Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-04-26
NUMBER lO2.
DENNIS DEYILTRY
Concisely Confessed.
They Stole Florida
For Fraudulent B. B.

The Sun furnishes tho following statement
made by L. 8. Dennis:
WASHINGTON, D. c., March %, 1871 have
resided in Alnchua county. Florida. since
January, 1866. and Was elected to tho State
Assembly in 1876, at the same time of the lato
Presidential election; was at that
time member of the State central committee
of tho Republican party of Florida and also the
chairman Of the Republican committee of
Alachua county. I was also president of tho
board of county commissioners of Alachua
county from 1873 to 1877, and was familiar
with the manner of registration and manner of
voting, the location of polls and all other cleo
ton machinery. A president of said board
and with the consent of said board ! located
all polling places, appointed all the inspectors
who conducted the election, received and court
ed ballots, and made and certified to returns. /
appointed rs inspectors of Archer precinct,
box No. 2, Green r. Moore, Floyd Duke and
Richard 81. Black. Thomas ID. Vance went at
my request, to Acker precinct on the day
previous to the election, and was appointed by
=.
and served as such. was at Gainesville on
the day of election, and on that night and tho
day following my residence was the ht ad-
quarters of tho Republican party, and
during the night preceding tho electie all
information was brought to me there. kome
time after midnight of that night lnsps ctor
Black came to my house and reported to mo
that the suit Of the election at box No. for
President Il electors was as follows: For Ha, e.
| electors, $50; for Tilden electors, 1856.
little later Vance, clerk at said box
No. 2. came and made the samo re-
port. Subsequently both Black and Vance
came to me and said they had returns from
Archer precinct, box No. 2, signed in blank by
the inspectors, and that they would make Gus
returns 30 as to meet the expectations of their
own party. They retired to private room
| where they remained two or three hours, and
then informed me that they had added about 200
names to the poll lists as having voted, and had
increased the Republican vote to that extent,
and afterward learned that they had added
2l9 names to the poll list. entered the room,
while they were employed there. and saw them
copying names from the county registration
list upon which those who had actually voted
at Archer precinct, box No. 2, were checked
off, ana new names were selected from
the names of the Republican voters
who had not already voted at that precinct.
After completing the returns in this manner,
i they filed them, with the ballot-box. with tho
county clerk. The county commissioners met
a few days after the election, the board consist
ing of J. E. Webster, clerk Of court, W. 81.
Bolton, justice of the peace, and Louis A.
Barnes, sheriff, all of whom were Republicans.
During the canvass, Inspector Moore appeared
before the board and submitted an
affidavit to the effect that returns from
Archer precinct No. were false, and that trua
and Tilden electors 1856; but the board decided
they could not hear evidence as to tho truth or
falsity of returns, and upon the face of the
returns the vote of the county was as follows
For Hayes electors 1884, for Iiiden electors
1887. The result included 2l9 votes
for Hayes electors, which were added to tho
vote cast at Archer precint. box No. 2, by Black
and Vance. These returns were sent to the
| governor and secretary of state. After these
returns were filed with the secretary of state.
an effort WIS made to invalidate them go ia,
as Archer precinct, box No. q, was concerned.
and and Greene r. Moore. and an ot,ci,i
statement from Mr.. Webster, clerk
was filed with the State canvossing
board for the purpose of showing that the re-
turns from Archer precinct, box No.2, were
false and fraudulent. 1t also appeared thai
hlr. Bolton, justice of the peace, had not sign.
the returns filed with the Secretary of Stat
and Governor. One of the duplicate returns
was sent back to Alachua county, and Belton's
signature was obtained. Moore was also in
duced to make q counter affidavit denying tn,
truth of his former affidavit. a connte
affidavit was also obtained from Floyd Duke
denying his former affidavit. The grand jur
of Alachua county Investigated the Archer pre-
cinct matter, but failed to find an,
fraud, and passed resolution t
that effect; whereupon Mr.. Webster wa
induced to withdraw his statemen
and make another to the effect that he wa
satisfied that the return was all right. The
the affidavits and statements were laid befor
the State canvassing board, and the return
were counted. The result gave the Haye
electors 219 votes more than vera cast f
! them.
3 have never heretofore made any write
statement, or given any evidence regardin
this election in Alachua county.
. (Signed) L. g. DENNIS
! The above was sworn to in Florida, before
t justice of the peace, and is certified by te
t secretary of State.