Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1880-08-17

Above We present a fac-simile OF the
name of Oliver p. Bragdon as it now
stands ON the Gouldsboro return. This
return has been altered, and was so
altered as to count out Bragdon, Repub.
hcan. and to count in Flye, fusionist, IN
the last Legislature. Here is the report
of the Hale Committee in this case:
The Representative return nom the town
of Gouldsboro'. In the county OF Hancock,
disclosed upon It's face that the Initial let
ter z in the name OF Oliver =. Bragdon,
the Republican candidate for Representa-
tive. had been tampered with and changed
The Republican vote In this town was 201,
and the majority So. $. W. Libbey. the
town clerk OF Gouldsboro', appeared before
the committee and testified that the name
of Oliver p. Bragdon was written by him
self. that he MAS well acquainted with the
name. and tlrN ne never wrote ii Oliver Il.
Bragdou; that he saw the return scaled
mn and that when il left Gouldsboro Ior
he office of the Secretary OF State the
name wa Oliyer I. Bragdon, and that the
er,>ure aud addition L. the letter L were
made after IL lef( the town where * was
ord. and upon inspection ii appeared that
the name was invariably written Oliver 2.
Bragdon. and that the letter 7 was uni
fornly made in the same manner the loop
forming tie ,Og of the letter resting
against the body of the iette. Without any
addition. II is perfectly evident 10 the
Committee upon inspection, that the letter
found In the return was originally mad'
4 81 a. kus
~ attempt had been made To change IL 70
the letter by adding In different INK inc
lower loop. II Is also e,.een,. mat iot
some reason, the party making the alteta'
ton. scratched out the lower hall oil inc
added curved line, a. II 10 leave the queS-
ton "a doubt whether Il was the letter /
or b. 40 has occurred 20 your Committee
that this erasuTe may cave Lcen made IN
order that the letter could be read u ioI
the purpose Of counting out the vote, aud
could be read 7 in case the iorger should
be- detected and Indicted for his crime.
Tie tabnlation shows that the vote was
originally tabalaiet FOR Oliver L. BraS-
don. and that his name VA cs.F.ed OUT -
the person who apperred 10 Oe eiec1e..'
but that afterwards the name was erased
that the vote OF GouldSboro' was ta0u'
latni for Oliver b. Bragdon; that the name
OF James Flrc. The fusion candidate, was
substituted for tina. of Brsgdon. and the
certificate issued 10 flye. Ihc SCL-Llitts
entertain no reasonable doubt thar lhe
alterations and eraSureS were mAde ateT
the returns came 20 Augusta, for TIE pnr-
po.e Of counting out Oliver Z. Brasdon'
and counting IA James bye.
We desire TO be fair IN tins inEestlga-
ton. and so we have, and shall continue
to give in full the defense Of the Governor
and Council in all these cases. Here Is
what they say about the Gouldsboro
return.
The Hale Committee have much 10 say
in regard 20 the Representative return
nom the town OF Gouldsborough. vi
course no one can tell the present appear
ance OF Mr.. Bra@dop's name on that return
without seeing il. The claim - made that
the original middle initial 7. has been
changed 10 b.
The report ssys that the present appear
ance OF this middle initial shows that some
one has scratched IL. Ii IL eGsreat!y
reported that certain Republican lawyer
WA. overheard To say that his son pen-
knife had been AZ work on that letter
However that may be, there had been no
scratching on that letter when IL len the
hands of the Council. II any nov appears
il j. the work of some other person ana
the Council were not responsible for IT,
When the return left the hands OF the
Council the middle initial in BraSfon's
name was an uuscratched b.
IL is claimed that the lower curve OF the
B. is In different ink from the balance of
the letter. We are told in the report that
the letters claimed 10 have been altered in
other returns present the same appearance
of different ink" and the argument Is
made from this fact that the Council made
the changes. Did il occur to Mr. Hale's
committee that any one could take pen
and cover up part or the whole OF letter
with ink of n different color from the orig
iual and in heavier line! How easy II
would then be 10 hold up before the eyes
Of the upsuSpecting the letter thus changed
and make ii appear that the surface now
covered with this ''direreIt ink" had 20
letter or line thereon till this different
ink" was spread upon II. &c Is trick
known TO all experts and one easily prac-
ticed. This different ink" theory has no
force in IL. On the contrary 1t is weak
ness itself For if any one really Intended
TO commit "A forgery which he did not want
detected he would use ink of the same
color and would write line OF the same
size with the balance OF the letter.
II is said by the report that the tabpla-
ton shows that this name was tabulated
originally for Oliver 4. Bragdon and that
il was afterward changed 10 Oliver b.
Brasdon. This we do not believe. We
are satisfied that if anything now on the
tabulation indicates that there was any
shifting OF the name from one column TO
another il is the work Of some other per-
son and made siHce the records went out
OF the hands of the Council.
It seems by the report that the clerk of
the town was before the committee and
testified. The report seems TO indicate
that this clerk swore that he remembers
that he wrote @ j. and not b. in that
name. How he could distinctly recollect
such fact and be able to swear to it with
such positiyeness five months after the
returns left his hands is quite difficult to
understand. But we do not know what
his testimony was; neither do we care.
The condition of that letter now as de-
scribed in the report Of the committee is
entirely different from what it was when 1t
left the hands Of the Council, and they are
in no sense responsible for its present
appearance.
We wish first to call attention to their
statement that although it has been
charged that the return was erased by a
penknife, the defense declares positively
that when the return left their hands it
swas an unscratched B." f. NJ. Fogg
-, 'sstls iv!oos go 10 n ans de-