The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-10-17
ELECTION oUTRAGEs IN THE TFETB

cent election | have preferred to be tedious in
detail, rather than incur the reproach of having
substituted my own conclusions for the facts:
STATEMENT.
As Chairman of Committee, appointed by the
Reform Association of the 10th ward, attended at
the polls of that ward, on Wednesday the 18th
instant Our duty was to furnish tickets to the
voters, and to secure the election of Mr. Penn by
all lawful, open and fair means. l was on the
ground Except when occasionally called away
from nine o'clock until after three O. clock P. M
returned in the afternoon, but only spectator,
and was too unwell to remain more than few
moments.
Immediately upon the opening of the polls there
rush, which lasted for some time, and during
which, access to the window was considerably OBJ
structed. The police, however, formed lane, in
the course of about half an hour perhaps less,
and the voting would have been perfectly Free but
for the interference of two very powerful men,
who, was informed, were namei Erasmus Levy
and John English These were backed and
| surrounded by number of others, who acted with
them under their direction but they were, them
selves apparently the leaders, and certainly were
the most conspicuous actors in the whole unlawful
proceedings of the day. Their removal, at any
time, would have put an end to all serious
disorder They took possession of the polls, to
all practical ntents and purposes, and maintain
ed it, by force, until left the ground. | saw
blows, thew
did every thing that could have been done to hinder
and intimidate voters. They crowded, iostled,
pressed and created confusion, whenever any one
whom they desired to terrify or to neommode APP
preached the window, and by such means, and the
most abusive language and vndictive threats, they
intimidated and forced away large numbers of
voters, and, particularly, naturalized citizens
Many of the persons so driven back, refused to make
a second attempt, but others, by persuasion and en-
enlargement, on the part of members of the Com
mittee with whom | was acting, and under the
personal protection of Sergeant McComas or some
of his men, were induced to persevere, and succeed
ed in depositing their votes, though not without
suffering gross indignity and much physical pain,
from assaults with sharp Instruments and from the
rude pressure of their assailants. | saw but one
man receive serious blow. This was Mr.. Marcy
Fountain, Jr., of the Reform challengers, who
was led away, blinded and bleeding, without being
able to deposit his vote. He was under the imme-
date escort, at the time, of Sergeant McComas and
one of his men, and was half way up between the
curb-stone and the Misunderstanding made several
Intellectual efforts to reach the polls previously. No
one saw who struck the blow, although it was in
ficted within six or eight feet of the window and
between two rows of policemen not more than four
feet apart. l had myself just before, gone up to
the window, at the request of the policeman who
was protecting Mr. Foun tain, to enquire of the
Judges whether they had Gas reported) refused
Mr.. Fountains vote, and it in consequence of
their denial that such was the case, that | had
encouraged Mr. Fountain to make the effort again.
was myself pricked with sharp instrument while
| stood before the window making the enquiry
but it is due to truth to say that this the only
| indignity discourtesy offered to me,
personally, upon the ground, during the whole day,
excepting always the efforts made to obstruct my
access to the Judges, on the same occasion. heard
| several of the riotous parties, to whom have
ferred swear openly and vociferously, in the pres
ence and hearing of the police and the judges,
| that Mr.. Fountain should not vote. Both English
and Levy so swore, with the most threatening i'm
precautions, and over again, in the face of all
| the officials present They denied that he had any
right to vote in the ward, and denounced and
threatened him most vindictively, and finally drove
him away, without any decided check from any
| one.
| At an early hour, Mr.. Fountain had been ar
rested and carried to the station house from his
place as challenger, on charge of disorderly con-
! duct. Having evidences of the truth of
the charge, though myself close by, felt it proper
to go with him to the station. The officer having
him in Charge whose badge was No. 13l, stated the
cause of the arrest, when we reached there, and
another officer, seated at the desk, whose number
7, made record of it, and then, without other
formaty, directed Mr.. Fountain to be ''put back"
He was forthwith locked up. Not being familiar
with any such mode of administering justice, L
sought to explain that l had been present, that
Mr.. Fountain was very unjustly arrested, and that
| was willing so to testify; but was informed BY
the officer, civilly enough, that he obeyng his
instructions. and had no discretion. / enquired
who had any discretion,-and he replied that the
police magistrate, Mr.. McAlister, would be there
''after while | then asked leave to speak with
Mr.. Fountain, but was told it could not be per-
mitsed. insisted on doing SO, as his counsel, and
was then allowed to go into the prison, where
found Mr.. F. in filthy den, with several other
| prisoners.
