st Dec, shows a vote OF
753 for the Constitution with slavery, and
none for it without slavery.
The town of Shawnee, at which the
election was held, is seven miles from
} Westport, Missouri. 1t numbers about
thirty houses. The number of legal vot-
i ers in the precinct is variously estimated
by the witnesses at from 60 to 120. I'm
der late law of the Territorial Legisla-
ture, census of that precinct was taken
about the 2lst of January, 1858, by
Charles Mayo, who testifies that there are
but 115 white male inhabitants over q
years of age in the precinct, including all
who were absent, and were said to claim
residence there.
o. J. Mcfarland testifies that he has
resided at Shawnee since June last: that
Alex. S. johnson, A. Byrum and Petel
Behm were the judges; the former oi
, whom has gone to Washington since the
election, and the two others to Missouri
He recognizes but 40 names out of the
!, 753; six of them are residents of Miss
our and six Shawnee Indians. These 4(
, names are all on the first half of the pol
J book.
The Board are fully satisfied, from the
! evidence before them, that from $50 tc
700 of the votes returned were illegally
cast by residents of Missouri, or wert
J forged on the list with the knowledge O.
] the officers of the election.
Il At the election at this precinct on The
4th day of January, 1853, Peter Behn, A
s Byrum and @. J. Mcfarland were judges
and Charles Godfrey and j. Z. Harwood
the clerks. Harwood lives in Westport
: Missouri. The returns show 936 votes
$50 for the g Democratic and Il for thu
t Free State ticket
The numberof men in the town on tha
/ day is estimated variously at from so K
175. The number of ballots cast IS esti
, mated By ID. w. Brown. who stood by th'
S polls all day, at 125. Charles Mayo, VIII