The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-04-26

the polls-yvns drawing near. when he rode A.
fast "a he could to the schoo house. When he ar
rived. Ire found the polls open and voters voting.
Bowes told him he was too late. and he had
made another mana ueRro-inspecior Rouse
wont In and red tho box all day, and SAW
cvory ballot tina, wont into tho lox except eight
or ten TINT had boon deposited before his ar
rival. md sworo before tho House investigating
committee that nonc Of tho little jokors" were
put in. He saw tho names OF tho voters written
down as they voted. lie knew whom no voted
and the man who voted next after he did. When
the poll list was examined afterward In the
clerks Office there were found 10 be eighteen
names between Rouse's and the man who voted
Immediately after he did. He knew also tho
last man who voted but tho poll list had moro
than n score OF names added 10 II after tho namc
OF the last man voting. When tho ballot box was
opened seventy-thrse little jokors wero found nj
the bottom. The rs names added 20 the poll
list we're written In ono handwriting. with an
uniformity which showed that thoy had all
been written at ono time Tho House commit
tee subpGnaed all OF tho persons answering to
the names thus added to the poll list who could
bo found. and thcy all testified that they did not
vote at Richardson's School House. but else
where. The poll lists Of other precincts showed
that these men had voted where they swore
they had voted. Forty-cicht OF them sworc that
they voted elsewhere. A gentleman named
Fleming also testified TINT he know everybody
living in the Richardson School House precinct.
and that not ono OF the 10 persons represented
as voting there lived In that ueighborhood.
Many OF them lived twenty. thirty. and some OF
them fifty miles away
The fraud at Archer Precinct No. Q. Alachua
county. was in.accordance with the general plan
TO secure majority on the face OF the returns
for the Hayes electors. II was precisely similar
% the fraud at tho Richardson Schoolhouse
Precinct in Leon county. save that tho little
iokers" were not usod at Archer Precinct No. O.
The list of names was simply provided before
the election. to be used II found to be necessary.
The election was held. and the result was rather
surprising 20 the Republican managers In that
locality. The Democratic majority was much
larger than WIS expected. The election ON
GERS. however were provided for this contin-
eency They counted the vote. and announced
II after the pollf closed. but they did not make
out the return,. They simply signed the blanks
on which tho returns were TO be made in blank.
and took the prccaution 10 sign duplicate sets.
Then they gathered up the boxes and poll lists
and blank returns which had been signed. and at
o'clock the night Of the election took n train for
Gainesville. the county seat Of Alachua county
Arriving there they proceeded to the house OF
Capt. L. @. Dennis. who was the chief Republi-
can manager and mani puator for that county.
They there made up one set Of returns giving
the actual vote ms cast. and another set adding
2l9 votes for the Republican candidates. and SO
arranging the poll list that 2l9 names OF ficti-
tious voters could be made part OF 1t or not. as
was deemed necessary IN the future
The mistake made by these ballot box suffers
was in counting the vote and announcing the
result at the polls. This they did. and the Dem
ocrats. who We're on the Qiui rire. watched them
very closely. and had several witnesses who
heard the vote as announced, and made on the
spot memoranda of it, The election officers
were Richard Black. q reen r. Moore. and Floyd
Dukes. inspectors. and Thomas II. Vance. clerk
Dukes. who was the Democratic inspector. could
neither read nor write. and appears to have
been selected as the Democratic inspector
by the Republican officials OF the county be-
cause he was ignorant and easily deceived.
Vance was the Clerk. He is very bright an
shrewd colored man. Archer No. il about
thirteen miles from Gainesville. Vance lived
in Gainesville. and is mn active politician. Tho
entire vote actually polled at Archer Precinct
No 2. was SIG votes. or these the Hayes cleo
tors received 17s. and the Tilden electors AL
The false return which was made added 2I9
votes to those actually received by the Hayes
electors making It appear that they Ind 397
votes instead Of lie. Samuel Y. Fleming. n
merchant residing at Archer-a man Of intelli-
gence and high character. who, by reason Of his
business. knew nearly every man In the pre-
cinct-stooi az the polls from the time they were
opened TIL they were closed and wrote down
the name OF every man who voted. His list
showed that sos persons voted SO that the cleo
ton officers undoubtedly managed ~ get in eight
votes without having voters to deposit them.
q hat
the vote announced 10y Black. one Of the Repub-
lean inspectors. and that it was Us for Hayes
and l4l for Tildrn. Green r. Moore made an
affidavit which WIS before the Returning Bonrd,
in which he declared that the true vote was rs
above stated ITS for Hayes and i4l for Tilden
and that he signed the returns in blank. and
that Vance, the clerk. and Black. the other Re-
publican inspector. carried Of the ballot boxes.
poll lists. and the blank returns. He was after
ward induced to allow his name to b. put 10
another affidavit. and the Iurat AFFIXED without
his being sworn, In which he contradictcd his
first statement He testified. however. before
the investigating committees II the House and
Senate that his first statement was true.
Now Capt l.. q. Dennis makes an AFFIDAVIT. in
which hcdetaiis all the circumstances connected
with this fraud. He WAS not examined hy either
the House or Senate committee. and therefore
his present statement is undoubtedly trHt in
every particular. He is corroboratcd by Vance.
the clerk Of the Election Board who makes n
clean breast Of it, The evidence taken 10y the
Horse committee was overwhelming and unHs
stilahle. Every one Of the 2l9 mon whose
names had been added 10 the poll lis,who could
be found IN Alachua county wcrr summoned
before tho committee. and tlry testified that
they ala not vote at Archer Precinct No. 9
new revelation is made in regard to Colum-