Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1880-03-23
LEGISLATIVE.

The Legislature OF Maine auJoufneu
last Friday evening. Although much
work of general interest has been accom-
plished. all eyes have been turned most
eagerly to its political significance.
Thursday the bribery investigating CON-
mi;tee and the Hale investigating CON-
mi'tee each presented majority and a
minority report. In the bribery inves,i-
CATION. Messrs. Hutchinson, Goulding,
Hartman and McKusic report that the
charges Of Swan and Hartman agains;
". X. White have not been proved; while
Messes. Ingalls, and plais,ed declare tina,
they have been.
The Hale committee presents long
report, charging alteration in the returns,
irregular tabulations, suppresions, eras-
ures and forgeries, also misappropria-
ton Of funds. They substantiate those
charges by citing the cases where such
charges have been made. We give the
following extracts from the report, as they
relate to Oxford County.
HEBRON.
In the town OF Hebron for County officers
OF oxford County, the name OF Henry q.
| Walker. Fusion candidate for Commission
er, was originally written Henry {. Walk
er, but il appears that the letter c has been
changed 10 g by the addition OF curved
line or stem passing down through the bot
tom loop OF the c and below the line, con'
Il - A mi Ia
the seventy-two votes thrown for Henry &.
Walker 10 be counted for him, and they
were so tabulated by the Governor and
Council. IL i evident upon the inspection
that this addition has been made by a diff
| frrent hand and with different ink from the
original letter. ~ late Is Dec. :. 1879,
the county being very close, the returns
| were examined by prominent men IRON
| oxford county, and 1t was discovered that
the return was for Henry c. Walker, and
the attention of John Il. Foster, one oftht
Council, was called 10 1t. 1t also appeared
soon amer. that the fact was published IN
the OXFORD DEMOCRAT. After this date II
was changed from c 10 q, the vote tabula-
ted for Henry {. Walker. The tremOr o!
the hand OF the person making the change
| is plainly visible under the magnifyiug glass
and discloses the agitation which would
naturally attend such glaring forgery.
The certificate ofelection was given 10 Hen
~ q. Walker, the Fusion candidate.
BRowNFIELp.
The forgery in the return for county
officers OF the town OF Brownield, in Ok
ford county, seems TO be matter OF greater
skill and generalization. On the eighth
day OF December this return was examined
in the presence OF John g. Foster OF the
Council, by Hon. L. c. Harrington OF Frye
burg, and the discovery was made that
neither the name OF the town OF Brown
field, nor the county OF Oxford, appeared
anywhere upon the face Of the return, all
the blanks left for this purpose remaining
untitled. The attention OF the Councillor
was expressly called 10 this defect, and the
fact that il existed appeared in the OXFORD
DEMOCRAT OF December 10th, 1879. Ii
now appears that the names of the town
and county have been written in since that
time, in hand designed 10 initiate the
body of the return. The assistance of an
expert in handwriting was called in who
pronounced il a forgery, executed with
some skill, but yet too clumsily done TO
deceive any one. Your committee wished
70 place the matter beyond question, and
summoned 4. b. Bean, esq, chairman of
the selectmen OF Brownfield, who wrote
the body of the return, and who testified
without hesitation that the words so writ
ten in were not in his handwriting, but
were forgeries. Your committee cannot
state whose hand inserted these words, but
il is clear that the forgery was done whilst
the return was in the hands OF the Cover
nor and council, because the votes shown
by the return were tabulated as if no de-
feet existed. The fusion majority in
Browntield was sixty-four.
BUCKFIELp.
The return OF the town OF Buckfeld in
oxford county, for county officers, was an
other instance of the fraudulent addition
OF the name OF the town in case where
blanks for town and county were untitled,
so that nothing on the face OF the return
showed from whence il came. Without
stating all the testimony your committee
believe it to be conclusive that this addi-
ton was fraudulently made after the re-
turn came TO Augusta, and the result was
that the fusion majority OF more than one
hundred and thirty votes was counted.
The two returns of Brownfeld and Buck
field were necessary 10 the election OF the
county officers of that county. In these
cases also the magnifyiug glass discloses
the trembling writing which indicated the
guilty knowledge of the writer which
usually accompanies such cases Of forgery.
The following is the minority report of
the two Fusion members
Silence on the part of the Undersigned
would be construed as an assent to all the
positions and conclusions of the majority
report as well as the statement OF facts.
The undersigned are unwilling and unable
to give their assent 10 all of the arguments
and conclusions of such majority report,
though they cannot deny that the recital OF
facts in the report, is substantially in ac-
cordaBce with the evidence. Mr.. Moody,
of Gov. Garcelon's Council, was before the
committee, but he failed to explain the ir-
Irregularities which had been proved. Gov.
Garcelon also testified at a later period In
the investigation that he had no previous