The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-12-11
The Chicago Fraud.

sisted IN the 1acl lHdl W scCuiiHs WY
return for Brand. the Democrats would
have a majority in the Legislature Of that
State. and thus be enabled to elect q
United States Senator 10 succeed Gen. Io-
ran. The election Of l.eman would eanse
a tie on joint ballot, and il, by reason OF
this. a Senator were not chosen, then the |
Republican Governor would appoint one
to serve untii the meeting Of the Legisla- I
ture to be elected in 1856.
There are some prominent facts devel-
oped in this remarkable and transparent
attempt at fraud which viii prove interest
ing to our readers and ought to be placed
on record. The State canyassing Board.
instead OF declaring the vote in The sec
ond precinct Of the 18th ward, submitted
report to the Governor for his reasons
and action. because of the indlsputable
and glaring frauds which had been com
mitted The Governor states that when
the polls closed at night of the ltll. the
Judges and clerks Of election proceeded to
omen the ballot.b box and canvass the yotesfor
all officers -yotedr for, in the presence OF
the supervisors Of election and 4 deputy
marshal. The count of the ballot was
made in theIusual manner and the poll
book and tally sheets properly made out,
and were properly signed and certified to
by the judges of election. This legally made
out poll-book and the tally-sheets showed
that Henry Leman, Republican, had re-
ceiyed APO votes, and Rudolph Brand Dem
| ocrat, pa. The result as to all officers.
including I4eman and Brand, was formally
announced, as required by law. The poll
books and tally sheets we're sealed up with
the ballots, and taken charge OF by the
Judges of election. Within the time re-
quired by law they were delivered to the
county clerk. The board ofsscanyassers of
election met ut a later day and proceeded to
canvass the returns from the several vot-
ing precincts. When they reached the
| second precinct of the eighteenth ward and
opened the envelope containing the sup
posed returns, it was found that the origi-
}nal poll-book which the judges Of election
had made and signed in the presence OF
witnesses the night Of the election was
there, but that in the place where the vote
for State Senator was computed and
written out in full the words four hun
dred and twenty. which were originally
written opposite the name of Henry w
Leman, had been rudely changed by erasine
the cross on the stem Of the capital II
|. the word Four SO as to make it i and the
letters .'our' had in like rude manner
been scratched or erased and the letters
"wo'' written over them, so as to make il
read Two instead of four. 1t was fount
that the words two hundred and seventy
four, which had been placed by the Judges
i. OH the night of the election opposite thu
i name of Rudolph Brand, rs indicating thu
number of votes he had received had beer
changed by putting cross on the stem o
| the capital letter T so as to.make 1T an L
and the letters ..wOn had been scratche,
: improperly, and the lie tiers ''onr'Writtel
] over the scratched letters, making TIL
I word -Four instead of 1.-TWO. " as it wa
| originally, thus by bold forgery. giving
| Rudolph Brand 200 Of the votes whicl
: were cast and regularly and lawful
e counted for Henry W. Leman. 1t wa
4 found that an entirely new tally-sheet ha'
| been made out in different colored inl
from that used the day Of election AM
. substituted for one Of the original sheets
j used by the judges and clerks canvassin
gV1y
4 | the votes the night OF election. Th
4 signatures of at least two OF tn
9 Judges of election to this new tally
sheet were evidently forged, and tn
tally-sheet made to conform to tn
0 forgery on the poll-book, so rs to Civ
s | Leman 22O votes and Brand 474 votes
t The chain Of facts rs developed in the eA
G animation were so conclusive Of the fol
e gerry that the Governor issued the certif
= cate of election to Henry w. Leman il
Q stead Of Rudolph Brand. The Governo
: made careful examination himself of a
!, the papers, 'and nearly three hundred @
T the citizens of the precinct made oath tina
t they hal voted for Leman and not fo
for Brand, while but 220 votes wer
e counted for him on the mutilated poll boo
s and tally sheets.
t The returns from this precinct ha
: been held back until it was publicl
q known that the result of the electio
t would probably control the Legislator
b which is to elect United States Senator
G When it was found that d change of 20
: votes in the second precinct would Civ
y Brand 10 majority, instead Of 800 for LIZ
p man, the true result, the work of forger
: and fraud was commenced. John G. MAJ
: kin, the Secretary of the combined Dem
g ocratic clubs or committees, on the 21st c
s November. at 2:30 p. M, went to th
4 printing house of p. l.. Hanscom Il &c
Q He met s. B. Wright, clerk and book
keeper of the firm, handed him a Reput
4 lican ticket and asked him if he could hay
q | q duplicate made of it that afternoon .
4 evening. Wright answered in the affirm
t alive. Mackin at the time requeste'
4 Wright to keep it close, and not let TIN
r ''job'be seen. The form was prepared
. after some trouble in getting the exac
: type to match the original Republica
: ticket, and 1000 copies printed off wit
! Brand IS name on and with the other Reput
lican candidates, except Leman Is, and thes
8 were delivered to Mackin at his room a
3 the Palmer House about 8 O'Clock tina
Q night. The ballot-box was opened, b
collision with one of the watch at tn
) Clerks Office, it is supposed, thes
: fraudulent tickets put in with Brand
q name ON them and Leman's left off and
Z similar number of regular Republican itch
! cts were taken out. In Illinois the ticket
are numbered to correspond with the mum
berpretixed to the voter 3 name on the poll
8 book. so that it was easy to see who has
: voted each separate ticket in the box
In the second precinct Mr.. Leman had
father-in-law and brother-in-law, ant
they knew they had voted for their rela
I, tive, and yet on comparison of the votes
with the poll-book Brand ballot wa
l credited to each of them. 1t was this fac
: which convinced Brand Of the fraud ant
caused him to declare that he would no
nrofit nv If