The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-11-17

A Sale Of rwssdisn frea iAs' Black Hills
Allegations Of Ballots Box siufins
Al custer Citv
CITY, d. T., /
Nov. 10 1877

n tuSicT Wy.
HAYWARD CITY, d. IT,
Nov. 10, 1877.
Something new every day from our
army of quartz hunters; to-day Smith
unearths n treasure which is pro-
nounced ''the biggest thing yet" but
tomorrow Jones discovers a cement
bed which knocks it as high rs Mr..
Beecher's unfinished book. Thus day
in, day out, from morn till night, ex-
citement rules supreme.
Messrs. Book & King have everything
in readiness for their quartz mill,
which will arrive in a few days and
commence operations on Battle Creek,
right in front of this town, 50 the ex-
pectant Haywardites will at last be 81
luted by its ponderous stamps.
The monotony of Jul existence was
varied a little last Tuesday on the oc-
casion Of our first general election in
this Custer county, and though the
affair passed off here and in our neigh
boring village of Harvey as peacefully
as a prayer meeting, a different state of
things prevailed in Precinct No. !,
Custer City which, it is to be hoped,
in the interests of good government,
justice and decency, will never be per-
mitted to repeat itself. The affair
promises to keep Sheriff Ely, the grand
jury and Judge Bennett busy for some
time to m Will you kindly the I'M
vanished tale disclose?
The election was held in pursuance of
n call Of the County Board, to fill the
different county offices, and also for the
purpose Of permanently locating the
county seat, the most sought for prize
of all. Accordingly all the stratagems
known to the sachems of Tammany
Hall were resorted to, but after count
ing heads in Custer, they found them
selves in a miserable minority. Our en-
terprising Custer merchants were not
to be bafied; they had laid an ingen-
ious plan for overcoming such obsta-
cles, and they forthwith proceeded to
put it into execution. This is how
they did it.
All the vehicles in town were hired
and dispatched to Deadwood with in
structions to pick up every stray indi-
vidual who roamed the streets, Micaw-
ber-like, waiting for something to
turn up" and HE them back to Custer,
there to vote ''early and often" An
other party made q detour into Hill
City and Newton's Fork, in Penning-
ton county, and managed to secure an
auxiliary force of some twenty voters.
The hotels and boarding houses dished
up u quantity of hash, and the bars
were thrown open to the free patronage
of all who announced their intention of
supporting the Custer ticket.
When the voting commenced u few
of the better class Of citizens attempted
to prevent the wholesale fraud by chal-
longing the votes of the non-residents,
but were compelled by threats and
abuse to retire, and leave the arena
to u set Of the most rapacious harpies
that ever disgraced a county. The law
explicitly provides that u party entitled
to vote must reside in the county TWEEN
ty days, and in the precinct five days
next preceding an election. Yet men
were permitted to exercise the franchise
in Custer City last Tuesday, who had
not set foot in that town for six months,
and Others who had never lived there
ut all. AS an example, II man named
Brown, who resided in Hayward last
spring, and removed to Deadwood
about June l, returned there Tuesday
morning and offered his ballot, which
was rejected, when, mounting his horse,
lie rode to Custer and was allowed to
vote there, although he never lived
in that town. One of the judges of
election remarked, rs he BROWN held
his ballot, when challenged, that it
was good enough for them. Chuck it
in here"
In this they succeeded in
electing their entire ticket. and the
Sheriff and Register of Deeds, by ma
j~orities Of six and sixteen respectively.
But with all the fraud, they were I'M
able to carry the county seat-by a Gu
rious coincidence the vote for Hayward
and Custer being a tie-which result
gives Hayward the county seat, it hay
ing been previously located there.
More amor Fritz.
The largest, cheapest, most fashion,
able and best stock of hosiery in this
town is found Mt