The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-04-06
The Seventh Ward Controversy.

|
of the Council, is terribly indignant
over the open, palpable, outrageous
fraud in the Seventh Ward" In yes
terday's issue it gives what purports
to be a correst statement OF what
transpired on Wednesday last, upon
an examination of the ballot-box OF
that ward.
An informal recount took place in pres
! ence of Wm Rahm Jr., Charles Schaum,
Mr. McGriff, City Clerk, and Mayor Baker.
| Instead of Mr.. Kerth having been beaten
| fOrty-five ties, as previously reported, 1t
turns out that he was only beaten thirty
three votes, and there was found in the
ballot-box about forty tickets wleich had
| nerer been FOLDED nor strung!
We understand that Messrs. Schaum.
Rahm, and McGrif all agree that the APP
pearance of the tickets found in the Sew
enth Ward box indicate that the votes
have been tempered with.
We III. derstand further, that by the di-
rection of the Mayor. all the tickets have
now been strung. and will be held for ex-
animation by the Council next Monday
night. t&
We visited the city officers referred
to yesterday, and from them we learn
that after the-votes were counted on.
the night of the election and the
election board adjourned, having per-
formed their labors and declared the
result, the ballot-boxes were left in
the Engine House, and there remain
ed unlocked until Wednesday after
noon. That Mr.. McGRIFF, the City
Clerk, and Mr.. KERTH, the defeated
candidate for Councilman, visited the
Engine House, locked and sealed up
the box, and that Mr. KERTH put his
seal upon it. On Wednesday night
the ballot-box was opened at the
Clerks Office, in the presence of
Messrs. KERTH, RAUM, ScHAUM, the
City Clerk, and the Mayor. When
opened it was found that the string
upon which the ballots had been
strung was broken. The ballots were
taken out Of. the box, counted, and
Immediately strung in the presence of
all these PERSONS. In the lexamina-
ton, number of tickets, not exceed
ing ten to fifteen, were so indistinctly
scratched that it was difficult to dis
tinguish for whom they were intend
ed. Leaning these out of the count at
together, the tally-paper showed ma
jority of thirty-three for KoLLE,
above all question. After the count
was concluded, and the result
ascertained, Mr.. KERTH declar-
ed, in the presence of the Mayor, that
he was satisfied; and not one of the
Democrats present, who came ex-
pressly to make the examination,
made any complaints or mooted any
suspicious of irregularity or dishon-
esty in regard to the ballot-box. There
were not found in the ballot-box forty
tickets" mot even one" which
had never been folded or strung"
Mr.. MCGRIFF says that one of the
gentlemen present pointed out one,
and only one, which apparently had
never been punctured or strung; and
that nothing was said about tickets
that had never been folded, nor were
any such noticed. Mr.. McGRIFF de-
MES that he ever stated that the ap-
pearance of the tickets found in the
Seventh Ward box indicate that the
votes have been tempered with
The ballots as found and counted
in the box, upon the examination,
correspond with the number of names
as recorded by the clerks of the cleo
ton board. We have already shown
that the number Of votes cast at the
election on Monday, was not more
than ten in excess of the votes of this
Ward the year before.
These being the facts. as we learned
them from the Mayor and City Clerk,
we are not able to see the great frauds
which the Courier charges in such
pathetic and lachrymose terms. We
must conclude, as did Mr.. KERTH,
after the examination, and as will the
people, that Mr.. KoLLE was fairly
elected, having received majority of
all the votes cast in his Ward. The
officers of the Election Board, COM
posed of three Republicans and two
Democrats. as soon as the votes were
polled, without sleeping with the