The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-12-19
The Bridgton Commissioners.
HOW THE FIRM OF PROCTOR &c GIBBS
CARRY OUT PILLSBURY'S ORDER
AND RUN THE DEMOCRACY
OF BRIDGTON.
Examples of How it was Done at Augusta.

Examples Of How it was Done at Augusta.
The following afidavits have been handed
us by responsible parties from Bridgton and
need no comment:
I, Nathaniel Knight, of Bridgton. in the
County OF Cumberland and State of Maine
hereby certify and say that was at my home
in said Brldgton on the evening of a week ago
last Friday; that on that evening after [ had
gone to ped my wife told me that there was a
man at the door who wanted to see me; I got
up and went to the door and found Daniel w.
Proctor there; Proctor asked me about my
work and some of my neighbors, and then said
to me that he was getting testimony and
names OF all the men that were hired to vote
to send to Augusta, and that he would give me
ten dollars to tell him what l knew about it,
and that that would be better than cutting
cord wood; Proctor said to me that he already
had the names of several parties who were
bought, and gave me some nameS Proctor
then SAID to me, you come up to my office to-
morrow and talk the matter over, and if you
will tell me what you know about buying vot-
ers will give you forty-five or fifty dollars.
l told Proctor that / knew nothing about any
man being hired to vote; that was not hired
to vote, that money was never named to me,
and that did not believe the mon he named
were bought After had said all this to
Proctor several times he made his offer to me
of forty-hve or fifty dollars, and seemed deter
mined that l should make some statement
about buying voters whether knew anything
about 1t or not. am poor man, almost
sixty-six years old, and have voted the straight
Republican ticket for the past twelve years,
except one year when I voted for Esquire
Lttletleld for clerk of courts; don't talk poll
tics or have much to do with politics except
to vote, and do not like to be talked to as Proc
tor talked to me; / know nothing about buy
ing voters, and make these statements volun-
tarily. NATHANIEL KNIGHT.
I, Ann e. Knight, of said Bridgton, wife of
the above named Nathaniel Knight, hereby
certify and say that l was at home on the
evening referred to and heard the talk between
my husband and Proctor, and that all the
above statements made by my husband as to
what Proctor said to my husband and what
my husband said to Proctor are true.
her
ANN e. KNIGHT.
mark
STATE OF MAINE, CUMBERLAND SIS,
December 10th, 1879.
There personally appeared the above named
Nathaniel Knighg and Ann E. Knight and sub
scribed and made oath that the foregoing as sub
scribed to by them were true
Before me, BENZ T. CHASE,
Justice of the Peace.
l. VIM. S. Quincy, of Bridgton in the Coun-
ty of Cumberland and State of Maine, hereby
certify and say that 1 have been sexton in said
Bridgton for eight years, that on election day
last September when went into the Town
House to vote that Edward A. Gibbs came to
me and held out to me a Fusion ticket, and
said to me, want you to vote that ticket this
time 1 refused and told him that L should
vote the Republican ticket as usual Gibbs
then said to me, Cut off the Democrats;
told him would not vote that ticket; Edward
A. Gibbs then said to me, l want you to re-
member that there is going to be change here
in town officers next Spring, plainly intimat-
ing to me that if did not vote the Fusion
ticket or vote for him for Senator l should lose
VIZ f WIN. S. QUINCY.
STATE OF MAINE, CUMBERLAND, So. -
Personally appeared the above named VIM. S.
Quincy and subscribed and made oath that the
above statements are true,
Before me- WIN. W. CROSS,
Justice of the Peace.
I, Henry Black, OF Bridgton in the County
of Cumberland and State Of Maine. hereby
voluntarily state and say that l have seen the
Eastern Argus OF December 10th and have
heard read and have read myself the whole ar
ticle in that paper headed GLOW one vote in
Bridgton was secured" that I did sign an aft
davit in D. W. Proctor's office, but did not
know what it was; that December 9Th or 9th
went to d. w Proctor's office to find out when
his father was going to bring over some wood;
that while there Z. A. Gibbs came in and said
to me, The Republicans have not done by you
as they agreed to and if you will tell the whole
story will give you two dollars and a half;
Sal0 TO SIlDDS, nSou Uub IQOuCy auu IL you
will pay me l will tell you; Gibbs said he
would; 1 then told Gibbs and Proctor that
Sunday night before election Thomas Archer
and Daniel Douglass, two Democrats came to
my house and wanted me to go off with them
and tried to pull me out of the house, and that
then Chase came and told me that those fell
lows were trying to carry me off and that If
would go down to the hotel that he would fix
it so Archer could not carry mo away; that
the Democrats had been trying to get me to
! or,I - @ff. T
told Chase / would go and 1 did, and [ told
them that l staid at the hotel so the Demo
Gratis would not get me, and that I saw Burn
ham,. Chase, Gibbs, and others, that L voted
the Republican ticket because L wanted to.
Proctor wrote down something on paper and
read it to me, reading it to me as have stated
it here; / did not read it, but did sign it, De-
sem h Pr2s s@ne cams e to me ana sae ne
the folks down there would not take it because
it was not strong enough, but that he had an
other one which was all right. Proctor did not
read the last paper to me, but tried to read 1t
but could not make out only a few words.
Proctor said it was all right, and | signed it.
The next day e. A. Gibbs paid me two dollars
and said that was all he agreed to give me.
| went to Proctor about it and Proctor told
me that if I would keep still and make no
trouble for Gibbs that he Proctor would give
me the other half dollar. [ wish to state here
that for three years both Spring and Fall 1
have voted Republican every time except one
and never told e. A. Gibbs and Proctor any
different: that / never told E. A. Gibbs and
Proctor, one or both of them, that Chas h.
Gibbs p. p Burnham or B. L. Chase offered
me money or anything else to vote. | never
told K. A. Gibbs or Proctor that Chas Il. Gibbs
paid me any money at any time for voting OF
that Chas e. Gibbs told me that he did or
would pay me money for voting. l never told
or intimated to E. A. Gibbs or Proctor that B.
T. Chase locked me in a room against my will
but did tell them that Chase told me to lock
the door and that myself asked Chase to lock
the door and keep the key or give it to the
landlord. e. A. Gibbs and d. W. Proctor
fixed up the affidavit in the Argus to suit
themselves for never would have signed any
such statement if had known that it was like
what was in the Argus for that statement
leaves out what L told about Archer, Douglass
and the Democrats and is full of false state
ments Besides this E. A. Gibbs and Proctor
have done everything which they promised
me they would not do and besides that Ed
Gibbs is trying to cheat me out OF fifty cents.
l further wish to state that all the above state
ments are true in every particular and that
make them freely and voluntarily.
HENRY BLACK.
STATE OF MAINE, CUMBERLAND, SIS.
Dec 18th 1879.
Personally appeared the above named Henry
Black and subscribed and made oath that the fore
going statements were true.
Before me, WIN. w. Cross,
Justice of the Peace.