The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-01-16


cratic Frauds, Ballot-Box Stu0ing," &c.
The text of this poster, copy of which
is herewith annexed as Exhibit D, sets
forth that the Democratic executive COM
mittee of the State of South Carolina had
procured thousands of the "kiss joke" or
tissue tickets, which were to be given to
certain Democrats at each poll, to be
stuffed into the ballot boxes. The poster
also set forth the plan of drawing out the
excess of ballots that would be found in
the boxes, and warned the Republicans
of what they might expect, but it was
then too late. The State had been food
ed with the tissue tickets, and the results
of the election on the following day dis
closed the fact that the plan had been
carried out, not in one or two localities
alone, but in all the precincts in the State
where it was thought they would be need.
ed; and further, that it had been carried
out in precisely the same way in locali-
ties so remote from each other as to show
there must have been common direction
given to the plan from some central power
which was implicitly obeyed.
In further evidence of preconcert of
action in the use of these tickets, the re-
marks of Mr.. Ell. NJ. Loften, Democratic
supervisor of elections at Henderson's
Store precinct, Charleston, S. c., to Mr..
J. j. German, may be cited. Mr.. Cor
man was the Republican supervisor at
the same polling precinct, and states that
he had not, until the hour of 8 p. m. on
the day of election, seen any of the "kiss
joke" tickets; but that at that hour Mr..
Loften took one of the "kiss jokes" from
his vest pocket, and holding it to Mr..
German, said: "Jake, here is the ticket
running through the county to-day" and
Immediately returned the ticket to his
pocket.
1t appears further from the sworn state
meuts of the Republican supervisors OF
elections that the "kiss joke" or tissue
tickets were used exactly as it was inten-
ded they should be, and that the Demo
cratic managers of elections at the poll.
ing precincts pursued 4 uniform plan Of
handling them in such a manner as to
render them fully effective for the crime
they were designed to consummate.
In some instances the polls were not
opened by law-i. e., before & o'clock on
the morning of election-and the Re-
publican supervisors arriving at the polls
fifteen minutes before 6 q. M, were told
that the polls were then open, and that
several persons had voted. When these
supervisors demanded the privilege and
right of examining the ballot-boxes,
claiming that the legal hour for opening
the polls had not arrived, exhibiting
their watches as evidence of the fact, and
referring to the clock Of St. Michael's
(the standard time in Charleston which
had not then tolled the hour of 6, they
were treated With contempt, and their
demands to examine the ballot-boXes
were not acceded to. The managers OF
the election Democrats in every instance,
and so appointed in violation Of law ex-
hibited their own watches, the hands of
which had been moved forward to suit
the occasion, and declared that it was
past six by their time, and that they
would be guided by no other.
Action of the kind just recited was
taken in sufficient number of cases to
show the design to have been general
and preconcerted.
In other instances the Republican su-
pervisors of election were seized on their
way to the polls by mobs of men, who
prevented them from reaching the polls
until long after the hour of opening, and
after from 100 to 200 men had voted ille-
gally.
In still other instances, mobs of men
so surrounded the polls that citizens de-
string to vote the Republican ticket were
not permitted to exercise the right OF
suffrage.
In still other instances mobs of armed
men to the number of forty or fifty took
complete possession of the polls, captur-
ing the ballot-boxes and so adding to the
ballots therein as to produce results ia
vorable to the success of the Democratic
ticket, without reference to the number
or the character Of the ballots legally
cast.
Pistols were at the same time brand
ished and exploded. Supervisors OF
elections and authorities, and deputy
marshals of the United States, were
knocked down and driven from the polls,
and colored citizens were compelled to
flee in order to preserve their lives.
In some localities the commissions sent
by the chief supervisor of elections, en-
powering certain persons to act rs super
visors, were not delivered because of the
terrorism produced by the county being
patrolled in the interest of the Demo
cratic managers by mounted and armed
men. In these same localities private
dwellings, occupied by white Republican
citizens, were fired into, and colored citi-
zens who would not wear the "red shirt"
were advised to remain at home.
In still other localities many supervi-
sors of elections refused to serve, after
their commissions had been received,
threats of violence having deferred them
from so acting; and in those same local.
tiles Republican voters were subjected to
such indignities in their endeavors to vote
as to deter them from attempting to de-
posit their ballots, and in this matter
many of the citizens made a public pro-
test.
To these and other acts of violence re-
cited in Exhibit A must be added the
attempts of alleged perpetrators to rid
themselves of the responsibility of one
crime by the consummation of another.
The cases of Samuel Lee, of Sumter, and
of Rev. E. NJ. P;nckney, of kingstree,
South Carolina, are pertinent to this
point. The former was forcibly taken
from the custody of the United States
and locked up while 1 was in Charleston,
S. G. Tho latter was kidnapped in the
city of Charleston on the night of the
Goth instant, being called to his door
upon some specious pretext, and there
seized by armed men and spirited away.
This also occurred while ] was in the
city of Charleston. Intelligence regard
ing this transaction came to me on the
following morning, and / instituted in
quiries which disclosed that Mr.. Pinck-
ney had been taken to the Central
Guardhouse main Police Station) on
the nipht before. that certain Danprs