Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1877-05-17
b sc O. r. r.
GOING EAST.
GOING WEST.
WILLIAMP WA1IAcp shor;T

| WILLIAM z. WALLACE, Sheriff OF
Hamilton county, was yesterday found
guilty by the United States District
Court, together with Daniel Mccarthy,
Turnkey of the County Jail, for con.
spring and procuring the escape of
Charles Young from the custody of the
United States Court, by which he was
held under Indictment fer illegal voting
and procuring illegal voting. The pen.
atty for this ofense is fine of not less
than 81 900 nor more than O,0O0, and
Imprisonment for not more than two
years. Although this is a terrible ruin
for Wallace, We are not able to see how
the jury could have avoided this YER
dict.
But there is much more than ia
reached by their conviction. Young
was tool in comprehensive conspir.
|acy to carry the election hv
fraudulent voting and ballot box stuff
hng. These undertakings are not re-
garded as ce lsurable by Democratic
candidates and managers of elections.
provided they succeed. The Sentiment
OF that party jeers at complaints on the
part of those who are thus cheated Of
their elective franchise. But in this
instance prosecutions were begun; the
tools of the conspiracy were made tn
teel that the business was not 80 safe
as heretofore; quarrels over the spoil
helped the investigation; Young had
been used as witness in the Cox-Har-
mon judicial election contest, and had
revealed an extensive plan and ner-
fOrmance OF illegal voting; this alarmed
others, and among them the Sheriff.
elect, whose election was contested. and
with him all the gang of under officers
who depended on his election; hence
the conspiracy to run off Young. and
thls verdict, which Is the ruin of
Wallace.
Fortunate would it be to community
if by this punishment of individuals
the public mind could be Awakened to
that debased state of party morals
"hlch toleraies. encourages, applauds,
and rewards these methods of steal;no
our popular elections. The belief that
Wallace had procured his election by
iiauds IN votirg or counting would
nave brought no censure from his
party, but would have made him the
more eligible for denomination. WAL
lace was no more guilty than other
managers of the canvass. He had
been reputable business man. but he
was man of weak character. He fell
easily into the practices of the partv
managers. Knowing the fraud of his
election, he Was alarmed when one of
these criminal tools began to compound
for his own safety by telling what he
knew. Others we're as interested as he
in running off Young. But Wallace
weakly entered upon the plan to carry
it out, and he weakly allowed Others
to carry on the plot in q very loose
manner.
Wallace's ruin is fearful example
OF the corruption OF Democratic poll
tics in this county, and warning to
men who have either character or
property to lose to shun the temptation
to enter therein for the pursuit of Office.
We suppose that Wallace spent all his
own means, and involved his relatives
to raise money to procure his election.
Then by his consciousness of its fraudu-
lent character he was led into an Of
tense, in order to cover it up, which
will send him to the penitentiary. HIS
ruin ought to send q sharp stroke to the
of q large circle of party
managers--CinciDnati Gazette, 10th.