The Portland daily press., 1880-05-14

.no leo'ln saw boWler make up IN opeI
| town meeting; the name in this one reads
Andrew A. r. Smith. did not remain til
MIR. Bowler went away; he was still engaged
| In making up the rest of the return when
left; Anson B. Bowler, David Chadwick an(
| myself were present at the desk when 1 saw
| him make up the return; did not see Bow
Ter sign his name; 1 think he had made up thu
return for Governor; don't know as saw hin
| sign either. Senator Smith said there wert
middle letters in his name, and wanted me tt
| see that they were made right when the re
turn was made UP there was no scratching O.
| erasure on it.
| ANsoN B. BowLER's TESTIMONY.
Examined By Mr.. Strout:
Where do you reside?
| What office, if any, did you hold in the tow
OF Somerville, September last?
Town clerk.
| How long have you been town clerk?
have been town clerk, off and on, I SHOULD
| think for some twelve or fifteen years-per
haps fifteen; may be longer and may be not s,
| long.
Are you acquainted with Andrew R. G
Smith?
| Yes. have been for the past two years O.
| more. l had seen him before that, but not 81
Familiarity acquainted with him as for the pas
| two years.
Have you been Familiarity acquainted will
him for the past two years?
| Yes. have seen him quite frequently.
Were you present at the annual election
| held in Somerville last September?
| Yes, sir.
At what time did the polls close?
could not tell you exactly; it was very neal
sunset think; held the polls open very late
| as they were expecting one or two more voters
that hadn't voted.
| and return them to the Secretary of States
| office at Augusta?
Yes.
Please examine the two papers produced and
presented to you, coming from the files of the
Secretary of State,-one marked Exhibit
A." and the other marked "Exh ibit B." and
purporting to be the returns of the town Of
Somerville for senators and repr esentatives in
the election of eighteen hundred and seventy.
nine, and state in whose hand writing both
papers are?
Mine, sir, wrote them both.
call your attention particularly to the sig
natures attached to both of said returns,-oi
David Chadwick. Henry d. Clark, and John
b. Dodge, selectmen, and A. B. Bowler, town
clerk; state whether or not they are all your
hand writing?
Yes, sir, they are.
They were all written by you, were they?
Yes, sir.
State whether or not each of the names of
the selectmen as well as your own name, was
written by your own hand?
Yes, each one.
now call your attention to paper purport-
ing to be the return of county officers from the
town of Somerville, marked ''Exhibit D." and
will you state in whose handwriting that is.
1t is mine, every letter of it.
The signatures purporting to be the sigma
lures of the selectmen?
Written by me-
Will you examine the affidavit marked SEX
hibit g." and state whether or not you wrote
and signed it and made oath to it?
That is my signature to that.
In whose handwriting is the BODY of the aft
dayit?
drew that under the direction of DR..
Smith.
In your handwriting?
Yes, sir.
And you made oath to it, did you not?
Yes, with one exception: that is, told them
about my signing the selectmen's names to it
that signed them by their request.
now call your attention to the returns that
were made up by you, and ask you if it is true
that you did make up Senatorial returns and
erville, at the schoolhouse where the town
meeting was held in open town meeting?
Not wholly in open town meeting. hadn't
time to do it.
Did you make up the body of them there?
part OF them; yes, sir.
Is it or not true that when you made up the
return at that time, that you put in the return
the name of Andrew R. G. Smith?
| thing that did, ounlsss I made mis-
take.
Was Mr.. Morrill, Glidden present?
think that he was; 1 don't want to say posi-
lively, but think that he was.
Now, sir, call your attention to the Sena-
tOrial return, and to name that appears here
now to be Isaac T. Hobson; you have examin-
ed this before, have you?
1 saw it the other day when was here YES
sir.
Won't you look at it again?
That looks like I now. 1 recollect how it
looked the other day when 1 was in here.
Was there any erasure made in any part of
the name by you?
No, sir, never.
call your attention to the word "sixty,' op-
posite his name; was the "ty'' there at the
word "sixty'' made by you? Is it your writ
ing e.
not there; must have made an error in not
putting the st " on; that has been put on
since it left my hands; the ''six'' wrote, but
the 1t " is not my writing / made mistake
probably in not putting that on.
What did you do with the Senatorial and
Representative returns which you made up,
which bore the name of Andrew r. G..
Smith?
l brought them all together and delivered
them to the Secretary of State.
Did you deliver them to the Secretary of
State with your own hands?
U
of State or not; but it was the man that was in
possession there, and they were counting votes
In the office?
In the office, yes, sir; 1 don't know the man !:
don't know the Secretary of State.
Was it here in the Secretary of States office:
in the State House here in Augusta?
Yes, right in the other room; there were four
men there.
Can you describe the man to whom you de-
ivered these returns?
I don't know as could; 1 could not say that
1 could.
By Mr.. Hale:
They were men who were there to receive
them?
They did receive them, and opened my
clerks return in my presence, and looked it
over before left; 1 stopped but very few
moments.
By Mr.. Strout:
When was that?
The 9th of September last; 1 have stated
the 9Th, and am positive it was, for l made
out the records the next morning, and partly
made my record upon nay town book, and
came off in the afternoons
call your attention to the Senatorial return
marked Exhibit A, and to the name of An
drew A. r. Smith.
Yes, see it,-Andrew A. R Smith,
Accordingly your best knowledge is that
the return that you say that you made upon
the day ofsthe election and brought here to the
office OF the Secretary of State on the 9th dav
of September?
If it is it is a mistake in having put
No, sir; answer my question; look at that
paper, and tell me whether or not that is the
return that you made up and brought to the
Secretary of States office on the 9th day of
September?
Ii it is in my power and ability, 1 want to
answer that correctly, just as it is.
call your attention to name that you see
there?
Yes GA r. Smith
And ask you if that is the return that YOU
made up in the presence of Morrill, Glidden
and alluded to in your affidavit; is that the
return you made up and brought here on the
9th day of September?
Allow me to speak before l answer it.
want direct answer to the question
1t should be-
Will you answer my question? It is a SIM
pie and plain one; look at that return and at
the name in it, and then tell me whether that
return that you hold in your hand is the same
return that you made up and returned to the
Secretary of States Office on the 9th dav of
September, 1879?
l don't know how to answer that: it NAV be.
and it may not; but you want me to saw
whether it is is not,-Iasmight answer it and
answer correctly, and might wrongly
Will you answer the question?
should say that it was not; because that
hon hn Ar,<lr