National Republican., 1873-11-08
THE VIRGINIA ELECTION FRAUDS.

low the Democrats Conducted the Elcc-
tion In Portsmouth - GlarinE Frauds - ,
The sham -Chivuiry stuninR Rniiot- :
Boxes. !
We give below q detailed statement Of the
onduct Of the sham-chivalry at Portsmouth,
"a, on election day. 1t Is taken from q
,rivatc letter written by a gentleman, for
whose reliability we do not hesitate to youch,
o friend in this city
PORTSMOUTH, Va. Nov. Z, isfa,
StR You saw how the election in Norfolk
vas conducted yesterday. On this eide of tho
liver we had different performance or mode
u operation, although the result, as laid down
n the programme, apparently was nearly
he same as In Norfolk.
You are aware that the judge Of the lust
ngs Court appoints The Judges Of election,
md that tho law provides that each party 10
. contest shall have one Judge of election.
Well. under that provision I, Us chairman Of
he Republican committee, named a judge for
he First ward of our city. Judge Hill In
Iormed me that he could not take the recon-
Of any committee as To his appoint
nents, which ought to have been considered
,isn No. I.
Under the law the city clerk furnishes the |
and the city councils nppropri- |
atcd money and purchased glass ballot-hoXcs, |
40 rs to give the voter an opportunity to see
what became Of his ballot. When these boxes
were placed In the hands Of the Judges Of
election, they, under the advice Of the Con-
servatlye committee, before using them had
them cnsed with wood, and thus Deliberately
showed determination to
PREVENT ruE VOTER FROM KNOWING WHAT
WAS ooINo on,
and q defiance Of the city council, who are
Republican. This should have been consid-
cred sign No. 9; hut the Republicans are good
aa and haltoyaA hat xsha
professed go much chlvalry they must pos
sc.s a little of Il.
The Republican majority last spring in this
city was al, and we know of numerous gains
slucs then, but the result shows that the Con-
scryatiyes simply calculated that sufficient
amount OF stufiing to overcome this majority
would be sufficient to give them the city, and
elect Q Conservative member Of the House Of
Delegates; but they were deceived, and fell
q little behind their calculation, although
their frauds were the most barcfaced' ever
pcrpetrated In this section. | Iwill give you
some Of the incidents, commencing with the
First ward and going through the four. :,
On the LIST Of last May We carried the ward
| by seven majority, and yesterday we had a
quiet election, checking of each voter as he
deposited his ballot, and when tho polls
closed were perfectly satisfied We had car
ricd tho ward by an Increased majority. Let
US SEQ how 1t turned out.
Nntu tuC Dulblr WtEc thhtu lIbun tut boN
there appeared seventeen more than there
were names recorded and checked on tho
poll-llst. They were returned to the box,
and DIR. James Jarvis, q Republican Judge.
was biindfolded and drew from the box sew
enteen ballots, which one would suppose
would leave the number correct; but when
the bandage was removed and tho ballots
again counted, by some hocus pocus, not
withstanding seventeen had been drawn out,
| there was now
SrSErY-SISB MORE BALLOTS THAN WHEN
COUNTED BEfoRE,
and many very small, finely printed, among
| the number. This time, when the ballots
were returned to the box, William A. Fiskc,
one Of the Conservative judges, was blind
folded, and drew out ninety-nine more bal
lots, and thus each one Of those stuffed bal
lots which remained In the box was equal &c
two votes cast, and Kempcr, the Conserva
tive candidate was given majority of on'
hundred and thirty In ward which actually
voted majority for Col. Hughes, the Repub
lican candidate.
In the Second ward the Republicans had
one judge, VIM. n. Eaton, who Is very kecr
and ready man, and who watched tho ballot
box and poll-list at the same time as well a
one pair OF eyes could; and when the poll
closed, having some knowledge OF the Demo
cratic operations In the past, US soon as tn
ballot-box was emptied he commenced count
| Ing, without giving an opportunity 10 shak
. and stir up the ballots. The result was h
found u number Of Conservative tickets Of
larger size,
ENCLOSING ROLLS OF VERY SMALL TICKLT
, with the Conservative candidates nHme
, thereon. Had 1t not been for Mr.. Eaton
foresight these rolls would have been shool
open and mingled with the rest, and counte
: as honest votes, or placed on an equality wit
I others, and, being much the smallest In th
box, the Conservative judge word hav
, failed to draw them out, and each OF ther
would have counted two for Kcmpcr. Bu
as the fraud was detected In time, althoug
a this was the Conservatives strongest ware
: the Republicans carried it by majority {
r twenty-four.
In the Third ward wo had ono Rcpublica
Judge but no writer or clerk, while the Cor
: servatives had two judges and two writer
y and one of the Conservative judges was
q resident and voter in the First ward and ha
!, been appointed because of his connectiO
with the election in the same capacity ut Il
= time of the great swindlc two years since. {
n at the time the colored hallot-bOX was stuifC
= In jefferson ward, before the city was rcdi
n trlcted.
a In this ward two hundred and twenty-eigl
colored men received their tickets from me
= Of their color, went to the window and vote
9 the Republican ticket. To this these Nv
, hundred and twenty-eigh.
: MEN WILL SWEAR.
e In addition, at least fifty white men vote
Q the Republican ticket, forty OF whose namt
G can give. When the vote was counted on
q l9l Republican votes, all told, could be four
In the box. There were twenty ballots mo
In the box than names recorded, and wht
o returned and one Of the Conservative judg
in blindfolded, he was able and did succeed
abl a ara IND ttya tp
n. and each time a Republican ticket, thus ma
', ing each one Of the those Conservative bt
i lots count two. Is not this most singular?
rs In the Fourth ward 1t Is known to ever
" body that there are not more than eigh
is Conservative votes, most OF the mechani
at living there. Last May the Republicans Gu
'' ried Ii by about $50 majority. In this wa
D. we Ind one judge, but no clerk, and the Il
10 publican judge begged hard for q write
a offering TO pay the expense himself, but
IN was refused. The consequence was that,
:. In other wards, tho ballot-box was stuff,
~ and the surplus vote drawn out by one OF q
In judges, blindfoldcd, and again each Co
q seryative ballot
ell FRAUDULESTLr PUT IN COUNTED TWO,
" but In this ward we have the afiidavts
SC three responsible respectable citizens, wi
ss swear that they saw George W. Hutchlng
~ one Of the Conservative judges, putting Il
CT fraudulent ballots In IT," bOx. These gentl
" men will 70 before the grand Jury here al
Of swear 10 the facts set forth; but expect
o. prosecution, because 1t Is generally conced'
n that the Commonwealth attorney, David
- Goodwin, (whO, in my opinion, was elected
oi similar frauds last May,) will not prosecu
such o case. In fact, David J. Goodwin, q
ir though receiving pardon by act Of Co
N gress, declared on the stump, last year al
!. TIN, that any white Virginlan who voted Il
Republican ticket was traitor, and the
70 being his sentiments he could not well
!. PROSECUTE A CONSERVATIVE FRArp.
y am satisfied he won't do It, although kno
" the witnesses, Messrs. johnson, Stringcr ~
, Boolc, TO be as respectable, as brave, and
y honorable as Colonel Goodwin.
MI In the Fourth ward when the aforcsa
George Hutchings cast his own vote he wei
into the back part of the room and fixed U
!" his ballot and handed 1t to one of the Judge
r who, when about TO put II In the box, WI
ID called on by Mr.. Boole TO examine the sam
d. because 1t was evident there were sever
=. tickets together. The Judge showed 1t quick
10 into the box aud told Mr.. Boole he had
right to question the acts of the Judges