The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1879-01-01
Unjust Jmries iE south varo ina.
SOME TRIALS AT CHARLESTON WHICH
POSSIBLY HAVE NOT CAUGHT SEN
ATOR BUTLER's ATTENTION

SOME TRIALS AT CHARLESTON WHICH
POSSIBLY HAVE NOT CAUGHT SEN
ATOR BUFFERS ATTENTION
WASHINGTON, December l6.-Tbe
United States Circnit Court st Cel-
umbis, S. c., Judge Bond presiding,
adjourned last Thursday, ard Ge
election fraud cases were ell coatn-
ued to the April term, when Chief
Justice Waite will sit with Judges
Bond and Bryan at Charleston.
Soon after the last term cf the
court opened at Columbia, The United
States Attorney sent to the Grand
Jury several of the strongest cases
against officers of the late election,
but that body, being almost entirely
of Dem ncrats, failed to fnd true bills
10 each instance.
The Grand Jury was then dis
charged, and three cases were tried
on information The first of these
was proceeding against two Of the
managers of election. and their clerk,
at the Court House Precinct in Sum-
ter. These men, Mr. Delorne, Nor
wood Fleming and W. B. PEBBLES,
were accused Of stufiing Oil tissue
paper ballots into the box at their
precinct, and falsifying the poll-list in
order to make it agree with the mum
Der Of votes found in tie box. The
principal witnesses for the prosecu-
ton were Judge Samuel Lee, one of
the United States Supervisors at the
precinct, and o colored Democrat,
who was one of the election managers
and became a witness for the Govern
ment. Judge Lee testified that bis
clerk kept correct poll-list, and that
it showed that $50 men bad voted. |
He detected the clerk of the mana
gers in the act of placing three sheets
containing the names Of 2ll fictitious
persons among the sheets Of the real
list. He called attention to the fraud !
and wrote his name on each one Of
them. Those three sheets are now
missing and the managers assert that !
they were taken from the pocket Of
their clerk When the box was open
ed sG5 ballots were found in it, being
four more than the Democratic man
ayers had names on their list when
those on the three fraudulent sheets
were counted; and tie number Of tis-
sue ballots found 10 the box was
exactly equal 20 the excess over the
number of votes actually cast. All
the witnesses for the defence testified |
that they saw no tissue ballots dur
ing the voting, but no attempl TO ac-
count for their presence in the box
was made. To rebut this evidence
the defence simply introduced witnes-
ses to prove that Judge Samuel Lee /
was not truthful man; but the Gov /
ernment met this with the testimony 4
of many reputable citizens of Sumter,
white and colored, Democrats and 1
Republicans, that bis reputation for
truth was good No witnesses
were produced to deny the facts
proved by the Government. The ju-
~ consisted of four Republicans and
eight Democrats, and the for 1er
voted for conviction while the latter
voted to acquit on the sole ground, as
some of them said, not thai the evil /
dence was not sufficient to convict,
but that they did not believe that
Lee was to be believed.
The next case was against the
managers Of the election at Camp
Ground precinct, in Richlsnd County.
At that place, one Of the United I
States Supervisors and bis clerk kept
a correct poll list which showed that
$40 persons voted. In this case the
list kept by the clerk Of the managers
contained lao names on two sheets
not found on the Supervisors list.
These two sheets were in q different
handwriting from the others and they
bore other internal evidence of being
fraudulent Forty-six names were /
also interpolated in the original list
by repeating the names of voters /
For instance, when John Smith vo-
ted, bis name was entered in full, I
and also j. Smith, making il appear /
that two men had voted, while only |
one corresponding name was found