The Portland daily press., 1880-08-11
The Argus and the Steal.

The Argus, speaking of the forgery in the
return from Gouldsboro, says:
1t The PREss] claims, it is true, to believe
now that Gov. Garcelon or some of the Coun-
Gil did the deed, but it adduces no proof to
show who it was. Does it expect any one to
believe that this person or that is guilty until
the fact is established by penary proof3
The PRESS claims nothing concerning the
Gouldsboro return but what has been proved
by plenary testimony.
1t claims, first, that the name of the Repub-
lican candidate for Representative from the
town of Gouldsboro was Oliver P. Bragdon.
That fact is not denied by anybody.
1t claims, second, that Mr.. Bragdon had
eighty-two majority in Goulds5oro and that
if this majority had been given him he
would have been elected Representative
from that district. This fact too is uncon-
troverted.
1t claims, third, that Mr.. Bragdon's name
was well known to the town clerk of Goulds-
boro and that every time it appears or his
record it appears correctly-Oliver P. Brag-
don. This fact too, is uncontroverted.
1t claims, fourth, that this town clerk
correctly wrote Mr.. Bragdon's name in the
representative return from Gouldsboro.
This fact is established by the testimony of
the clerk, on oath, and by the testimon of
Councillor Moody who swears that when he
tabulated the return he found what is now
''B'' to be ''P' and tabulated it accord
ingly, for Oliver P. Bragdon.
1t claims, fifth, that sometime between
the time when Councillor Moody first tabu-
lated the return and the time when the
final lists were made up that ''P" was
changed to ''B' and that this was done
to use Gov. Garcelon's pointed phrase-for
the purpose of securing representative
of the right stamp" In support of
this allegation it.cites the fact that the mid
die initial "B' is very different from the
"B" at the beginning of Bragdon, that tie
lower curve is in different ink from the rest
of the letter. 1t also cites on this point the
testimony of the town clerk that he wrote a
''P" and never changed it to ''B," and that
of Councillor Moody who tabulated it in the
first place as ''P;;" and further it calls atten-
ton to the testimony of William C. Holt.
an expert in handwriting, before the Hale
Committee. Being shown the return in its
present condition and asked his opinion of
it he testified as follows:
1t appears first to have been written "Oliver
P. Bragdon" and, with different ink, changed
to "B'' or partially to a ''B". There seems to
have been an erasure, whether it was before Oh
after that letter was written it is impossible 10
tell.
@. Where does the erasure apply?
A On the lower part of the last loop of the
@. What now appears instead of the entire
lower loop which would make it "B"?
A. About two-thirds of the lower loop of
the "B''.
q. Is it clear, from your examination that
that was made at some different time and with
different ink from the rest of the letter?
A. 1t is made with different ink, most as
suredly, and, in this case, the line is quite un-
steady, tremulous
The PRESS claims, sixth, that this forgery
was committed by somebody whose interest
it was to have Republican Representative
counted out and Fusionist counted in. Ii
is clear that that person could not have been
a Republican. He must have been mem
ber of the Fusion, party.
1t claims, seventh, that when the mem-
bers of the Council were asked to explain
this apparent forgery, some of them ran
away to distant States, and the rest held
their peace.
1t claims, eighth, that the minority OF
the Hale Committee, one member of which
was the Hon. Henry ingalls, of Wiscasset,
life long Democrat, We're unable to con
tradct single statement of fact made by
the majority about this and the other returns,
but on the contrary were compelled to admit
their truth.