New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-11-29

animation showed that on the evening of election
dav. after the polls were closed and half an hour
before the balot-box was opened, Mr.. Webster went
tn the pollingpace and asked of the managers per-
mission to go in and keep tally of the votes for the
Republicans. This privilege was refused nm Dy
one of the managers who said that there were three
OF four Republicans in there already. After being
denied q second time he went away. MI LIVING
ston made the same request for himself ana re-
ceived the same answer. Then Mr.. Webster ana hir.
Livingston were seen in company with Sandy keitt,
and few minutes after Kett appeared ana
"demandedv admission to the poling-place. When
one of the managers refused to allow him to enter.
the witnesses say that he declared that he would
be id If he did not go in, whereupOn no was
arrested by about forty white men present, handled
very roughly and locked up in Jail. These are the
only facts alleged by the prosecution, and have
been told by men who We're standing by and WIT
messed the whole proceeding that much OF tins tes-
mony was false, especially that portion of 1t III re-
gard TO the use of profane language by keitt.
Northern man, Democratic lawyer who settled III
OTangebnTg three years ago and has been dentlhed
with the Democratic party here, happened to be
present when Keitt arrested, and unable to
suppress ms indignation at such an outrageous pro-
ceeding, he was told by the election manager to
I" shut up his CAB, or they would treat him III the
same way"
When crOss-examined, the chief manager OF the
elecriOn refused to say whether the ballot-ooX
when opened contained more votes than the poll
list, whether he knew of more than one ballot
Dcing placed in the box by q single voter, aud
whether to his knowledge anything was put into
the box after the polls were closed and before the
counting began, and the justice sustained the re
fusal on the ground that the questions were not
/ MT 70 I hn he def
nifty to show that Keit was Deputy United States
Marshal and under Federal laws had a right
to 90 into the pOllng-place but they did show that
the laws Of this State require the votes to be
counted in public, and that the three men. instead
of attempting to do illegal act, were actually de-
MED right guaranteed to them by the laws OF
South Carolina But even if they had no right TO
witness the counting of the votes II was not crime
TO ask permission to do So TO agree together
10 ask such permission, and the whole case was
such o rldicul0uSly weak one that i expected the
Justice, when the testimony closed, to dismiss
the prisoners and reprimand those who had caused
their arrest. No other course would have been pos
sbe anywhere where the courts are not
prOSttuted to political persecution, and the
magistrates who are sworn TO do even
justice are not bulldozed by bitter polit-
cal partisans th,rsting for revenge. Very much
until oday, and then placed the prisoners under
bends to answer at the next term OF the court Some
idea of the high-handed wav in which these Demo-
Gratis are proceeding may be gathered from the fact
that the trial justice told one of the prisoners that
he should discharge them but for the pressure that
was brought to bear upon him; that there was moth
ing in the case and that grand jury could even
be made to lind an indictment. The bulldozers
even undertook TO prevent the justice from accept
ing the name of the Rev. DR.. Webster on the bail
bond of his son for $500 although he paws taxes in
this county on property valued at more than $4,000
They wanted to put these men into jail for two
months, but Justice OCan was hardly ready TO
commit such an open violation of tho law. This
alleged conspiracy case is connected with other
events that have occurred in the county since cleo
tion and shall therefore refer to 1t again in sub
seQuent letter. Z. L. w.