The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-10-25
BALLOT BOX STUFFERS.
ELECTION FRAUDS IN THE SOUTH.
4 Philadelphia Lawyers Experience In South Car
ollaa- Report Of his Invsstlvatlous : How
JusltS Were Tempered With and Fore.
H. sworn 10 Arquit the Guilty Outs.


ollaA-Rrport OF his Invsstlgatlous How
JsrlsE Were rAmpered With and Fore. |,
swOrn to AequIt the Guilty Ones.
WAsnIXGToN,, October 2l.-Mr. Dallas
Sanders, who wns sent 10 South Carolina
10 aid in the investigation ofelcction frauds,
has made II long and detailed report to At.
torney.General Brewster, from which the
following abstract Is taken. Mr.. Sanders
says: 2
In compliance with your verbal request, |
arrived at Columbia. SIC, on February %,
1882. Met United States District Attorney
Melton, whom was ordered TO assist In the
prosecution OF. election cases. Twenty OF
more residents Of Fairfield county had been
arrested in November, 1880, on charges OF
violating election laws, and mex. day pro.
cccded 10 Winnsboro, the county seat, to pre-.
pare for trying them. The defendants were
att white men, tho witnesses wern colored
men, and were aversc to testifyirg. It wus
impossible 10 obtain sufficient evidence
against these defendants, und OH my advice
1t was decided not TO call then, ior tral. =
On February 26.l Mr.. Sanders went to
Sumter, the county seat OF Sumter county,
where thirty odd persons were held in bail
on charges similar to those in Fairfield
county. On Mr.. Sanders recommendation
the commissioners Of election, board OF
county canvassers and managers OF elec.
ton at Maysyille voting precinct were
brought 10 trial, the precau,ion being
taken 10 arrest several more election otli.
GERS, In order to make the cases more com.
plete. The frauds with which these men
were charged are set forth rs follows:
'.rhe board of county canvassefs In several
OF the counties OF South Carolina at the
election III November, 1880, had taken upon
themselves Judicial powers and had refused
to COUNT tue votes OF many voting precincts
i'll their respective counties. From INV read.
inIs of the election law OF South Carolina
thought that they, had only ministerial
powers, their duty was merely 10 count the
vote and make the proper return to the
State bQardo OF canvassers who had power to
hear and determine. This WIS the
first case OF that kind to be tried.
The case ended in Il disagreement OF the
jury us regarded the managers OF election,
but the two members OF the county board
Of canvassers pleaded guilty, and although
they were not sentenced, this was n vindi.
cation Of the views OF the government Off.
cials that their duties were merely minis.
terial. 1t is the first judicial announce.
ment and the first conviction for such an
oiicnsc, and the moderation OF the court
WIS wise and one which fully approve.
Go n
On Friday, March 3. 1882, went 10 Orange.
burg, the county seat of Orangeburs county,
investigated the cases there, but the prose.
cutors and other witnesses did not desire to
have the cases tried unless they were assured
Of the certainty of the defendents being con.
victed. They stated that II the cases were
called for trial and ended in disagreement
Of the jury, the witnesses for the pros .cutiou
would be harassed in many ways on their re.
turn to their county after the triuls were
over. 1reported against the advisabili,y OF
trying amy cases from Orangeburs county III
the ,hen ensuing term OF the court.
After an examination Of the nformations
already filed by the previous district attorney
and ut the request OF the present district ut.
torney wrote you asking you to send ".
". ker, Esq, TO Charleston. | did this be.
cause thought the government needed the
benefit Of his great skill and large experience
in criminal pleading ! nm sure that You
were wise in answering that request SD
promptly by sending him to the govern.
sence and saw the beneficial result OF his
work. General Z. W. Noise, the leading
lawyer of Sumter county, who represented
the Sumter county board Of canyassers, stated
that he hud never seen such Gscomplete, full
and carefully drawn Indictment as the one
against bis clients. Mr.. ker drew The indict.
ment.
On Monday, April }, the sessionof the
United States circuit court opened; on
Monday April 10, the first case was put upon
triul, viz: the cases against Josepa Butes
ct nj, managers Of election ut 4 ct0n pre-.
cinct, In the county OF Richland. l assisted
the district attorney in the trial of this case
It was concluded on Friday evening" April
II. On Monday April II, the jury rendered
Il verdict OF guilty OIL the first count, with
on the other counts. The jury sealed their
verdict on Saturday night, und between that
and Monday morning, two Of their num-
Der lad spoken to some persons, and
told the result OF their deliberations; these
two came into court on Monday morning and
asked to be allowed to explain why they had
signed the verdict. fell that It was neces.
sary to have tile assistance OF able and skilled
detectives In order that the. government
might know what influence were brought
upon Jurors engaged in the trial OF the cases.
Strong influences were brouGhtto bear upon
certain members OF the panel. for every case
after the first one in which there was a con.
viction, ind one case OF defendant charged
with repeating who was acquitted on the
gound OF mistaken identity, ended in dis.
agreement Of the jury. ,fsY y"+Tr
Attorney General Brewster. sent Detec.
tives james j. DonaghySand! Kirlin c..
Bond 10 South Carolina, and Mr.. Sanders
compliments them highly on the valuable
services rendered. 1n, concluding Mr..
Sanders 'says that with an impartial jury
every case tried would have resulted ia
conviction, and he urges that the testimony
in certain cases be published, in order that
the public tnay determine the right OF the
matter according TO the evidence. i. y
Appended 10 Mr.: Sanders report were
reports made 10 him by Detectives Dona-
vhey and Bond. These officers say that
they mingled freely with witnesses for. and
friends OF the idefenden,s,t xpressitg sym-
pathy for them. That these people cursed
The officers for the Government from the
prosecuting attorneys upward; that they
admitted having stuffed ballot boxes anu
otherwise perpetrated election frauds, say
ing TINT they would do it again rasler,han
submit to "Nigger rule" Detective Dona-
ghey also declares that after the first con-
viction the jurymen held II meeting and
resolved to stand solidly for,acluiltal in NIL
thci other cases. In sone sjuryl the de-
sective found that in the first poll eleven
were for conviction and one, the foreman,
named Maloney. for acquittal. In this
connection Mr.. Donaghey says; g
I procured an introduction 10 Maloney,
and congratulated him Oh his nerve IN pro.
curing a disagreement Of the jury, and asked
him how 1t was done. He said: "iou know
| keep Il hotel, and It has always been to my
In : areat mt To melldle will nnli4ies nlIhnnnh