Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-11-04
THE GREAT FRAUD.
Exposure of the Conspiracy.
How the Voses Weze Made.
The Confession of the Parties.
Evidence IRcontrovertible.

Evidence IRcontrovertible.
The Baltimore american Of Saturday
gives the proceedings on the trial, al
that city, Of Edward Donohue, Jr., oil
Albany, NJ Y, one Of the parties charged
with the forgery Of soldiers votes.
Donohde, it viii be remembered BY our
readers, desired separate trial from
Ferry, aud as the latter made q confes.
sion on Thursday, the trial Of the former
was proceeded with on Friday.
z Among his correspondence that was
seized, some rich epistles we're found
such as can be imagined to come from
genuine Copperheads.
Bot one fact was elected that will give
or readers an insight into the way slsc-
tions are managed in New York
While expatiating on his achievements in
the way Of ballot.box ssutiing, Donohus
explained what he styled the marrow
fat" system, which he asserted be bad
used in the electionsin his ward in Al
bany, Of which be was one of the Inspec-
tors The "marrow.fat" is made By
closely pressing together q number oi
tickets-say ten or twenty-which are
passed 10 the Judge as one ticket, and
the Judge, in placing them 10 the ballot
box, gives il little shake, wbea they
separate, and represent 50 many distinct
ballots. Bat how is the list Of voters
kept by the clerks Of election made te
tally with the number OF tickets in the
box7 Nothing is easier, in the hands oI
such accomplished politicians as Nav
York produces. The clerk is all right,
and at given signal be enters upon the
poll books as many names as the mar
row-fat" contains votes, his colleague on
The outside Of the window having, o.
course, previously arranged the Who'll,
affair, and when the retaras come to b.
counted at the close Of the election ey,
thing Is square Such is the Copper.
head idea Of Is free ballot and Ii de
Tense Of which they nss~rt tbenaselvel
prepared 70 have ''free-Gght. "
The trial has been postponed to ena
Bile the accused to pfocare counsel, and
the first step in bis defense was to obieef
to the jurisdiction Of the Court, on th,
ground that il should be tried by eiyi
and not military court But it was de
cided that the crime could not be tried II
New York, because it was committed il
Maryland; il could not be punished il
Maryland, because there was no slatut
that covered il; il could not be tried il
the United States civil court, becaus'
there was no act Of Congress to NEE
the case, therefore, the Military Com
mission was the only tribunal by whie
! such an offense could be tried and pur
ished. Accordingly the trial went on.
TESTIMONY or o. K. WOOD.
Mr.. Oliver X. Wood, OF West Chazy
/ Clinton county, New York, was the
sworn on the part Of the Government
T and testified in substance as follows:
Resides es West Chazy, Clinton eour
| ty, New York; is a merchant; came /
Baltimore as the agent of the Unio
J COMMITTEES Of bis county.,o assist,in pr,
curing the soldiers votes in this city
visited Fort MeHenry, and there ms
/ Capt McDermots Of the DIST New Yor
regiment, and several soldiers frol
1 Clinton county; stopped there two {
three days; in q. conversation with Cap
| McDermott In relation TO the voting /,
I the soldiers he remarked that there ha
been some checker playing and b
suspicious we're aroused; also visite
Newtown University Hospital, and frol
what he heard there suspected thi
something was wrong; went to the ofiC
/ of the State agency, IS, West Fayet
I, aud there met Mr.. Ferry, aske
him how things were getting alonl
giving him to understand that he (Wool
belonged 90 the Mcclellan party: Ferr
desired to know it be had commissiC
from Governor Seymour; he told hi
that he had not, but be represented
/ County Committee; Ferry desired to 8,
his commission; said he had none, b
had hist Of soldiers Of bis county, Viii,
appeared to satisfy Ferry; told Fer
that he came to Baltimore to get Il
vote of the 9lst New York; was inforr
ed that it had been taken-McClells
received 400 votes and Lincoln II;
! expressed surprise 1t the small numb
Of votes poIled for Lincoln, when Fer
said that when Union votes came in
that Office they were all right when thi
went out, and that they were doing mo
here than he thought of.
! The prisoner objected to the evidenc
as he was not present at this interyis
: between Mr.. Wood aud Mr.. Ferry.
The Judge Advocate said it was necs
sary, as 1t would be shown Donahue d
been party to the frauds alluded 10
Ferry.
The Court was cleared, and on its
opening the President decided that t
evidence should be received.
Mr.. Wood, continuing-Ferry stat
there'was no necessity for my going q
further, IS the Clinton County lists
voters would be signed in his ofhi
D without any trouble; saw a clerk {
{ gagged in copying names from lar
blank book.
> The book was shown and identi6
by the witness 1t contains the nax
eef about two thousand soldiers, repor,
20 be in various hospitals
8 Ferry said he W God could take {
clerks place, in order that the lists
should prepare would not be sent to
I own county; the clerk then took the
' in the possession Of Wood, and proce'
! ed to fill up blanks purporting to be
votes of the members Of the 9th n
York Cavalry; Wood commenced Eli
up the blanks for dates, etc, in the pc
Il ers Of attorney, which were signed
; the bottom with the name of c.
Arthur; Ferry added to the signatr
. the words Captain and Assistant I