Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-08-11
THE ELECTION.
And Sheriff Reedt,r Gives Him
t the Certificate tars {. y

And Sheriff Reeds,r Gives Him
the Certificate 5era
The contest over the office of sheriff |
of Knox county was broughtto en- END
yesterday. The sheriff compared the
returns Of last Thursday e: election In
the chancery court room at the court
house, according to law. He invited
the candidates to be present in person
and by attorney, and also the clerk OF
the circuit court and the clerk Of the
county court Neither OF the candi,
dates appeared in peeson, but Msj. E.
q. Camp appeared on behalf Of Mr..
q d Gossett, republican candidate,
aud Major T. s. Webb, on behalf of Mr..
w. A Anderson, democratic candidate.
IL. b. Branner acted as teller. for Mr..
Anderson, and II. C. Squire for Mr.,
Gusset'. Judge Lewis was present in
bis official capacity, but Mr.. Adkins
being unwen did not attend. Henry
r Gibson. Esq, was also present as
the counsel of Alex. Reeder, he having
acted in that capacity for the last two
years.
Sheriff Reeder, with the assistance
of the others, opened and carefully
compared the returns, noting the OBJ
jeclions made by the contending par
lies. The first contest was over the
Vote in the first ward, Major Webb in
sisting that Anderson had 139 votes
according to the marks on the tally
sheet. The certificate of the judges
and clerks of the election, however,
stated in plain and explicit language
that Anderson's vote was 1873; and as
the tally sheet was not certified, and
as the marks were irregular and some
of them indefinite and doubtful, Mr.
Reeder held that the judges and
clerks who held the election were the
proper parties to decide the number
of votes cast for Anderson. He accor.
dinghy refused to go behind their for.
NAL certificate; and gave Anderson the
1873 votes their certificate gave him.
Major Camp objected to counting
t the vote of the Sd ward, because no.
properly certified; but Mr.. Reeder held
chat while not properly certified ye
> he was satisfied it was the true vote
and allowed it as reported below, CIV
; ing Anderson 15 majority in tina
: ward.
When the 5th ward was reached thu
sheriff produced certificates signed by
!. all the judges and clerks, and by thu
officer holding the election, showing
. that Gossett had received 100 votes ii
that ward. These certificates wer'
the only ones on I'LL
, and were perfectly forma
and regular in every particular, bu
were objected to by Major Webb be
: cause one of them was not signed IN
til the day after the election. Mr.
Reeder decided that there was no Law
3 requiring the poll books and certifi
, Gates to be made out and signed on tn
? day of election, and that Gossett wa
entitled to the 100 votes. In this,
seems to us, he was clearly correct. AM
VIC lAlOL l111 LuC1S W GIG Julie
= Ger ifioates signed after election day
t and they were passed without any OBJ
ject oo from either side.
When the sixth ward RETURN
were examined it was discovered
that there were two tallie
Of sic, thus giving G0ssett 81 votes b!
the tally marks instead of SO as addet
up by the judges. But Mr.. Reede
having decided in the 1st ward cas-
uot to allow the tally marks to over
ride the certificates of the officer
holding the election, applied the sam
}, rule here. We are told that Mr.. An
derson's attorney after claiming tn
tally marks in the first ward as Tia
true rule of the sheriff's action, oh
fected to this rule being applied TO tn
9Th ward. This looks to US as extra
ordinarily inconsistent. Wethink tn
sheritf's ruling was undoubtedly cor
rect, although Mr.. Gossett lost one NOR
vote by it than did Mr.. Anderson.
: A supplemental return from the ell
= Was also filed by the sheriff, shown
r that in counting the vote of that war
: two Anderson tickets were foun
folded together, and that one OF then
= was counted. But the supplements
t return not having been signed by a
the judges and clerks was excluded b.
the sheriff This ruling was very ia
= vorable to Mr.. Anderson as the lay
expressly says that when two ticket
are found in the ballot box, folded ur
both shall be thrown out.
= Maj. Camp objected to the vote c
the 7th ward because the tai
ly sheets were not cert
II fed, but Mr.. Reeder ruled i
3 favor of the returns, notWithstandin
: the certificates were not formal. Thi
e admitted the vote OF the 7th ware
= WIN CHI gave Anderson SO majority.
: There was a difference of opinio
between counsel in reference to til
8 Gossett vote of the 9Th ward, Msjo
Camp claiming it was 85, and Msjo
, Webb. Claiming it was 81. On in
spection the certificate showe
that it. was first written "a. an
t that a was afterwards written owe