The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-15
rHGBE,s CLAIM REJECTED.
The House Elections Committee Decides tina
the Contest Shall Not BE Reopened.

The House Elections Committee Decides thai
the Contest Shall Not Be Reopened.
WASHINGTON, JAM H-Every member OF
the House committee on elections was in attend
ance this morning to resume consideration OF
the Thebe- Carlisle contested election case. Mr..
Hallam, of Covington, KY, appeared in behalf
of Speaker Carlisle. and MIR. j. Hale Sypher sp-
peared for the contestant The chairman an
nounced that the presentation Of affdavits in
behalf of the contestee in order. Mr.
Hallam said he took the position that sufficient
cause had not been shown for a reopening of
the case. The action Of the counsel on the other
side in presenting affdavits at the last session
seemed to show that they concurred in that be-
lief. Among the things stated by the con-
testant in his affidavit was one to
the effect that John A. Goodson,
chief of police OF Covington and brother-in-law
of Mr.. Carlisle, had, but one or two days aftsr
the election, said that the Speaker had been de-
feated. and that Charles Easton, of Covington,
KY, would SO testify. In answer to that the
counsel read affdavits by both Goodson and
Easton positively denying the statement. Good
son further denies emphatically the assertion
made by counsel for the contestant that some
relative of Carlisles had approached Mr.. Wood,
formerly Th9bes counsel, for the purpose Of
influencing him. He states that he is the only
relative of Mr.. Carlisle living near Covington,
and he declares that neither he nor any other
son, SO far as he is concerned, ever il any manner
approached attempted to approach Wood or
any any other person in Carlisle's behalf So
far as afiant knew. such thing was never
thought of. Afiant further says that he met
Easton on the morning after the election. and
Easton asked him the result He replied that
he did not know, the returns were not in
Easton then said that it would be - outrage
if Carlisle was defeated by such an ignorant
man.
Another affidavit, by Horace Cameron, re-.
porter OF the Cincinnati Evening Telegram, was
read, in which Cameron recites the substance OF
a conversation with the Speaker the day after
the election, in width the Speaker said
that he did not know whether not he had
been defeated, but if he had been he would feel
a sense of personal relief such as he had not ex-
perienced in ten years. Afiant further says
that he had several conversations with Thoebe,
but had never told him that Carlisle admitted
that he was defeated. On the contrary, he had
told him that he (ThabeI was defeated. He had
never sent an stem to his paper declaring that
Carlisle admi tied his defeat, but he could not
prove this by forwarding the files of the paper.
as they had not been preserved. This affidavit
was corroborated by afidavits made by John G.
Benton, an attorney of Cincinnati and Henry
G. Hallam. clerk Of the county court
To meet the statements made by Mr.. Thoebs
touching the meeting of Mr.. Caliles friends on
election night, the counsel produced an affidavit
signed by Judge Geo. g. Perkins. w. w. Cleary,
Commonwealth's attorney, and number of
other gentlemen, who declare that meeti ne
of the kind described could have been held with
out their knowledge, and that they know OF no
such conference or meesing; One OF the sign ss
HalIam the gentleman who occupied the room
in the federal building where the conferences
was alleged to have taken place John T. Fur
says that the epostofice occupies tha
whole lower. floor of the federal
no meeting such az described had been held or
could any such have been held without hie
knowledge Similar af6davits were made by
DAVIDSON o and .S h;an oceapSfhg n
called attention to the fact that P. Casey. jani-
tor of the federal building was the only person
who was particularly named!as having been press
emit at the conference and as having admitted
that Mr.. Carlisle had been defeated. but that 10
had been fixed up. Mr.. Hallam produced Ca
sey's affidavit declaring that the statement was
not true in whole or in part and that he did not
know of any attempt to count in Mr. Carlisle
nor did he believe that any such conference al
was ged had been held.
Touching Mr.. Sypher's statement that r w.
Nelson had declined to participate In the meet
ing of Mr.. Carlsle's frie- 's and had taken his
hat and left the meetn hen its object was
explained to him, Mr.. Hallam read a letter from
Mr.. Nelson to the Speaker, declaring that he
had never attended such meeting and knew
not hing of it.
In answer to the slater impugning the
correctness of the poll Nf Verona precinct,
Boone county, the reduced and read
affidavits by Mr.. Garn who has custody of
the poll books G. Winston and VIM. Piper
Republican, declaring that the books appeared
to be correct in every particular, and the sigma
~ a. ~
j. I'll. Callahan, who was sheriff of the precinct.
in his affidavit declares that all of the votes
were correctly returned and that he witnessed
personally the signatures of the judges to the
books. Mr.. Hallam next turned his attention to
the affidavit of John J. Pierce. of Cincinnati,
to the effect that, with the excep-
ton of one precinct, all the returns
of Carroll county apper to be in the came hand
writing. To meet this he produced the affidavit
of r. Il. Harrison, the county clerk, who. as
Gus todan of the psl-books, affirms the correct
ness of the vote Mr. Hallam declared that an
examination of the papers. which could be made
by the committee itself would satisfy them that
handwriting. A. T. Leep, a knight of Labor, of
Carrollton, declares that he was present in
Thnbe's interest wnen the vote or Carroll
county was counted and that he found the re-
turns to be fair and beyond question to cor
rectness. j. T. Lewis Republican and ex-
postmaster of Carrolton, affrms the correctness
of the entries in the poll-bo
Similar affidavits from five of the eight pre-
cincts of Carroll county were presented by Mr..
Hallam with the explanation that he would have
procured afidavits from the remaining counties
but for the reason that he pressed for time,
and they difficult of access at this season.
He said that it would appear that there was not
sufficient reason for reopenng the case as to Car
roll county upon obscure affidavit by one
Pierce that something wrong might be discov-
cred. He read affidavit by Stephen Zolar.
policeman Of Covineton, wherein he says he has
several times recently been approached by
counsel for Thnbe, asking him to make an
affidavit that he had seen Mr.. Carlisle and de-
tective named Harris entering the Office OF the
State journal OH the evening after the election.
He had been told that it might be To his interest,"
to make such an affidavit and that in the event
he out Of employment he could make money
by making such affidavit
As instancing ThHbe's lack of interest and
in his own case Mr.. Hallam read the
affidavit of Charles A. Fiudley, notary who
took the dispositions for the contestant rms
afiant saws that Thoebe told him he did not like
to pay out money in the matter; that he did not