Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-12-03
LEMAN ALL RIGHT.
Gov. Hamlin Issues the Certificate ol
Eiecsion-The Secretary OF Demo.
cratic Committee Charged
with Fraud.

| SPRINGFIELD, H., Dec. ..
| Gov. Hamilton has Just rendered decision
| in the Leman- Brand case. After an elaborate
review of the evidence and the citation of
authorities, he awards the certificate OF cleo
ton TO Leman, the republican candidate for
State senator in the sixtieth district.
CHICAGO, Dec. 2.
| A sensation was caused, today by the
publication of the fact that the testimony
before the grand jury connects the name of
Joseph c. Msckin, secretary of all the
democratic committees, with alleged fraud in
the I'd precinct of the 18th ward. j. S.
Thompson, IAN employee of the printing house
that printed the bogus ballots, testified that
the order for the work was given by Mackin,
personally. Mackin has been interviewed.
He denies Thompson's statement and any
completely whatever in the fraud.
Governor Hamilton. in his decision in the
Leman and Brand case, expresses his opinion
that the signature of Shields, one of the
judges, to the tally sheet was forged, as well
as that of DR.. Strassur, which was corrobo-
rated BY an expert testimony in the latter
case. He declared from this evidence that
the charges could not have been made for the
correction of clerical errors for manifest
reason. His conclusion was that bold forgery
had been committed to cheat the people of the
dAshiSt out VI ibs just EiSHts dhu tuab thS
object of the erasures was to change the
majority in the State legislature and thereby
control the election of the United States
Senator. He did not undertake to say who
was guilty of the crime, but he expressed
hope that the person who committed it would
be adequately punished. He declares that it
was false, and the forged returns which the
canvassing board of Cook county canvassed,
ane not true and correct returns, and with all
due respect to the board, he was of the
opinion that they should not have counted
that return.
He says 1T was not in this case question
of going behind the returns, but it was
question of finding out what were true and
lawful returns"
The Governor finds that Leman received
majority of 1874 votes and is therefore elected.
Governor Hamilton says in conclusion, that
the case is without precedent 10 the State of
Illinois, and that he bases his opinion solely
upon the right and duty of csnvsssing boards
to canvass the genuine returns.
The federal grand jury this afternoon
returned formal report covering the nvesti-
CATION thus far made by them, with respect to
the alleged frauds in the Goth senatorial
district. The report declares that the
examination of the poll book and tally sheet
shows undoubted evidence of forgery and
fraud. From the examination of ballots in
connection with the return the report says:
at become at once sppsrsnt to us that crime
whose boldness and wickedness was only
equalled by its grossness, had been committed.
In other words there had been abstracted
over 200 ballots cast at said election, and
bearing the name OF the candidate for repre-
sentative in Congress, from the envelope in
which the ballots cast in said precinct were
inclOsed, after and on the night OF election,
and there had been substituted in place
thereof an equal number Of spurious and
false ballots which were never voted"
The jury returned a number of indictments
but the names of those indicted were not
made public.
At a meeting of a committee Of 30 citizens
this afteanooD, appointed to prosecute inquir
les into the alleged ballot stuffiing in the 18th
ward it was resolved to increase the number
to 80, to raise the sum of $2500 for pursuit
of its wark, and to offer a reward of not less
than $1,000 for information leading to the
conviction of the guilty parties.