The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-01-24
Gray County 8 Trouble.

INGALLS,, kaS., January IL. 1852
The facts regarding the fight at Cimar-
ron have been so distorted and misrep-
resented that the following statement
is made to correct part of the misrep-
reservations that have been published,
, Cimarron was not entitled to the
county seat for any good reason as it
was only six miles from the east side of
the county and eighteen from the
west. 1t claimed ma
jority of votes at the primary,
but as has been demonstrated since in
taking evidence, Cimarron imported
over 200 votes at the primary and men
were enumerated as upon lots in
Cimarron where no one ever lived and
as many as five fraudulent votes were
registered on one quarter section at
the permanent election October 81 &,
1887. The ballot box at Cimarron had
one hundred fraudulent ballots stuffed
into it and in Foote and Logan town
ships seventy two men were organized
into dark lantern society.
Ingalls, had majority of
over 200 of the honest votes
of Gray county at the permanent cleo
ton. The Ingalls, officers elected on
November s, 1897, got their offices at
the end of mandamus proceedings, and
ever since that time the Cimarron lead
ers have tried by every means to get
possession of the county offices and are
CHARGED with resorting to bribery to do
so, in two cases, thereby obtaining the
resignation of the county clerk
and sheriff, but succeeded
in filling only the clerks
office with one of their own men.
Governor Martin discovered the course
they were pursuing and appointed
non-partisan sheriff to fill the vacancr.
at the election November 6, 1888, not
withstanding the free use of money by
the Cimarron side of the Ingalls, ticket
was all elected except two without the
use of any money. At Cimarron the
same course of bulldoZing of the year
before was resorted to and representa-
tiveS of the Ingalls, candidates were
driven from the polling room and the
sherift insulted and defied. 1t is not
true as charged that there was fraud
in Ingalls, precinct at the last election,
The Cimarron partisans in their zeal
to charge fraud have denied the resi-
dence of citizens who have lived con-
tinually on their claims in ingalls,
township for two or three years. The
charge of fraud was made to deprive
Ingalls, men OF offices to which they
nnu OCCL ClCCLSu ny q u
seventeen TO $50, and nothing but the
strong arm of the law prevented the
success of Clmarron'S designs. The
order Of the supreme court com
PEELED the commissioners to count
the votes January Z, but the CimarroI
county clerk would not issue the Ger
tificates to Watson, the candidate
elected county clerk on the Ingalls,
ticket, though Watson demanded the
certificate on Tuesday, Thursday anC
Friday before the trouble. Riley, tn,
clerk, told him not to be in hurry
that they were too busy to make on
the certificate. The certificate did no
reach Ingalls, until the next day. Sun
day, after the battle. When Watson
demanded his Office Saturday morn
ing before the books We're taken
Riley refused to deliver them o
turn over the Office to him, bu
confronted him with a large revolver
: Thereupon the deputy sheriffs pro
ceedad to take the books and carr
them down and load them into tn
wagon they had brought. When tn
books were loaded the firing was begul
by the Cimarron people and the Ingall
party did not fire a shot until compel
led to do so to protect themselves. AN
had they desired they could have kiIle
= score of their opponents, massed a
they were. When the wagon was abou
% start some Cimarron ma
cried out ''all of you that have not &c
guns get out of the way we are going {
commence firing" and fired ON the in
gals men Immediately j. w. EnplisI
who was killed in the fight, was one q
the parties who began the fight. an
died with his gun in his hand.
This tragedy is deplored by the In
gals people as much as by Others, bU
1t Is generally believed thar w 'tso
would never have got Dossessio
of his Office except in r.
manner. The two (imarro
commissioners have issued so n
of county scrip to pay lawyers for a
tending to the Cimarron side az II
county seat contest and nearly as mn,
more scrip for purposes equally iIlega
and doubtless much more OF this e6a
ncter OF scrip Would have b ~ IL !,