The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-10-20
CLARK THoM.
Why the Case of Alleged Fraudulent
Naturalization Never Came to Trial,
Portland Advertiser. ]

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Portland Advertiser1
The Lewiston Journal, not long ago, asserted
that "if the Fusionists who claim to have
evidence of bribery, do not present it to
grand jury, they thereby confess that theii
claim is false, or admit grave dereliction Of
public duty on their part" To this the Rock
land Opinion replies that ct is impossible to
bring corrupters of the ballot to justice before
the Maine courts, and illustrates the state
ment by the following example:
In 1875 scheme of wholesale fraud on the bal
lot by which iG was designed to carry Knox county
for the Republican ticket was exposed by the
Opinion. The proof in very large number the
cases was absolutely conclusive, conssti of fl
elal records the courts, showing that men who
were run through a naturalization mill at Bangor
had previously filed petitions in which they gave on
oath the date when they came TO this country max
ing the time OF residence here less than is required
by law. There were other cases embracing almost
every known crime against the ballot, in which the
proof was more or less clear. But in the class we
have mentioned there was possible defence or
law in the cases. There were no means at hand,
and no time, if there any disposition. to collect
the evidence in all the cases and make general
prosecution But the proprietor of this paper pro-
cured the documentary evidence such as we
describe above against a man named Clark Thorn,
one OF the rng-leaders in the frauds, who was de-
voting all his time to procuring fraudulent natural
lzation papers for men, having already taken out
some himself. and in kindred rascality. He took
them to Augusta and put them into the hands OF
Hon. e. +. Pillsbury. Mr.. Pillsbury went to Port
land and commenced prosecution against Thorn in
the United stat court there placing the evidence
in the hands of the prosecuting officer. i'll the
journal please to inform us what became Of that
case; we have never been able to find out we
know that Thorn was never punished or even tried.
He was arrested and taken to Portland and came
back on the very next train and kept on in his IN
famous work. He boosted that two OF the most
n napf Ill q
sureties and promised to back him up in all that he
mad done aud all he might do. He said, too, that
Hon. Clarence Hale, brother to Senator Hale and
himself now member elect to Legislature and a
candidate for Speaker of the House. appeared as
his counsel and aided him to escape the penalty due
his crime The case was no doubt dropped without
any attempt to try it, although the evidence was
Inc hands OF the prosecuting officer to make convic-
ton absolutely certain.
The prosecuting officer in 1876 was District
Attorney Webb, now Judge Webb, and it is
very easy to learn what became of the case of
Clark Thorn. The papers are all on file in the
Office of the clerk of the court.
The docket shows that Clark Thorn was in-
dicted September %, 1876, for false swearing
in naturalization papers, in this, that on the
9Th Of August, 1876, in the supreme judicial
court Of Maine at Bangor. Thorn had sworn
that he was under IS years of age when he en-
igrated from Scotland to this country, whereas
he was IN fact twenty-three years of age at
that time.
This was the precise charge in the indict-
ment. The motive for this false statement, if
1t was false, was desire to take out natura lIz-
ion papers forthwith. If at the time Of his
immigration he had been over IS years old, he
would have been obliged to file preliminary
declaration of his intention to change his ale
glance, and then to wait two years to complete
his naturalization.
The docket shows that Thorn was arrested
at once, that he appeared in court on the 18th
of September and was then held to bail, Sam
uel e. Spring and Jacob Mcclellan appearing
as sureties and Clarence Hale as counsel for
the defendant. If he said on his return to
Rockland, that 1.-TWO of the most prominent
Republicans in the State had become his sure
ties" he told the simple truth. That he except
on his infamous work" of procuring fraudu-
lent naturalization papers to be used at the
election that fall, after the Goth of September,
is impossible. September II was election
day.
The intimation in the Rockland paper is,
that Nathan Webb Samuel e. Spring. Jacob
Mcclellan and Clarence Hale were all in con-
spracy to protect Thorn. Mr.. Hale states that
he was retained by Thorn at the suggestion of
General Davis Tillson of Rockland, who was
Thom's employer and believed him innocent.
General TillSon is not a corrupt politician. He
it was too who asked Messrs. Spring and Nc
Lellan to furnish bail
The case was continued for evidence which
the defendant expected to produce, substan-
tiatiatiDg his statement at Bangor, and his
counsel asked for a commission to take testi-
mony in Scotland concerning the dates of
Thom's birth and emigration to the United
States The September term of court closed
before the interrogatories could be prepared.
but at the next term, on the 29th of May, 1877,
q commission was issued to the representative
of the United States at Aberdeen, Scotland, to
take the testimony of Ann Thom the mother,
and Margaret Thorn Nichol, the sister of Clark
Thorn. The cross Undergraduates of the Dis
trict Attorney were very carefully drawn to
prevent any error as to the identity of the
Clark Thorn described.
On the 18th of September, 1871 the consular
agent of the United States at Aberdeen, Mr..
Ramsay, Intercepted the women, who testified
that Clark Thorn was born March %, 1851, and
that he emigrated to the United States in Feb
ruary, 1859. He was accordingly under Is
years of age when he emigrated to this coun-
try.
The docket shows that when this testimony
was received, October 10, 1877, the District
Attorney entered faolte prosequi. He could
not do otherwise. 1t was impossible to put a
man on his trial for falsely swearing that he
was under Is when he arrived in this country,
in the face of the testimony of his own mother
that he was born in March, 1851, and emigrat-
ed in February, 1869. The evidence showed
that Thorn had told the truth and the case was
properly dismissed.