Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-07
THOBBE Us. CARLISLE.
The House COMMITTEES on Elections
Takes Up the Thoebe- Carlisle
Contested Election Case.
Senator Coke's Reasons for Opposing
tho Blair Educational BIll-Bos.
t0nians After Sherman,
Fort worth's Memorial for n Prbl,o BuIld
ing PRESENTED te tho House.
Ttxss Postmastors.
TaoHBE CARLISLE CONTEST.

WASHINGTON, Jan. There WAS S full
meeting OF the House committee on cleo
lions to-day to agree upon line OF pro-
cedure ia the Thoebe-Carlisle contested
election case. Contestant Thoebe was
present with his counsel, Messrs. Sypher
Sterever Of this city. No one formally
represented the Speaker. Me-. Sypher be-
gan the presentation OF Mr.. Thoebe's
case immediately after the COM
mittee mad been called to order
He made s long argument, reviewing the
declarations and urging the
Importance OF the committee going into
.he district and taking testimony, declar-
ing it to be the duty Of the committee.
lie said Mr.. Carlisle had himself &C.
on the night after the cleo
ton that he was defeated and that MIR.
rnoebe WAS elected. Mr.. Thoebe fol-
lowed Mr.. Sypher and spoke briefly. He
said he came out of his shop
to appear before the committee that
it might know aim and that he might
have an opportunity of making personal
statement of facts In the case. He was
questioned by the members of the CON-
mittee, and at the conclusion of his state
ment he said II the case was decided
against him he would retire TO his work
in his shop. Mr.. Sypher and Mr.. Thoebe
claimed that on the night of the election
Mr. Carlisle's defeat was SO evil
dent that conference Of
his friends wes held and the
decision was reached to hold back the re-
turns until they could be fixed up so as to
give him a majority. This WAS done snd
done SO boldly aud clumsily that the re-
turns themselves showed that changes
and interpretations had been made in the
same handwriting in different precincts.
Fraud WAS manifest. Mr.. Thoebe and
his attorney ssid that 1t was notorious in
the vicinity that the friends Of Mr..
Carlisle had induced the attorney
employed by Thoebe 20
neglect the proper means OF
gathering evidence. Mr.. Sypher claimed
to have sffldavits in support of his
charges, The committee took recess
until l 80. After the recess Mr.. Sypner,
on behalf Of BIr. Thoebe, presented in the
form OF written resolution the sugges-
tons outlined in his speech Of the
forenoon. He said he preferred that the
committee should adopt the resolution
appointing select committee to visit
the contested election district and report
ts ii 1diDgs to the House. The commit
lee ct 2 O'Clock went luto secret session.
10 the secret session tie proceedings were
confined to the reading of several Of the
.ffi 1svits, and without On attempt TO come
10 sn agreement upon the proposition
submitted by Thoeoe's counsel, the com
nj tee adjourned until tomorrow.
In b TIM "details Of 90
Sypher said that on the night of the cleo
lie ction st Covington that Mr.. Carlisle
lad been defeated by more than 1000
rotes. At O'Clock they sent for Mr..
Jarliale and brought him in carriage to
he house Of friend. He (Sypher)
;ould give the name OF the friend and
he location OF the house, but he
would not do SO unless the committee
l:ged him, ss he did not wish 10 state all
lie knew ct this stage Of the case. After
consulting with Mr.. Carlisle they teIe-
,rsphed to have the returns OF the outside
counties withheld. Continuing ne said
hat it was fact that the returns of sig
outlying counties were withheld for FIVE
lays, and Mr.. Carlisle had publicly con-
essed that he wss defeated. Mr..
;ypher said that in seven of the
light precincts of Carroll county,
ne poll books sworn TO were written,
igned and certified SO in one hand writ
ng, and il was evident thst all Of them
must have been written after the election
~ one man, as he could not have been in
ii the precincts st once on election day.
lie next read the affidavit of John J.
fierce in support Of his statements. In
his paper Pierce tells that
ne signatures on the poll books
we're IN one hand ga peculiar hand"
while the signatures Of the election OIL
,ers to their oaths we're in different
land writing. Continuing his statement,
he counsel said Mr.. Carlisle had failed
through neglect. In some precincts no
tickets were printed until O'Clock, and
here was virtuslly no election
leld Ia some precincts. In one case
,nly three judges voted, two for Carlisle
md one for Thnoe. In Boone county 200
7otes were cast on election day, but the
eturns finally showed 567 votes. In Car
oil county, there WIGS practically no cleo
ion. He could show that the voters had
siled to go to to the polls on election
lsy, but when they found Carlisle had
,een defeated they voted next day. Not
,nly was this The case in Carroll county,
,ut also in every one Of the out
wing counties. SyFher quoted from
ne statement of J. j. Blakely, who, he
.aid, was prominent Democrat and at
.orney of Covinston, to the effect that
twenty -four names appeared to have been
added to one of the poll books after the
signatures of the judges had been al
liked. Continuing, the counsel said he
would state something which he had
40 afiidavits to support, but which
could be proved by Witnesses.
After the election seven Of Cariisle's
friends met in conference st the federal
guiding to endeayor to save Mr.. Carlisle.
Trey sent for an eighth gentleman, 4
prominent and honorable gentleman,
Colsnel r. W. Nelson. They told him
Carlisle had been defeated, and they
wanted bin 10 confer with them TO de-
wise some means of changing the result.
ThereupoD, said Mr. Sypher, Colonel Mel
son toek his hat and left, declaring that