Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-05-13
CHEATING AROUND THE BOARD.

Some curious developments, which indicate
the way in which offices are sometimes gained
and lost among the Democracy, have recently
transpired in Salem, ass. 1t appears that
two special agents Of the Government have
been investigating grave charge prefer ell
against DR.. G. B. Loring, a prominent Dem
ocrat, recently Postmaster OF that city and
the Democratic candidate for Congress in his
District last fall. The charge was, that the
signatures (some GOO in numbcr) to petition,
in 1853, on the strength Of which DR.. Lrring.
though he failed OF the relationship, obtained
his appointment as postmaster. were forged
by Mr.. Loring and a personal and political
friend of his, a Mr.. Pike. rhc principal wit
ness in the case was gentleman, rejoicing like
Mr.. Pike, in pscatorial surname, a sucker,
Gas his name, Mullet. indcatcs,) from the
treasury, and friend and fellow oflicchodcr
Of Messrs. Pike and Loring, Mr.. l.. being
in the Post Office and the other two in the
Custom House. Mr.. Mullct, in an affidavit
taken by the special agents, the purport OF
testified that of the 500 i'd names to the
petition. nearly all were signed by DR..
George B. Loring and George b. Pike that
he was present at Mr.. Pixies house on the
evening that it was DONE tn a few names
had been signed to the petition, and that h
signed his own name and according to one
account, several Others ]; that in order to
give it the appearance of II genuine docu
moa. they used several different kinds OF
ink, and several styles of pens that they
even went to the trouble to spill ink of DIFF
ferent colors upon the paper, as if done by
awkward subscribers when a!Ixing their
signatures &; that the document was last seen
by him in DR.. Loring's possession that
the names were selected mostly from the
Directory; that the petition received at
Washington (Which was shown hm),
was the one 50 manufactured, and that
most of the signatures were in their
handwriting. He was not able to swear
that Mr. Pike had signed any particular
name, but to the best of his knowledge, he
and Mr.. Loring signed the most OF the
names.
Several other responsible Democrats Of
Salem whose names were on the petition.
were called, and declared the signatures for
geries. 1t is said that among the names are
q large number Of deceased persons, and
curious iactis, that among them is the name
Of Prince Farmer, "A negro who had been
dead ten years and who. Of course, was not
a Democrat at that time. Several names nf
living Republicans were also on the list, but
the posthumous signatures were examined
with the greatest curiosity, and regarded
by some with a sort of supernatural awe
The examination over. the agents departed
as abruptly as they had arrived, and Salem i,
still in doubt as to the result Of all the hue
and cry.
1t is fair to add that the gentlemen imnli-
Gated deny the truth Of Mr.. Mullet's state
nents, so that it is a question of veracity
between the parties, with this difference, that
one party swears 10 his statements, and the
other swears about them. But it will sur
prise no one to find that men who have served
an apprenticeship of fraud in the party witch
has maintained itself only by frauds on the
ballot-box, frauds on the people, and frauds
on public opinion, should be now and then
caught cheating one another