Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-04-01


elected since 1880, was as follows: 1881,
443; 1888, SOP; 1885, 500. Was there any
such incl ease in the voting population ?
A carefully taken poll of the precinct
shows less than 700 votes resident in
the precinct, over ten per cent. of whom
did not vote last fall The Democratic
majuriIles in this precinct at the Octo-
tober and Presidential elections since
1880 were as follows: October, 1880, 2SI;
November, $50; October, 1881, 279; 0c-
tUber, 1892. 2Ss; October, 1888, PSI; 0cto-
Der, 1884. PA; November. 1884. 264; Oc+
tuber, 1885, S77. In these years the Re-
publican votes ranged from l33 in 1880
To IFS in 1888, but was cut down to As
lin 1855. and since the election 13S quail
fed electors of this precinct have ap>
peared in court and made oath that they
voted the Republican ticket at the Octo.
Der election in that precinct. MIR. A. Y.
Reid, prohibition candidate for repre-
sentative to the Legislature of Ohio at
that election, testifieS that he was pres
ent at this precinct after the polls
closed, and that he remained there until
all the tickets we're out of the ballot box,
and that there were ISL Republican tick
els taken out of the box and counted be-
fore he left, and that the tally sheets
and pell book now offered as the return
from that precinct are not the returns
made at the time the ballots were taken
out of the box. Mr.. Richard Flynn, a
Democratic police officer, who has lived
in the ward eighteen years, when show
! I'd The list of 343 names on the loose
sheets returned in the poll book of this
| hat b,,f
| i've names on those sheets of persons he
knew as residents of the ward, and a
comparison with the poll of voters resi+
| ding in the precinct shows that there are
40 names of voters in the precinct on
them except such as also appear upon
the regular poll book. To complete the
evidence that these returns are absolute
ly fraudulent and should not be treated
with any consideration, it is only neces
say to call attention to the testimony of
| c. H. Cole, one of the clerks of the elec-
| zion in that precinct, after making
desperate effort to maintain the integri-
| ty of the returns, was finally forced to
admit that nearly all the names on the
loose sheets were written by Edward
Norris and himself, and that Edward
Morris did not come into the room where
the election was held until after the
polls closed in the evening, when he,
Cole, went out to get drink, and when
he returned he invited Morris to go in
with him.
The highest previous vote ever pOlled
in the Fourth Ward at Governors
election was 2,247. The vote in 1885 was
! Z,9T2, ar, increase of 725. Intimidation
lgud interference by police was carried to
such all extent in Precinct A of this
ward that the election was farce, and
| rare faced fraud and forgery were after
gaFd resorted to, because necessary to
j accomplish the purposs OF the gang.
t7:.s S..rs 1js clactiea in this precinct
were called before the committee Ga pho
tograph of thdse judges wonld be the
best testimony, because a look at them
would satisfy any one that they were Sc
lected for the purposes of fraud), and in
their testimony, accompanied by their
genuine signatures, they have clearly
added ihe crime of perjury to their 9TH
er Infamous crimes. John Tosney, the
intelligent scoundrel of this board of
| judges, who used Ennis and Brumagen,
1.-TWO ignorant, stupid tools, was a special
policeman, and from April 26, 1876. to
May 6, 1878, was arrested eight different
times on charges of disorderly conduct.
drunkenness, lettering, personal violence
and resisting officers.
1t would be condoning of crime, an
outrage upon law and justice, and an en-
couragement to future villainies in the
same direction, to give any cTedencs, any
weight, any recognition whatever to the
papers made by these villains as election
returns.
The full scope of the fraud in this pre-
cinct may be arrived at with some degree
of certainty by either of the following
Methods
Vote in precinct in 1888, 500; in 1885.
996; excess, 4S7. Democratic majority
in 1888, 251; 1885, 878; increase, 627.
A. Y. Reid testified that when all
votes were out and counted, the vote
stood 716 Democratic, ls1 Republican, %
Prohibition. Democratic plurality, 332 !;
from returned plurality, 87S; excess, 546.
A sworn poll of the precinct shows
667 electors and IL who have removed
since the October election; total, 679.
who claim to have voted. Give Repub-
licans sworn vote 1873, Prohibition p,
equal to 100, would show a Democratic
majority Of 3S1, which would be 497 less
than returns.
If the Republicans are allowed the
vote as stated by Reid, 1S1, then the
Democratic majority would be only 295,
or less than returns 5S3.
There were 343 Dames returned on
loose sheets. Richard Flynn, Demo
cratic policeman, eighteen years resi-
| dont Of nrnciOnt Ennyuo hnt EUa yuh hn
live in the precinct, and those are on
the regular book. Take 343 from 9S6
and it leaves 656, about the honest vote.
Give the Republicans 1873, Prohibtionists
%, and the Democratic majority would
be 353, or less than returned 523. The
average of all these would be 544, about
the extent of the fraud. The testimony
shows continued violence and intimida-
ton during the day. in which police of
icers took part, switching of tickets and
ringing of the ballot box bell, indicating
the introduction of ballots when no cleo
tors were voting.
The committee then review the testi-
nony as to Democratic frauds in the
Sixth. Seventh. Eighth, Ninth, Tenth,
Eleventh, Sixteenth, Eighteenth and
Nineteenth wards. The report then con-
tinues:-
From this testimony it is clearly pro-
ven that the frauds are of such an infa-
nous character, perpetrated or encour-
aged by the sworn officers of election,
Especially in precinct A, Fourth ward,
precincts d and G, Sixth ward, precinct
F, Ninth ward, and precinct d. Mines
teenth ward, that under the well estab-
lished decisions OF the courts they should
be thrown out entirely. and the result
in them determined by testimony as to
the votes cast. 1t is well settled that
when it is shown that there is doubt OF
uncertainty whether the poll books and
tally sheets correctly and fairly show
the result of an election, then it becomes
the duty of the court to cast out the ent