On my return to the polls, requested several
persons to look for Mr. McAlliser, the police magis
trate, at his Office and elsewhere but that gentle
man could not be found and did not arrive at the
station much before noon, and soon as | heard
he was there, went down and had Mr.. Fountain
released. He was not even held to bail upon the
charge ted mt
compelled, in the entire absence of affidavit or
excuse, to give security to keep the peace for six
months.
After Mr.. Fountains removal from the polls, Col
Henry Myers took his place, as the Reform chal-
lenger. No consideration whatever was paid to
hs and Of this gsne
pressed on, and nsulted and was compelled very
soon to yield to the violence which surrounded him.
but not until some irritating caustc substance
| had been thrown on his neck, which gave him too
much pain to allow him to attend to his duties
Mr.. Samuel Hart, another aged and respectable
gentleman, VINO was persuaded to occupy the place
of Col Myers, was treated in precisely the same
way so long as he was allowed to remain, but being
familiar with the ward and therefore too useful not
to be obnoxious as a challenger he was very soon
carried to the station house, on the preposterous
charge of resisting an officer or something of the
| sort, and was locked up at once, with Mr.. Foun-
| tain. George William Brown, ESQ.,, shortly after
wards assumed the unenviable position from which
his predecessors had been elected as l have des-
/
and the patient but resolute determination which he
manifested, to see fair play, was a signal for a
resort to all the outrage and annoyanc .. except
actual blows, which the ingenuity and malice of the
| parties opposed to him could devise. Considering
| the high character and worth of Mr.. Brown and
his responsibility citizen; the indsputabe le-
gallty OF his position at the polls, challenger
and the perfect self-control and moderation With
which he asserted his own rights and those of the
voters who appealed to him-respectinp at the
same time, the rights of others-I think the
treatment to which he was compelled helplesslv to
submit within three feet of the Judges and with
| squad of fifteen policemen around him, at not more
! than squares distance from the Central Police
Office, and within stones throw of the City
] Hall, was the most fagrant and shameful outrage
upon individual right and public decency that
have ever been forced to witness The same treat
ment was extended to him, with more or less vio-
lence, during the whole time he was at the window
He was cursed, jostled, pushed threatened, pulled
from one side to the other of the polls, stuck with
avis, and ceaselessly exposed to the most brutal
insult and cOntumelY. do not think that have
ever seen any other assemblage of men, in whom
the spirit with which he bore himself would not
nave inspired respect and manly sympathy enough
to relieve him from annoyance He appealed,
| nevertheless, to both the Judges and the police
over and over, but without any effectual or perma
nent relief. While Mr.. Brown was in this position
saw Levy snatch the naturalization papers from a
| voter, whom MIR. b. was protecting, and hand
| them, over his shoulder to English, who passed
| them to the crowd behind him. | repeatedly saw
| the men on the side OF the polls next to Fayette
street, kicking the voters, and especially the
foreigners, severely, as they up, on their legs
and ankles. could not, in the press, DISTINGUISH
the individuals who committed these repeated ont
RACES, but the police were not distant an arms
length from them. :
When Mr.. Brown was relieved at the window.
he, Thomas II. Belt, Jr., ESQ.,, and several other
gentlemen, whom | accompanied, went to the
Mayors office. Mr.. Brown made statement to
Mr. Swami of the personal violence which he had
himself suffered from Levy and others. His account
was corroborated by Mr.. Belt. Mr. Brown and
myself also Joined in lodging a complaint AGAINST
Levy, for snatching the naturalization papers re-
terred to, and interfering with voters. Mr. Swami
took memorandum of the charges and said that
Levy should be arrested He declined receiving
our athdavltS until the arrest should be made and
requested us to attend when we should see the ac
cused taken by the officer When the arrest was
made, we accordingly returned to his Office but he
informed us that we must go before the police
magistrate commissioned by the CITY, (Mr Nc
Allister) at the Station House. for that he (Mr
Swann) was too much occupied on that dav 70 he
able to sit as a Justice of the Peace himself We
started, at once, towards the Station House hnt
had hardly passed from the steps of the CITY Hall
when we saw Levy running up Holiday street from
the direction in which we were going He had al
ready been discharged, before we had had time to
lay our complaints before the magistrate We pro-
ceeded, nevertheless, to the Station House. where
alter some slight delay, we were admitted We
stated our business, and Justice McAllister in |
formed us that he had already taken $500 bail for
Levy's appearance before him, ON Monday next, |
to answer the charge of assaultine Mr. Brown |
with an awl. We asked if any charge of selling |
uralization papers and disturbing voters had |
been made. He ranliad in +ba naoot;,|o w ~