The Portland daily press., 1885-03-28
The Chicago Gang.
A Carpenter Describes the Boxes Made
for the Observation-Disclosures Crowd.

The Chicago News has taken considerable
interest in detecting some Of the gigantic ball
lot-box frauds, and has found q carpenter IN
the city who has done some cabinet work for
the McDonald-Msckin gang. He says that
year ago last fall he was called ON TO construct
some boxes or houses for polling places. They
were made, he says, eight feet square. The in
structions were to make the front Of solid
wood, with an aperture 11x7 inches, 5 IL feet
from the ground-the stature Of an average
man. The boxes we're So constructed. By
this cage arrangement it was impossible for the
Judges and clerks inside to SEQ what was going
on at the window, except the judge who took
the ballots. This official could take the vote
of one man under as many names as the
"stuffed" register would permit, and the vot-
er's inclination would suggest One of these
boxes was placed in the alley in the rear Of
"The Store" on Monroe street, and used for
the polling place OF the second precinct OF the
first ward, and another at Billy Whelan's for
the third precinct voting place.
II knew the object was fraud" said the car
penter. ] was instructed to put the holes
through which the ballots were received, as
near the roof of the box as possible, which
did. Some time afterward 1 asked Mcdonald
how he liked my job. He replied it worked
first rate Mcdonald and Whelan paid me
$3.50 for each box. Those cages were used at
the city election last spring, when Whelan
was elected alderman. Before the spring cleo
tioa of 1884, W. J. Gallagher called on me to
make box similar to those made for Nc
Donald and Whelan, to be uAed In the Sd
| precinct OF the 1st ward. l did so, and charg-
cd him $40, but have not yet collected the
money. At that election, over four hundred
names were fraudulently registered from the
| Palmer House and Clifton House. Gallagher
| received the ballots, several men doing the re-
peating. Gallagher's body concealed the yot-
er, SO that the officials inside could not see who
was voting. The repeater, being furnished
with list of names, voted as often as possible,
| his identity not being known to the other
| judges and clerks. Gallagher, as l said, did
| net pay me.
81 recollect the voting booths used a year
| ago in the alley in the rear of The Store and
| in front of the tailor shop next door to Who
| lan's place." said q we'll known gentleman
| who was one of the judges in the 1st ward at
| the last city election. "They were the inven-
| ton OF Joe Mackin, one of them having been
| used by that gentleman the fall before. On
| the FIRST day of registration 413 or Ais names
| were put on the books. When these books
were taken back to the polling place Of the
| precinct next registration day they contained
| over 800 names The other two judges ex-
| planned that as they were going home the
| night of the first registration day they met
| number of ther friends on the street, and be-
| Ing majority OF JDe OOaru OF JuuReSJ regis
| tered their names. Gallagher took the ballots
| on election day He stood in front of the hole
in the box and none OF the other election Off
/ GERS inside could see who voted. When there
was lulI in the voting Gallagher would take
| slip of paper and write name and address
on it corresponding with one of the forged
| names on the registry books. He would hand
/ this slip out to one Of his friends, saying:
1 Here John Jones hasn't voted Pretty soon
/ John Jones would hand in his ballot. The fe-
| peaters came from other wards, and voted as
often as they wanted to-"
"Where were the Republican challengerJ
| and police?" was asked.
1.-THE chsllengers did challenge some Of
| these votes, and the Republican judges inside
| challenged some, but the gang then swore in
the votes. The police were in with the gang
| and would not make arrests. 1t was no use to
get out warrants for the arrest Of the repeaters.
| BY the time constable could get around TO
| the polls the repeaters were gone. Even II he
was arrested and indicted, the jury trying him
would be packed by the gang and he would
| get off The trial, which has resulted In the
| conviction of Msckin and Gallagher, would
| not have amounted to snything If Uncle Sam
hadn't got hold of them. The fact is, the pol
itics of the 1st ward is run by gamblers. They
come from all parts of the country and soon
/ go again. They can c1mmit all sorts OF frauds
| on election day and be out of reach OF the oth-
GERS of the law when they are wanted"