Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-02-26
FRAUDS AT CROOKSTON.

FRAUDS AT CROOKSTON.
How Msjorities are Made Upon the Frontier
"A Precinct with About One Hundred
Voters Polls Two Hundred and Sixty-four
Votes.
Albert Church, sworn-Ls farmer and coz
stable; lives in Crookston; was at the polls at
election all day; was a candidate for sheriff:
saw large numbers of railroad workmen brought
to the polls to vote by their bosses, with the
tickets In their hands; most of them were
lrishmen; thinks they were Democrats: thew
all voted for Washburn. Some were brought
on foot and others came on hand cars. T6ev
came from points sixteen miles off Ia sure
thirty i've railroad hands voted. Had no resi-
dence there; he never saw them after the cleo
tlon. He talked with them and asked them to
vote Tor him; they refused, and said they had
TO vote the ticket their employers gave them.
They said they had full days pay. One of
the bosses told witness that all he cared for at
the election was Washburn. There ,cas mo reois-
trataon list at the polls. Only one voter was
sworn before voting. The ballot box was a
cigar box without lock or key. The Judges
permitted any one and every one to vote.
There We're lots of men voted besides the
railroad hands who had no right to
vote; were only two or three months in the
country; SOME were from Canada. Knows of
some who had not been there for ten DAYS
days before the election. The railroad hands
were off work at the election about a Quarter
of day, and were paid for this time the same
as II they had voted: They were from st.
Paul, Minneapolis and all around They. were
at work on the construction of the road. here
to-day and away tomorrow. Some steamboat
men from the Red river voted at Crookston-
they voted and took the train right awav In
st. Paul. One Perrault, who lived At tte
French colony, twenty miles away, voted at
Crookston. Heard of some who voted at
townships. ASA
Witness testified that the thought the total
POI population OF Crookston village was between
dren. In the rest Of the voting precinct there
were about twenty farm houses, with probably
I'VE persons, men. women and children in each
house.
Il. Sampson, sworn-Lives close to Crooks
ton-forty rods distant-in town of Lowell. Ia
a hePubican; voted for Washburn; is clerk of
the district court of Polk county; is a Scandi-
navian. The witness gave census of village
and township of CrookSton. He commenced with
the village and took the houses in their order
and gave the name of each voter as there at
last election; he then took the township in
tiers OF sections and gave the names of all the
settlers. The total number of votes in the
township was 81. There might be few more.
but they could not possibly exceed Is or IS
more. Note-The vote cast was 264-nea,ly
all for Washburn.) Witness is a pioneer set
tier in that vicinity; is we'll acquainted in all
parts OF the county. Polk coAnty is largely
unsettled; part of the township of Crookston
is unsettled; is well acquainted at Fisher; there
We're were about 40 settlers there (Note-The
vote cast was S5.); was in Crookstop ON cleo
ton day; saw lots of railroad hands there: met
one man; he told witness he had been there
two or three days; he had voted; he had a
Washburn ticket; he was carpenter at work
on the round house; came from St. Paul or
Minneapolis. Witness gave the names of ssev-
eral parties from other towns that voted in
Crookston; they had SO told him themselves.
Witness, although Republican and 8 Wash
burn man, expressed his dissatisfaction at the
frauds and corruptions at Crookston. He felt
that they should all be ashamed toe call them
selves Republicans to let everybody vote who
had nointerest in the country. There were a
number of people coming and going last fall,
looking for land or work, but they were not
residents of Crookston. There were 100 scholars
in the public school at Crookston, but the school
district includes parts of four towns. Thinks
there was good many voted at Crookston who
had no right to vote.
q. 3. Spendler, town clerk, sworn-Produced
certified copy of the poll list of Crookston for
the last election, showing 1854 names as having
voted.
Levi 8. Myers, sworn-Last Saturday night
he met W. B. Moore, Canadian, who told him
he had voted at the Crookston poll last fall:
that he came from Canada April z, 1873 and
took out his first papers April 8, 1878.
Witness went to the Office of tho clerk of the
court and found the record of his taking out of
his first papers, dated April 8, 1875 He then
examined the poll list, and fosnd his name
among the list of those who voted.
TESTIMONY TAKEN AT LITTLE FALLS, FEB. 81, 1878.
Henry Armstrong of Two Rivers, sworn
Is q Democrat. Was called on shortly before
election by j. V. Brewer, of the st. Cloud land
Office. Brewer paid him S2O He did not ex-
pend any of it; kept it all. Did not work at
election for Washburn. Went around with his
team day or two before election distributing
tickets, but did not ask anybody to vote for
Washburn. Witness Qike all the rest of them)
declared he was in favor OF Washburn before
he was paid the 800.
@. Did you tell Charles Berens that YOU
knew all the different parties who had received
money for the election? A. thought I did;
but they all lied about it. thought 1 was
sure of it, but didn't see it.
@. Who did you feel sure received money.
and what reasons had you? a. All the reason
can see is that Brewer had talk with them,
lNoTE.-Brower testified that he went out
to canvass at the request of Washburn or the
Republican committee, but that he spent no
money except for legitimate purposes.-ED.
GIOBE