Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-12-12
TIE CHICAG0 ELECTION FRAUD.
Statement or Dcpuly.Clerk Gleason and a
Counter Charge.
M tcIegrarh 10 the nl.palch.l


10y telegraph to the Di,patch.l
CHICAGO, December 1l.-Arthur Glca.
son. chef deputy IN COunty-ClerA Ryan'S
Office, makes public this morning. over
bis own signature. statement charging
Henry Bichl. one OF the employees in the
county clerks oilice, with having distracted
an envelope continins' the ballots Of
second precinct Of Eighteenth Ward. and
thereby allowing the substitution Of the
forged ballots found IN tue envelope when
It va, orCrcd by the Federal grand jury.
Gleason relates that ,hc envelope IN ques-
ton was placed with Others in large box
in This county clerks vault and nailed mp.
On the day tie County Clnvas>ine Board
concluded il, labor. and VIII IN the first i'm
preston bad been created that fraud hal
been rcTpclrqttd. Ryan sent word - Glra-
son 20 take good core OF the returns. On
recent OF this message Gleason SAYS hc
called To his assistance Henry Bichl,
William j. sweeney, and William layer.
clrIk> in The Office. Search was
madc for The returns. Blehl finding them in
nailed chc,t. Whcrcup0n the two other
,earChcTs were directed not Il lDoS any
LONGER. Gleason then went % attend ID
otuer duties. Bich soon afterwards IN
formed Gleason that be bad paced the r.
turns In one o. the drawers m the vault
numbered 81. The Only person knowing
tie exact drawer in which these blllot> bad
l,rn ulac,d were Bichl and Glcispn.
Gleason SAYS he dld not personally make
eXamin ton OF Drawer 2ii - ascertain
Nhcih,r Biehl had CORRECTLY informed him
or not. but took il for granted be did. lie
did not 90 to the drawer until November
9th. when be- found the bllots there.
Previous 10 that time he declares he never
bad the envelope il his hands. The vaui
IN which these ballots were kept WIS locked
with "A combination. which was known by
only four persons Henry Behl, John
shields, John OLaughin. and Gleason.
Tie ballot, were placed in the vault,
where ilcir location wa known II only
two PERSONS Biehl and Gleason. The let
ter >a,s the evidence shows beyond DOUBT
int the chengc in BALLOTS was Lladc IN the
vault q the county clerks office. The eyi-
dctce also show. that neither shield. nor
Iaucbliu knew where they were placed.
ana il Mould have been exceedingly
difficult for any one not knowing
their exact location to find them. the
lallol> having been taken from The
yauit on the afternoon NJ November list
Either Biehl or himself is guilty. y he de-
clarrS that be did not commit tn crime, 1t
could have been committed by no other
nelson than Biehl. and Gleason therefore
charges him with it, preparation. Two
per>ons are now directly charged with the
rnmc-Joseph c. Mackin, secretary OF
Cook County Democratic Central Commit
Ice. VINO ordered bogus tickets printed,
md Pichl. who, u Gleason say. distracted
tie envelope containing the original ballots
10 allow the sub-Itu ion Of the bogus ones.
Henry Bienl also makes a public state
mcnt. in which he trayerses charges by
Gleason He saws The crime OF removing
the envelope from the vault In the county
clerks Office was undoubtedly committed
hy Gleason or himself. As he knows. he is
not he guilty party, he believes Gleason
10 re-. and is Strengthened In this view by
ihe contradictory statements made by G,ea-
son leiore the Grand jury.
WHOLESALE INDICTMENTS FOUND.
The Federal grand jury came into the
United States District Court tins evening
and handed up indictments against Jo-
>erh c. Msckn. secretary OF the Cook
County Democratic Central Committee:
Arthur Gleason and Henry Biehl, clerks
in the county clerks Office; aud Dr..
:. ). strausser. :. p. Shields. and
re,er Hausbroueh, judges. and Edward
Kelly and W. J. sullivan. clerks Of elec-
lion in the Second precinct OF the Eigh.
teeutb ward. in the returns from which AZ
The hate election II had been shown that
over 200 fraudulent blllots were substituted
for genuine ones over two weeks after the
election.
Mackin eame into court soon aiterwari.
ard Biebl snd Gleason wcre arrested. All
gave hail In $4,000 each for their appear
auee before the United States Com nls-
,Ioner to-morrow morning. rhe Others
have net vet been app~eheuded. and Il Is
believed that some OF them have left the
city.
The grand Jury also returned inlet