The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-11-26
TAYLOR'S BUNCH OF KEYS
WHICH WIZ UNLOCK an THE BALLOT
BONES IN BROOKLYM


Surrogate In 1910. md cd which the BROOK
Iyn Police Commissioners ARE at Work.
In the fall of 1876 there were two candi-
dates for the office Of Kings County Surrogate
in the field, one being Abram II. Daley. an ex-
Republican, who was the candidate Of the regu-
lar Democrats. and the other Walter l.. Living
stone. an Independent Democrat who ran on
the coalition ticket, supported by the Republi-
cans. The Office first fell into the hands Of Mr..
Livingstone. who on Jan. /. 1877 took his seat
and began to draw his $4,000 year
salary expecting to continue TO do so
for six years to come. The county can
vassers gave Mr.. Livingstone certificate
Of his election as Surrogate. showing that he
had received majority Of 2SS votes. Mr.. Daley
began quo warranto proceedings Immediately
after Mr.. Livingstone took his seat and the case
came on for trial on April 20. 1877. A large
number Of ballot boxes were taken into court
and the ballots were counted MIR. Daley
sorted that there was q conspiracy among the
canvassers to keep him out OF the office. and
that large number Of votes which had been
cast for him had not been counted.
The testimony showed that there was great
carelessness on the part Of many police Cap
tains in taking care OF the ballot boxes between
the tiino Of election and the time OF the trial. and
It was alleged that the ballots had been manipu-
7
count Of the ballots in the court wiped out Liv-
ingstone's majority and gave Daley majority
OF over 100. while the returns Of the canvassers.
! corrected by giving Mr.. Daley about 240 defec-
tive ballots which on the canvass had been
| thrown out still showed majority Of 4S for
Livingstone The jury elected to accept the
showing OF the ballot boxes. and gave Mr.. DALEY
n verdict. The Court promptly entered up a
| judgment OF custer and Mr.. Daley took the
| office and has held II since.
Conspicuous at the time Of the trial. and more
| or less conspicuous since In connection with
| the contest. was one Martin Taylor a painter OF
| 33s DeRraw street. BROOKLYN. who was a IA
/ vQred contractor for doing repairs about the
| old Police Central Ofiice Lately. there have
| II he wanted to he could tell many things about
| how Mr.. Daley was able TO secure a majority
that Taylor was said TO have made was
broad that IL was, considered. plain that
hes, mssqi sepytd4 that he ,Sa mr. ne D9sy 4sSss
intimations took definite shape, on Saturday.
Then a. az aa Sser Visited Mr. Martin TSyOrs
the house. The oficer who is said By one Of
perintendent John S. Folk. found large
bunch OF keys in the back parlor. and took pos
session OF them to deliver them TO the Police
Commissioners. under whose direction be was
acting. These keys, II was found. lifted the
| The Commissioners at once took the matter
vigorously in hand and began an Investigation
| to ascertain where MIR. Taylor had obtained
Police Department, and had probably been
| taken from the custody Of some police Captain.
| They sent subpoena to Mr.. Taylor to appear
before them yesterday afternoon but they
waited In vain for him 10 appear.
Mr.. Taylor last evening made the following
While / was absent from my house on Sat-
urday afternoon last. detective or some de-
| tectives. 4 do not know how many there were
what their names are. came 20 my house with
search warrant, and found there some KEYS.
| Police Commissioners sent for me. or sent me
suhpena and | refused t9 obey II. They can
arrest me and lock me up II they want to. but
| tell nothing That's all have 10 say"
But where did you get the keys p asked the
reporter,
| What We're they iorF
! They were keys TO the ballot boxes. They
| unlocked every ballot box in the city" said Mr.
Why did you have themP
| " kept them as curloslties. said Mr.. TAYLOR
while number OF his companions laughed
"Butwi you not explain how you came to
| have keys that would IN ock every ballot box in
| Brooklyn asked the reporter.
have got nothing more % say, never
! told Gen. Jourdan or any Ot the Police Com
missioners that had anything TO do with tho
ballot boxes. | decline 70 say whether have
Then how did the Police Commissioners
! learn that you had keys 20 the ballot boXesF''
Some - traitor told them, | suppose"
= How long have you had these keys?"
| Oh, some years. said Taylor acaln laugh
| ing and then declining 20 say anything more.
| Mr. Taylor had usual facilities for inspect
! ing the ballot boxes At the time between the
! election and the contest in the courts. 10y rea-
| son,of hie frequent contracts 10 repair station
houses. The keys answer the descr, ption Of
tans and one eN, sci Of ty. viii onen e p3o a 81 g
| ballot boxes in the city. The lH-ys are usually
| kept by ne Captain, and are In his possession
| the police sutton after election. until they
are ordered 10 the Police Central OHice. 4
| man with the facilities possessed by Mr.
| Taylor at that time, could have easily passed
| from one police station 10 another, and change
the result OF the election for any office. Taylor
| Is known throughout the city % az police Cap
tains, and he could have entered any part of
any rolice stati9n oL the preienee Of taking
measuremenis for making estimates on con-
| tract work, without being questioned The in
| formation leading 70 the suspicion Of TAYLOR
not the Eeys eydence 70 the conirary the The Te s
| ticians would disrredit his alleged boast that he
! knew anything about the case. II is well known
in c9mplainif Of not having Been Been
properly treated, and that he has said that any
! man who had done so much iorthe party should
| be well taken care Of Surrogate Daley tried in
| vain to get him position. hut the most that was
| jones to some Office under the Charity Com
| missioners. 4 few weeks ago his snn wH- dis
| charged. and this emhitered him. His friends
saw Boss Mclaughlin IN vain, but the Boss
| wouldn't do anYtAlnr for him. Then Surro-
gate Daley gnNe TAYLOR cmpioym"nt serving
suhppnas and payers ior the law ilrm Of Daley
Mr.. Walter L. Livingstone said last night thnt
| Taylor tapped him on the shoulder few days
ago and said he had some important inlormA-
tlon for him. but what he said was so Indefinite
that he did not look upon 1t as OF much impor-
| tance. Taylor had told something also TO his
| friends. but they did not think much OF H. He
had not yet. h. added. enough information ~
warrant n motion before the court IN his cuse.
His counsel had taken an appeal IN his case but
i had not yet been argued before the General
Term.
Congressman elect O'Reilly said last night
that his Information was thai Taylor was to DO
arrested. He knew that Taylor had been threat
enng 70 explode with story for some time.
saying that his cOnscienc was troubling him.
This Mr. O'Reilly hardly believed rather CON
cludng that il was becnuse Taylor had not got
what he had expected Mr. OReilly SAID thut
Taylor told him that Surrogate DALEY had
threatened 10 impeach his testimony II lie
that no CTaylor mad made an equally
powerful threat which he seemed 10
think about squared the accounts. The PO-
lice Comm ssioners had begun an inquiry.
which would doubtless end in something inn
portant.
The news of what was everywhere termed
TayloTs confession created much excitement
last night In Brooklyn with those who heard Of
i in the course OF the reporters investigation.
Taylor was at the Police Central Onc- lHte last
evening, but was not under arrest. Gen Jour
dan has possession Of the Keys taken from his