Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-12-07
THE OLD DOMINION.
Iavsstluatlsp AlIssst Ffands q ~
Rsceat Elsctls1.
District Attemey wiss Declares He hsr.
pose to Send Eveg One Guilty sf
Fraud to the Peaitsatiaq, Win.
/ out Respect 10 Party. 80
FORGERY AND FALSE cERTflcArts.

FORGERY AND FALSE CERTIFICATES.
RICHMOND. December 6-Both tiss psfties
to the late political CONTEXT IN this ststs
stsnd charged BY esch other with ~ 20.
petration of fraud, and immediately upon
the heels Of the election ~ Demccrssso
newspaper organs teened with such elABss
against the Coali tionists.
Among the successful candidates oe ~
latter party IL Uaited ststss plstriee ~
torney John 8. Wise, who wasslsessd Co..
sressman.at-Larse by . deeided uaa3eeIfy.
This gentleman, In his eticial cspe@y
United States Attorney at oneedetermineo
caused to Be moned bslors' the United
States Grand Jury Q large number OF
witnesses, including Democratic jour
nalists and principally fron the
ranks Of the Democratic party. 1As Dis
trict Attorney on being askedAs to- the
scope and probable outcomeof thsoe In
yestigations, gave the following fepfy:
s'My action In this matter has no Political
Significance vhateveE lam no3 prdpecut:
ing Democrats or Readjnsters. am
PrsseeattnG oFioinals,
and intend to send every man Ican con.
vict Of fraud to the penitentiary, regard
less ofsshst his politics may b. TO that
end have succeeded Il getting . grand
jnYy and have summoned every BODY who
has been reported TO me - knowing ot
frauds. Those summoned are chiefly Dem'
ocrats, because they were loudest In their
cries Of fraud. have never yet heard
from Democratic sources any formulated
charge OF fraud, while on the other nand !
have received an overwhelming number OF
for formal charges Of fraud Ferpetrated BY
the Democrats, with specifications, local..
ties, dates and witnesses.
The principal purpose for which had
the present Grand Jury conSened was 10
indict the Commissioners Of the Revenue
Of this city and their acconplices for
fraud alent and false assessments made by
them of 5lI votes in this city within Q few
days Of the election, and to convict those
Officers Of a.
to hinder citizens from doing acts required
10 be done to qualify them TO. vote. The
proceedings are instituted under sections
,5O6 and 5,5ll OF the Revised Statutes of
the United States. Our constitution re-
qpired voter 10 pay his poll tax
of 81 for 1851 before he could vote.
Many men neglect until just before
the election and many are not assessed
BY the Commissioners of the Revenue. The
Treasurer cannot receive payment Of this
tax, consequently for some days before
election many people apply. The Law 70.
quinss person applying tosign Q list Of
his taxable property and TO subscribe an
oath. That oath must be certified 10 by
the Commissioner Of the. Revenue, his
dopsty, a justice OF the peace or notary.
For several days before tho election great
many colored men were assembled at tho
Commissioners Office, and the officers there
not only refused 10 let any negro be a.
sessed by proxy, but required them TO stats
where they lived, how loAg, etc, consum-
ing in this way from ten to twenty minutes
with each person, and finally closing the
office at 3 ?. NJ. on November 9Th In the
face OF the several hundFsd bona ade voters
who were ready and anxious to be assessed.
. Alleged Frautis PracttseA.
"The complaints TO me at the time about
the way these men were treated were loud
and deep, but had ne tangible proof. The
singular part Of the thing Was that not
many whites were waiting neaf tho c0mmt1
sioner's Office TO be assessed, hui all received
their tax tickets and voted on election day,
and the Democratic vote In Richmond for
Massey was 500 moro than last year, whils
the readjuster vote. by reason OF refusal 70
assess and rejection OF tax tickets issued By
special collectors fell of several hundred
from last year. l knew that frauds were
practised' bat exactly how
tainsd possession Of the Commissioning
lists, and have now full handed proofs Of
the iorgeries and false certificates, as well
a. OF the conspiracy BY which colored
voters were hindered. delayed and OBJ
structed, while white voters were railroad.
cd through that ofiico Out OF ,0G7 assets-
ments !, 2y2 were white and only 378 black.
OF the |. .S92 whites 5u were sssessed on
forged names and false assessments. These
foreeriss were not Of fictitious persons ~ Q
rule, but Of men unassesscd. whose names
were taken off the voting books and forged
in blocks and certified In blocks and their
cspitaiion tax paid In blocks BY Demo-
cratic committees.
serious Charges Against Demeesass>
"These false entries, however. had sigma,
lures and oashs to them for dead men and
non residents In many eases, and In many
othss OF men who had already paid their
taxes. Every inmate Of the poor house
had his name signed for him 10 An assess.
ment list and his property list sworn to for
him by some unknown friend. The an.
rWtIb VI Hihuy paESteo Wheu bhn"oss~S
and shown their names 10 these lists are
very amusing and their surprise IL quite
ludierous. Twelve OF these iorpshss,
certified by justice have pencil memo
rsnds on the back In the handwriting of
the Democratic treasurer ss follows,
Charge 10 ]. Il. Cary showing that The
Democrats not only forged the ssssssmsnt
papers OF voters, bat paid thek hxss aiso.
The Comnissioners deputies being in
league with the Democrats falsely signed
these bogus lists In blocks. and thun " VS.
that while the poor negroes Wess climbing
over each Others bscks at tho doos 90 b.
assessed, and fifteen 70 thirty minutes wers
consumed 10 assess one negro, who was ~
quired 10 be present In pcnoo,
hundreds Of assessment lists for
whites, signed by forgery and falsely Ger.
tilted, foFmen who were not pfesent were
being hurried out Of . side window To- ~
Trsssurer's Office and paid BY the Bourbon
committee In blocks. The results of this
sort of work In the CopmissioBsrs ofiles
were that ION November 4,250 whitse 10 -
blacks, and OF the whites not over ninety
were genuine. were assessed and on No.
vember 40 were sssessed 10 II blacks, aad
Of these whites not over one hundred vefs
genuine whites. Five times - many blacks
ss whites were really applying. To sccom.
plish this at least twelve men have oom.
mitted forgeries and ten men have 1ttsred
false certificates.
BssseA ~ Eieetslstty.