The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1880-12-09
LYNCH'S REASONS
For COntesting the Seat of Gen. Chal
merS.
HIS NOTICE OF CONTEST.

GEN. JAMES Il. CHALMERS Please to
take notice that / intend to contest your
pretended election on the second day of this
present month as member from the Sixth
| Congressional District of Mississippi to the
| Forty-seVenth Congress of the United States
and to maintain and prove before that body
that | was, and you were not, elected as
| Representative to that Congress from said
district and | hereby specify to you the
! following named frauds and violations of
the law of the land and of the purity of
elections which l charge were committed
on the day of said election, or with ballots
east on that day in the election for Con-
gresham, by your Democratic friends and
supporters, with your connlvance, and in
/ your interests and behalf Democratic
candidate for Congress in that election;
and | hereby give you notice that these
transactions, INDUCED and committed for
/ you and by your party friends at the time
and places in said district indicated below,
are and will be the particular grounds upon
which rely and will rely in said contest.
THE CONDENSED SPECIFICATIONS
are, in substance, copied from his notice, as
! follows:
First-Adams county. That at Natchez,
at two boxes at the courthouse and at the
! Jefferson Hotel, a systematic plan was adopt
ed and carried out of OBTAINING and binder
ing voters for Lynch by propounding or
causing to be propOunded silly, frivolous and
unauthorized questions for the purpose of
consuming time while crowds of Republican
voters were thus prevented from voting to
the number of 400 at each box and forced to
leave without that at Washington, Kings
ton, Pine Ridge and Beverly large numbers
of legal votes were removed from the boxes
and supplanted by Chalmers tickets, thus
giving 400 to 800 OfLynch's votes to Chal-
mers at Washington and Palestine polling
places at O'Clock, when the polls were
closed, that inspectors refused to count the
ballots, as required by law, or seal up the
ballotSboxes, or to allow United States Su>
pervisors to be in presence or sight of either
of the boxes at any time during the night,
but carried both away into the exclusive
control and custody of unauthorized and
unsworn but trusted parties and manipula-
tors, and that both boxes were tempered
with, and large numbers of genuine ballots
replaced by fraudulent Chalmers tickets, and
the same process was pursued during an I'M
authorized recess for dinner at Kingston and
Beverly precinct; that at Palestine and at
Dead Mans Bend Lynch received MAORI
ty of PA and 20 respectively, as shown by the
certified returns of its inspectors, and that
the County Commissioners threw out the
same; and, to sum up, in the county Lynch
charges he was deprived of lawful majority
of 1900 and probably more votes by said
means.
8. Issaquena county That all boxes were
thrown out except one, and Lynch's major
ity reduced from 945 to PA, all of which
were duly certified by the Inspectors and
rejected by the Commissioners.
4. Bolivar county. That Australia,
Holmes, Lake, Bolivar Landing and Glen
coe were rejected without Just or legal ex-
euse, reducing Lynch's majority from 1903
to 673.
5. Jefferson county. That the Rodney
box, containing ballots, poll book and tally
sheets, duly certified, was intercepted in
the hands of the officer and destroyed, have
ing in it 247 Lynch and 90 Chalmers votes.
s. Claiborne county. That the Grand
Gulf ballot.box was taken away from the
presence of the Republican Supervisor and
thirty to fifty votes for Chalmers substie
tuted for like number for Lynch.
z Washington county. That the Com
missioners rejected all votes at Stoneville,
Refuge and Lake Washington solely, as 1t
seems, because Lynch received 526 votes 70
Chalmers' 347. At the Court House,
GreenyiIle and at Robbs and Stone precincts,
the ballot-boxes were removed from the
presence and sight of the Supervisors OF
Election without their consent and against
solemn protest in each case, and stuffed at
the Court House Lyneh's honest majoris
ty was 400, but the count reversed it. The
inspectors purposely refused 70 count the
ballots that night as the law requires, or TO
allow the Republican Supervisor to be pres
emit but availed themselves of darkness to
work the reversing process At Robbs and
Stone precincts Lynch received 300 Of the
Al votes cast. but the reverse count show
ed Chalmers 205, Lynch 176. Here, alsos
;nsnectors refused to count the ballots that
night, but improved the night In stufhing.
q Coahona county. That Lynch re-
ceived an honest majority of about 700 ac-
cordinq to the true returns of the inspectors
and clerks of election, but the Commission
ers resorted TO wholesale fraud and rejection
Of all boxes except Friar's Point, by which
they reduced LJnch's majority 70 III.