The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1870-04-07

sion of the legislature, a contested e
lection case from the First Senatorial
District of Philadelphia, known as the
Diamond Watt case. has dragged its
slow length along. 1t has been prov
ed by Mr.. Diamond, tn contestant,
(who was the Democratic candidatel
that the board of return judges refused
TO oceive and count the returns from
q number of precincts which gave him
Diamond upwards of 400 majority.
By this outrageous proceeding Watt,
Republican, was given the certificate
of election, and has been enabled to
hold the seat, thus far, in defiance of
the will of the people. In order 10
overcome the 400 majority for Dia-
mend in the rejected precincts, witnes-
ses have been brought before the COM
mittee at Harrisburg tn swear that
their residence was in Baltimore and
New York at the time of the election
and that they were hired to go to Phil
adelphia TO vote in the nam IS of resi-
dents OF that city. On the testimony
of these self-confessed scoundrels, Mr..
Watt principally rests his case, and a
great cry has been raised in conse-
quence, by the Republican press, that
the Democrats committed great frauds
at the election of Philadelphia. But
the Republican editors hall0Oed before
they were out Of The woods. The p0-
lice were set upon the track of the
knaves who were brought to Harris
burg as witnesses for Mr.. Watt. They
were ferreted out and found to be pick
pockets and baWdy- house pimps, who
deliberately prepared themselves for
pay. Their testimony was cOntradic-
ted by the very best men in Philadel-
phia, by w. V. McKern, editor of the
Ledger, by Charles w. Brooke, Esq,
Robert E. Randall, Esq, John l. Rog-
ers. Esq, and other prominent citizens
I of the First Senatorial District. The
scoundrels thus contradieted claimed
! to reside at certain places i'll New York
/ and Baltimore and to be engaged in
| certain branches of business. The
persons by whom they swore they
were employed have since been exam
ined on oath, aud in every instance
/ the alleged employer testified that he
/ kneo no s4ch persons, and police detec-
/ tives, having been put on the stand,
have sworn that nc such persons as
! Watts witnesses reside, or ever re-
sided, at the places they gave as their
residence. 1t turns 0at, therefore,
| that this testimony OF these self-con-
/ victed knaves, was manufactured out
/ of the whole cloth to meet the neces-
sities of Mr.. Watts case. But perjury
alone would not keep the sitting SEN
ator in his seat. The perpetration of
the twin crime of forgery was neces-
sary. The Republican Return Inspec'
( tor of the Seventh Division of the
( Third Ward of Philadelphia, was put
on the stand by Mr. Diamond, and
sworn that the hourly returns Of that
/ Division, which was Ia his own hand
/ writing, has been altered so as 10 add
one hundred Uote8 to JLr. Watts number
/ more than he receiCed! In the face OF
/ the Infamous swindIe by which the
return judges cheated Mr.. Diamond
! out of 400 votes, in the face Of the no.
torious perjury of the pimps and pick
/ pockets brought to Harrisburg to
/ swear for Watt, IN the face Of the fOrg-
cry by which one hundred votes were
given to Watt more than he re.
ceived, the Republican papers, our
near neighbor among them, have the
/ hardihood to talk about democratic
frauds" They should hide their face
/ in shame.