The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-12-03
The 0dentOn Tragedy.

The following sensible editorial Is
from the Democratic organ of Cecil
county, the Cecil Democrat:
The hearing on ha6eaS corpus of the
charges against Mr.. Bannon and Mr..
| Wheeler, the one charged with shoot
ing DR.. T. Clay Maddux and the
other with having instigated it,
reveals some methods of conducting
elections in Anne Arundel county
that must seem strange toslow-going,
oid-fashloned Cecil CONTAINS. What
ever may prove TO be the ftcts about
the killing,-who fired first or who
fred the fatal shot, there can be no
doubt that a well-laid plan existed
to do some things at the Odenton
polls that plain people are wont to
regard as crooked. If Mr.. Bannon
and his friends did not propose to
take forcible possession of the ballot
box, it is hardly doubtful that Gen.
| Bond and his adherents accredited
| them with some such purpose, and
arranged desperate scheme to pre-
vent it. If Gen. Bond and his CO.
| workers did not intend to tamper
with the ballet-box, it must be adj
mitted that Mr.. Bannon and his
supporters strongly suspected such
purpose. Nor does the singular con-
duct of the judges of the election in
arranging to count the tickets in
secret, behind closed doors, with no
one present except themselves, tend
I 80 inspire confidence in the good in
Etentions or fair dealings of the cleo
ton officers. When the further fact
is recognized that the chief Judge
was the brother Of one of the prom
inent candidates, and must naturally
have all the zeal OF a partisan en-
listed in the success of one of the
tickets and the defeat of the other, it
would really seem natural that the
unfriended should cherish some mis-.
givings as to the good faith of those
in authority. But, apart from all
this, it is difficult to see what bust
ness DR.. Maddux could have at the
Odenton polls. He was citizen OF
Baltimore. yet had not enough in
terest in the election at home to
remain and cast his vote. He took
possession of the Odenton polling
house on the evening before the cleo
ton and retained it all night and the
whole of the next day. He walked
around with the air of one in au-
thority the entire day, and, at even
ing, when the polls were about to
close, took his station at the window
and announced that no one sheuld be
admitted to see the votes counted.
The box might be stuffed. the count
might be falsitied, or many other
things with which Anne Arundel
, politicians are accredited with being
net unfamiliar might be done, and
yet no one could have an eye over ii
because the nonresident DIR. Mad
duX had said no. All this may not
have Justified the violence of Mad
dux's taking off, but it surely con.
stltuted grave PROPAGATION to break
the peace. Even in order-loving
Cecil county, where elections are gen.
orally held with as much decorum as
a church service, and where no one
ever dreams of questioning the hon
esty or fair dealing of election Off
GERS, the announcement of a purpose
on the part of the judges to count
!. the ballots in secret and with locked
doors, would naturally excite suspi-
cion; and when to aid the purpose,
: a NONRESIDENT athlete, OF daring ma
, ture, fiery temper, and renowned
intrepidity should station himself at
the only possible place of entrance
and declare that no citizen Or voter
should enter, all the wrath of out
. ragged manhood would be ankindled
, TO suppress the high-handed purpose.
1t is true that they are accredited
with doing things differently in Anne
Arundel, and that the suspicion of a
purpose to stuff the ballot-boX or to
seize it, would not CRATE so harshly
there as here but the greater proba-
bility Of its occurring there would
compensate for the lessness of the
shock to popular feeling in its incep-
ton. If report does not work great
injustice to the parties of Anne
Arundel, the Kilkenny combatants
Of to-day were once in accord in
} schemes TO beat the common foe, and
each man may be presumed to "know
how it is himself" Nj. Bannon
would have better ground for suspi-
CiO1 tIldll one WHO knew DOIIllIS vi
Anne Arundel or it's methods. His
detective instinct had been whetted
by processes in which detectives are
always accredited with acquiring
their most valuable lessons. The old
adage is very crlsp-"set thief to
catch thief" and is one hardly less
apposite-that the keeneSt pursuer of
the fugitive is often weighted in
pocket by the missing booty. When
the charge used to be hurled at Anne
Arundel methods that the ballots did
not count as they were cast, it was
not Mr.. Damon who made the charge
or sustained it. All the difference
in the world does it make in con-
test of wits where scrnple is hushed
in incentive, whose OK is gored. The
Staying of DIR. Maddux is a not I'M
natural outcome of the vindictive-
ness and spite AMI personal rancor of
The Anne Arundel canvass, whether
the ball that pierced his vitals was
sent from Wheeler's pistol or not
1t evidently started from partisan
of the opposition, and was aimed in