New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-11-14
CHARGES AGAINST HIGGINS.
THE LEADER IN FRAUDS ON THE BALLOT.

IMPORTATION FOR THE PRESIDENT TROM MARY
LAND CITIZENS AN INVESTIGATION RE-
QUESTED.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 Spcciah.-Fr0rcls
Miller who during the recent canvass in Maryland was
the candidate OF the Republican parry for Controller o.
the Treasury Of the state has written letter TO the
President in which he draws the attention Of me natter
to the record OF Appointment Clerk Higgins. Inc
charges against Higgins that in 1879 he III eonnec
ton with Others gained entrance to the place WheIe th
baIlot-boxes were kept and took thereirom Reform
ballots for which lie substituted Democratic ballots IL
proof OF this assertion Mr. Miller quotes letter from
s. Teackle Wallis addressed to the Cvi Service Reform
Association. in which Mr.. Wallis says in part
After the State election the fall of 1879, when the
baobOxes the custody OF the clerk Of the superior
Court opened and the ballots examined, 1t was
found that the ballots had been Iouy i"olIeu Wiz
Large numbers of the Reform ballots had been removed
tickets bad been substituted for them ms nau oee
done audacOusly tina the substituted nckets hau NOT
ont precisely they lad come from the printer han
and IN many cases adhering 10 each "tlet
and even o more in eacn layer That they coudDe got
into the boxes except by lifting the top ana lsetS
spicuOus for dispute. BY whom. however IL was G. n
nited was not generally knGT9 i9f Sod We're
first brought light through "A voluntary stattibeht
made by man named Keys himself Of the active
Stewart now OF the supreme Bench OF TINS cY' IN 'e
campaign of 1853 it became my duty, as chairman on
the Citizens Reform COMMITTEES TO investigate me
matter / verified the confession OF Keys hy an nler
view with Judge stewart ana was iuthlsneu pn - v va
Richard 4. Allison. then clerk OF the court win te
of several OF his deputy ciefHs, VINO 4 inc
fnd and had given him details and the names ofthe
parties who had committed it, including the name OF
Eugcne Higgins All of tue parties agreed IN the SAFE
that they had been permitted 10y Konlsa; tlt
then clerk to the basement of the record once at
night for the purpose OF fixing the ballots ana hau taken
Reform ballots and burned them III me sto'esn
sfitutiur regular tickets Tor them. Inc
process was necessarily tedious one, so as od
sunday,
Having heard from several that MI Robert
r. Baldwin, of Baltimore, the pr sident of the Natonai
Mechanics Bank. and now one OF tie Comm rs, s q"
Higgins himself as TO his participation IN Inc
TO ascertain whether such was mo i9 3a;
Mr. Baldwin very frankly told me that 1t was ana hat
which he Nir Baldwin, REPEATED preclHoy a9 ,nIc
from The other parties ana as sttttL ~,
his hands IN destroying the one ser OF na0S ana
suG:titH'S ts O' R6wn said that he had
asked Higgins how he could pSsI rn,o6 P9 s sr ~
course il was all wrong, but he thought 1t was for the
good the Democratic party OF words of that import
In 1879 Mr. Higgins again was guilty of similar ana
scarcely less outrageous conduct Mr. Miller quotes Ill
support Of the charges made by him letter written by
Mr. Wootten the States Attorney for Howard County,
under date of October :. 1888:
O, the morning of the GuhpratoIal election held No
at the polls of the fifth election district OF this county
held It Carksvllic' small village situated about yen
one or TWO white ruians from the CITY ol Baltimore
He Sd Sop Ps d 5i 5eg i0 FUZZY dc
tected was warned 70 leave and titrcnpon
to the Judges the and used by them was not
prepared 10y the register OF voters Robert j. ecac2s,
but nanutac AIRED Ivy Eugene iggi rs in ne city OF
Baltimore at Democratic headquarters. In that cleo
uon district han nifty names OF registered voters
OF election and thereby those voters diSTanc scd
Several other names were I mi'SIG.Jf am sad
and tie repcaters and ruthtus brought from baltimore
vote upon placed upon that Manufactured poll
book. immediately upon ne co,iag OF u!e po n
ScaCsS, the register requested that Manufactured poll
lfverrd to him ana ha. the light OF day.
In this role of infamy Mr. Higgins bore t4e
Gnins him to the bod, Of tins crime i soHdly weGei
Of witnesses aud by irreiraG0le testimony
MI Mer also quotes the following incident related
by John H. Cowan. the wel-known lawyer Of Bllti-
In1ssl Mr. Higgins Secretary of the Senate of
Maryland III ISL III me cry ol Lli.ae, PIMA t"ei,
c He'd named Conrad Futz Conrad Fultz wished SUI,
he was opyG,'3' nn b Ge Sw him IN MS ecr days
Among those certificates WIS tn following letter;
BALTIMORE, MAY -, ISL
DEAR SIR: was greatly 1ston.SHed , on
OF tnls city, mai been convicted NJ your ely have
known Nh Futz for fifteen years and assure you
lie has to my knowledge. followed tire SEA, aud has
always been CONSIDERED as an INDUSTRIOUS ana Soou
EIGINE HGGISS,
Secretary of Mary land senate.
Who was Conrad FultZ, whom Mr. Higgins, OF las own
knowlcdgc had known for fifteen years having lOI-
loved the Se and AGAINST whose fair name ne ad never
heard "a complaint COnIat FultZ the notorious
b lv Forester who mai beeu thief and criminal from
s birth: vino had been convicted md sent To the pH-
tenliary in Louisiana; VINO nal been co Ivlcted
OF larceny and To the peAJtcnuaiy AT
Natch-z. Miss. who had stole 81 rom
hal been convicted of that aud sentenced
10 the prnentIsry who had been engaged III the Wells
Bank robbeue in Pttsburg had been captured and
hal away from MS captprs; who had been ar
rested Tor the Nathan murder ~ NeW-NOik aud ac.
Quilted who had been charged with murders VINO had
been convicted of burglary IN Illinois anu sentenced
for thirteen years to the peultentarY at joliet
ana escaped a murierOus attack upOn his cap0rs;
who had been wanted IN Canada who had been picked
M by PinkertOn detectives and brought back the
Joliet Penitcutary served IN the Joliet Pcntentiary
until l-sO and vet, IN 1881, Mr. Higgins gives him "a
certificate Of character follower of the sea, and as a
man whom he had known for fifteen years.
In conclusion Mr. Miller quotes the letter addressed
by Ex-Governor Carroll TO senator German, which was
published IN March last. aud winds up by asking the
President to investigate the of Higgins, correct the
mistake made by his Administration in this instance,
and by so doing rcassure those Republicans whose APP
prOva he has earned in his endcavOr TO esabls true
reformed Ciyl Service.