Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-02-27
The Chicago Election Frauds.

The case against the Democratic election
conspirators at Chicago promises TO take
rank among the romances of political crime.
Rarely has more daring outrage upon the
ballot been exposed and traced to its perpe-
traitors with more signal success. The object
which the conspirators had in view was to
count in Democrat in place of a Republ-
can as a representative to the legislature from
the eighteenth district. The Democratic
candidate was named Brand, and the Repub-
lican was named Leman. When the county
canvassers reached the returns of the second
precinct in the district they found that L.
man was credited with being far behind the
Republican candidates on the same ticket,
and Brand as far ahead Of the Democratic
candidates, the result being to give Brand
the majority which had been declared for
Leman on election night. 1t was at once ap-
parent that dishonest effort was in progress
to seat Brand, in order to control the election
of United States Senator. The pretence
was promptly made that split tickets had
been circulated at the polls and unconscious
ly voted by Republicans, the tickets being
identical with the regular, except that they
bore Brands name instead of Leman's. When
the boxes were at length opened for investi-
CATION, after being for some time in custody
of the county clerk, split ballots of the kind
described were actually discovered in sufi-
eient number to support the tally sheet of the
canVassers
The next thing in order was to discover
where these ballots came from. They were
properly placed on the string and properly
numbered, but it was certain that they had
been substituted for the ballots actually vot-
ed, in the interval during which the boxes
were in the hands of the county clerk. The
indignant citizens of Chicago made up a
large fund to defray the expense of hunting
down the conspirators. After some admira-
BILE detective work the right clue was found,
and the whole conspiracy was laid bare. 1t
was ascertsined that the bogus ballots had
been printed two weeks after the election, at
the order of Mackin, the chairman of the
Democratic county committee, and for sever
al years one Of the most active of Chicago
Democratic leaders. The printer was found
who printed the ballots and delivered them
to Mackin, and the engraver who made the
block testified to his work, and by certain
imperfections in the engraving, incident to
the haste with which he executed the order.
he was able to identify every ballot which
had been printed from his plate. In like
manner the printer, by one or two slight
changes in type which he had to make, was
able to identify the bogus ballots.
Mackin and his confederates met these dis
SiSoNAoo WIN uhbiusuluB uoulhl. lu6y con-
cocted q fresh scheme to cover up the old.
and last week they introduced two witnesses,
one printer, who swore that he himself
printed the ballots the night before the cleo.
tion from plate copied from one which had
been stolen from the Office where the Repub.
lican tickets were printed, and the other the
proprietor of printing Office who swore
that he lent his office to the printer for the
purpose described. This tremendous fiction,
stoutly adhered to under oath, might have
staggered less vigorous prosecution. But
the witnesses were promptly arrested for
perjury as soon as they left the stand. The
result was a dramatic scene in court, when
these witnesses went back to the stand, con.
fessed that their previous story was a tissue
OF lies, and declared that they had been hired
by Mackin and his confederates to swear
them out of their troubles. In view of these
revelations the defence has virtually gone to
pieces, and it seems reasonably certain that
the conspirators will receive q penalty in
some degree commensurate to their aocumu.
lated crimes