The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1868-12-04

AdTu IN 81. 1idlf. tie SErillS I'd nave
been intoxicated and made the tool Of
certain over Jealous cOpperheads, but
it didn't save Seymour nor kimmeil
either. We hope when the real often
ders and responsible parties in the case
are found that they may get the full
benefit of the law. There is no great
ar danger threatening our free institu-
tiOns to day than the frauds perpetra-
ted at the ballot box, and wherever the
instigators of such crimes are found
they should be more severely punish
ed than their ignorant dupes. Quite a
number Of fraudulent cupperhead votes
were polled at the last election and We
hope every one Of the offenders may
be made to feel the rigOrs Of the law
BeljOTd Inquirer.
As several persons are under bond to
appear in the courts to answer the
charge Of procuring the above-named
Bear to vote fraudulently, We had not
intended to print anything upon the
subject. But the foregoing requires a
few words of explanation.
The Inquirer says that Bear was Gin
toxicated" at the time he duplicated
his vote. We have no doubt of it,.
Drunken men are said to ''see double, ?"
and naturally are inclined to vote
double.
Bear, however, was not convicted. :"
He plead guilty. He did this contrary
to the advice Of his counsel, and as it
IS generally believed. at the instance
of one Of the counsel for the Common
wealth, who asked the court to make
the sentence as light as possible. Why
this sudden affection Of the prosecuting
counsel for this self-confessed criminal
Bear? Why this anxiety Of the coun-
sci, the first letters Of whose name are
John Cessna, to have this horrid trans
gressor Of the law SO lightly punished ?
THEREBY hangs a tale"
Bear had turned States eUideace
He had made information against Bur
ton Edsall ard Adam Earnest, who, he
alleges, procured him to go to St. Clair
tp, to vote, after he had already voted
in Napier. As he had, under the adj
vice of Radical politicians, agreed to
swear these parties into trouble, he
was no longer a 'tool of over Jealous
copperheads, - but, if a tool ofanybody,
that Of malignant and vindictive Radi-
Gals. Of course, from that time for
ward he was all right with the "trooly
loil, :" and deserved only "the lightest
punishment the court can infiict."
But if this man was drunk when
he committed the fraud which he has
confessed, how can he swear, with any
degree of accuracy, as to what occurred
between him and Edsall or Earnest >
Is such a mans evidence to destroy
the good name Of a reputable citizen
Is such a man the witness upon whom
The great apostle of Temperance, John
Cessna, relies for evidence to destroy
the good name of his nefghbors?
We fully agree with the Inquirer that
Bears duplicated vote did not ''save
Kimmell or Seymour" 1t was not at
all calculated to serve 30 good a pur-
pose. 1t amounted to just two votes
for Cessna and Grant, as can easily be
proved. There is not a welI-posted
/ Democrat in st. Clair tp., who does
not know that Bear voted the Radical
ticket. He may have been intoxicated,
as the Inquirer says, ard may not have
/ known what he was doing, but he did
/ that very thing, nevertheless. We
/ hope, however, that our Radical friends
/ will not get ali their 'repeaters" tC
come forward aud plead guilty, as Beai
/ has done, for in that case the Jail would
/ have to he enlarged and an additional
tax laid to pay for the boarding Of such
gentry. We are, therefore, inclined tC
/ believe that the Inquirer is only joking
when it hopes that "every one of the
/ offenders may he made TO bear the rig
ors of the law" We would, however
/ advise our Democratic friends through
/ out the county to report some of the
most fragrant cases of fraudulentvoti
to the chairman Of the County Com
mittee, J. W. Dickerson, Esq, so tha
an example may be made IN behalf o
Justice and the purity of the baIlot-Dox
Look them up, friends, and let justice
not vengeance, have its full and unim
peded sway.
!
STRONGER: