The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-26
STEALING HONEST BALLOTS.
Parallel Found for the Theft of the
Twelfth Ward BallOt-BOx.
Democratic Burglars Attempt to Defeat the
Projected Recount by Stealing the
Tickets from the Courthouse

The progress of the projected recount of the
ballots cast at the recent election in accordance
with the ruling of the court in the contested
election cases, has been seriously interfered
with, if. indeed, it has not been rendered en-
tirely beyond the range of the possibilities, by
the act of a political burglar. The discovery
was made on Monday morning (but kept secret
until yesterday, that thieves had entered the
room in the courthouse in which the ballots
we're stored, and distracted those cast in several
precincts, and so mixed and confused
others with those cast at previous elections as
to render their separation and Identification ut
terly impossible. The law provides that the
tickets shall be preserved by the county clerkfor
at least six months following an election, and in
accordance with this provision those cast at the
last election carefully placed in paper bags,
which were securely sealed and placed in two
boxes. which were deposited for safe keeping in
room No 70, on the third floor of the court house
The boxes were set one on top of another, but
the top one only was nailed up. The room is
not used, except as storeroom for this purpose,
and is rarely ever entered even by the janitor or
his assistants. Shortly after noon on Monday
Martin Greer, head janitor, discovered that the
door itself was unlocked, and at once suspect
ing that all was not right made known
his discovery to Clerk McLain. An
investigation was Immediately entered upon and
the discovery made that the two boxes contain
ing the ballots had been forcibly opened and the
contents scattered over the floor Search devel-
oped the fact that the bags containing the tickets
cast in the second precincts of the Eighth, Nine
tenth, Twentieth and of the first and second
precincts of the Twenty fifth wards were missing
and could not be found Others were found
mixed with those cast in 1882, in hopeless
confusion, and it was clearly evident that sys-
tematic effort had been made to thwart the
purpose for which the commission had been
appointed. The matter was kept a secret until
yesterday morning, when the police were sum
moned and Superintendent Lang made an ex
animation Of the entrances of the room. The
imprint of heavy foot-heel was found at the
window sill, evidently quite recently made and
this is believed to furnish clew to the way the
thief found admission to the room. He proba
bly, got into an adjoining room and by tiptoelnS
along the edge. reached the window of No. 49,
through which he gained an entrance. Clerk
McLain went before Judge Ayres during the
morning and filed the following affidavit
State of Indiana, Marion county, So:
Moses G. McLain clerk of the Marion Circuit
Court within and for said county and State would
respectfully report and show to the court that as
such clerk he is by law made the custodian OF
ballots
county Nov. 4, 1884 the several inspectors at the
various precincts in said county brought in and
turned said clerk the bags said to contain the
ballots east in said precincts that he the said clerk,
received the said bags and securely packed the
in boxes in 70 the third floor of the court
house. the same being the only private ia said
building over which said clerk has any control.
That said room has double DOORS which there is
regular lock, are all the doors to said court
house; that said door has in addition night
lock; that the keys to said locks were tied
together with a string and kept by said CLERK
and his principal deputy, A J. joyce at
all ti under lock and key that said keys have been
kept locked in the money vault Of his safe in his Office
since the 10th 1lth of November, and prior
thereto in the cash drawer in said clerk Offices that
no person persons had thereto except said
clerk and said Joyce He further shows to the court
that the Gath day of November, at about $50
clock in the afternoon when he returned to his Office
from dinner it reported to him by said Joyce that
the door 70 room 73 had been found open: that the
jantor, Martin S. Greer, had discovered the and
reported to him, said Joyce. The atdavits of said
Greer and said Joyce herewith filed. That he the
said clerk together with of his deputies Jacob F.
School, went to said room 10, and found the boxes IN
which the bags containing said ballots locked
broken Open and the bags thrown out of the and
scattered the floor of said room; that he,
the said clerk together with said Scholl. made
animation of said bags and unable to find all of
them present and he is of the opinion that some per-
son or persons to him unknown, took the same away
from said after dsaTranging the others; that
has any right in said room; that the last person
sent to said room Deputy Clerk Jacob F. Schon,
who took the last bags to come in and packed them
away in said Said clerk further says that the
person or persons disarranging said bags
wholly unknown to him, and that said door and tran
som were so broken open and entered without the
of the keys in his charge and keeping He asks that
thorough investigation of the be had and further
says the matters and things herein are true.
MOSES q. MCLAIN Clerk.
Subscribed and sworn to, this 18th day of Novem-
| Der, 1884 ALEX 9. AYRES. Judge.
Afidavits to the game effect were made by dep
utes Joyce and Seholl and janitor Greer. Mr..
Greer stated that he engaged in showing
some visitors through the building when he
made the discovery that the door had been
opened and that although he had passed il sew
eral times daily since it had been opened to
ceve the boxes. had never noticed that it had
been tempered with before. Scholl swore that
when he left the room after depositing the last
bags in the boxes he left it in perfect good order,
and that the doors and windows were properly
! secured.
| AS usual there was no lack OF theories as TO
who inspired the thieves. in whose interests the
| crime was committed etc, and both Republicans
and Democrats charged the theft upon the OPP
posing party. The latter. however failed to ad
vance reasonable ground for fixing the guilt on
the Republicans while the reasons why the Dem
ocrats should have engineered It are at once
apparent II the absence OF any OF the ballots
a recount cannot be had, and in the absence of a
recount the persons declared elected to the con
| tested offices will take the seats, and in each
! case they are Democrats. The fact is cited that
one of the attorneys for the contesees has repeat
eddy stated, in his arguments before the court,
that 1.-THE public had no assurance that the bal
! lots would be safely kept by the
clerk and that he has several times alluded to
the possibility of their loss Another suspicious
circumstance is thaton Monday, before the theft
was discovered, Sentinel reporter approached
| Deputy Joyce and asked him what truth there
was in the rumor that the ballots had been
stolen. Messrs. Smart and Wright the contest
ants greatly depore the loss, and quite de
| spondent over the outlook since the discovery.
! Late yesterday afternoon g. G. Krug super
visor in the second precinct Of the Nineteenth
ward hearing of the loss of the vote OF his pre-
cinct went to the Office of the township trustee,
and. after diligent sharch found the missing bag
and carried it triumphantly to the courthouse.
Its presence there is not accounted for.
An additional complication was caused by the
appearance in court during the morning of Com
mssioners McCutcheon and Ransdell, who de-
| clined 70 serve tie first named on account of