The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-11-19
FRAUDS IN THE FOURTH.
How the Coalitionists "orAe" '"e
Tax.Rcceipt Dodge I'm Prince
Edward.
The Methods Of the "Fair Count" P"rt'
xhovxn I'm by a Former Readjuster.

The following extract speaks Tor itseiI.
II was written to a friend IN this city by
Captain II. r. Owen, Of Green Bay Post
office, late Readjustcr clerk In the Second
Auditors Office, and man OF high charac-
ter. 1t was not intended for publication.
But 1t is none the less valuable on that ac-
count:
want to tell you OF some OF the frauds
practiced here at the election. and when
the time comes 10 use the information Tor
MFR. Massey we will bring 1t all out.
The Auditor appointed ii. K. Hooper
four county clerk collector OF delinquent
taxes for Prince Edward county, and
Hooper assumed the authority TO appoint
nine assistant collectors, whose names
were printed on public notice and posted
conspicuously ut each voting-place in the
county. My name was one OF the nine,
and I received the notice and lot OF forty
FIVE blank tax-receipts by mail without any
letter or instructions how to proceed. My
first impulse was TO refuse TO act at all, but
the clection-day was just a week of, and IL
7 refused TO act some one else would act for
them and give the tickets out without re-
ceiying any money. So went about my
business quietly, and merely said ii any de-
lnqucnt wanted to pay bis tax would re-
ceive it for Hooper and pass II over TO hinl.
Only two men offered to pay, and / gave
each one receipt, signing my name for
Hooper. On Saturday preceding the cleo
ton Champln wrote me not to sign my
name TO the taX-receipts as for Hooper, as
there might be some trouble about II ii |
10 I N
This OF course opened my eyes, and closed
collections here with, rs | thought, the
game blocked on them. But Monday night
Champlin and Bliss came over to Green
Bay and distributed about one hundred
taX-reccipts TO delinquents and to all others
who wanted them, and did not receive a
dollar. Now came my advantage again.
I refused to give any tickets TO Champlin
or anybody without the money, and asked
Champlin II he had the money to pay Tor
these parties, and he said no; but he would
sign Uoopcr's name, and that Ben. Hooper,
the congressional candidate, assumed
the payment OF all the delinquent
taxes OF Prince Edward. | informed the
Judges CT election OF this, and asked them
TO throw out every ticket signed by Hooper
unless they could recognize or prove his
handwriting; but they concluded to take
them, and thus one hundred men voted
here on fraudulent taX-receipts; and the
worst OF il all is, after the parties had
voted these receipts were collected in some
instances perhaps in ally and carried back
to Farmylle TO Hooper. Some negroes tell
us they returned their tickets as soon As
they were used for voting TO a negro named
Bagley, who walked about the ground
with a carpct-bag collecting up The tax
receipts as soon as negro had voted.
Some men whose taxes had been paid by
employers, who still held the receipts, were
supplied with these taX-tckets to vote.
Their names not being on the delinquent
list, it seems, made no difference. When
we got the papers next day, and saw the
question raised in Richmond about the
Smelling receipts, we then knew that |
had no right to act at al for Hooper, nor
could the Auditor himself appoint more
than one collector for any county. city, or
town in the State.
One precinct in LIncnburg county closed
polls at u p. M.-bcfore the people were
done coming. At another the voters were
not required 20 show taX-receipts till Il
citizen protested, and it was thereafter
done.
Yours truly, II. :. OWEN.
u. ST. am satisfied there were about
600 fraudulent votes allowed in our county.
Mr.. Massey has been cheated by false
counting and fraud out OF not less than
10000 votes.
As so many voted without paying any
tax, don't you think ought 10 give the
two dollars back to the two men | collected
from? Who has 4 right TO the money,
these two men or the state Auditor?