The daily state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 188?-1891, 1890-09-11
HOW REED WAS ELECTED.
UNLIMITED BRIRERY SHAME
LESSLY PRACTICED.
The Evidence Of Bribery With Names
and Plans Given--.The Speaker is
Welcome to the ssBoost'' Which He
Has Bought at One Dollar Ahead.


Especial to n Y. World.1
PORTLAND, Me-, Sept. 9.-This cleo
ton has been carried, and this great |
majority secured for Mr.. Reed by the
most fragrant and open bribery of voters |
ever seen in this city. There have been
votes bought in this city before. Hardly
ever has there be Ii an election at which |
some buying has lot been done, but it
ha-. .retofore been done with some at
tempt at secrecy.
The Republicans bought votes in every
ward in this city. Perhaps the Demo-
Gratis would have bought some, too, if
they had had the money to pay for them,
but they did not.
Ever since Mr.. Reeds private secre-
tary drew from a bank in this city last
Friday large sum Of money, many
thousands of dollars in ST and So bills,
the air has been full of the prophecy of
to-day's reality. The authority for the
statement that the money was SO drawn
is one of the directors of the bank, and
his name can be given if necessary.
The Democrats had no money, and
they could not hope to meet Mr.. Reed
most they could do was to gather evi-
dence Of the unlawful use Of that money.
The World also instituted a line of
scrutiny and investigation upon it's own
account, and the story herewith given is
the result. Charges of fraud and cor
ruption are frequent at the close of
hotly contested election, but such char
ges are usually general in their nature,
and lack the defniteness and speci6cness
necessary to give them vitality.
Details of Vcte-Buyiug
But The World to day is able to give
names and places and circumstances and
its declarations can be substantiated by
the oaths Of some OF the best people in
this city, who were eye-Witnesses to
much that is here told.
The Seventh ward of this city is the
gilt, t,edged residence portion. In it, more
than in any other, live the truly good
people who make up the Republican
party. It was in this ward that the most
polls We're located in school house As
one enters from the street he comes iu:o
large hall, and on either side is class
room used for recltations. Passing
through this hall, Or entry, one comes
at once into the larger room, where the
election was in progress. On the oppo-
site side Of the room is the platform on
which we're the election officers and the
ballot box. The polls opened at 10
o'clock and the vote. buying began i'm
mediately By - O'Clock business was
| brisk, and rs o'clock, the hour for
closing the polls, drew near there was
more to do than could comfortably be
attended to- The most conspicuous of
the Republican workers who were buy
ing votes was Thomas Heffon, who lives
at No 40S st. John street. There were
others who were doing the same work
but as he seemed to be the most active
the World representative gave him his
exclusive attention. The mode of pro
cedure was simple. Heffon would stand
at the door till voter appeared whom
he thought would prove victim.
How 1t Was Done.
Then he would be invited into one oil
the anterooms Heffon said, "to take
served by the janitor of the school build
ings for the exclusive use of Heffon anG
those whom he permitted to enter After
tarrying in the ante-room few minutes
Heffon and the voter would come out
he voter always in front and Repub
lican ballot in his hand. Heffon would
keep close behind him and would some
times push the man along.
When they reached the platform tn
voter would step inside the railing AM
; Heffon would keep along beside him OF
the outside, as the other waited for hi
name to be found on the list and check
ed. Heffon would take from his ow.
pocket something wrapped in piece o
paper The paper was generally a piec
Of ballot, and several Of the pieces S
r used are now in possession of The Worl
representative. One of them has bee
so firmly held in the hand that th
imprint Of a coin about the size {
a silver dollar is plainly discernible.
AS the voter came out from benin
the rail after voting Heffon would Viz
$ orously shake hands with him, and E
the same time force the piece of pape
and its contents into his hand. Mos
! of the voters put the papers into the
: pockets without looking at them an
hurried into the street. There the
would take out the contents and thro
! ! the papers away. These papers are tt
ones now in possession of the World
Evidence of Bribery.
At first the papers were so careful
held in Heffon's hand that it could 4
= be discovered what they contained, b
: after a while Heffon became careles
and as he stood beside the voter at Il
railing it could plainly be seen that Il
# papers held in his hand contained som
!. times silver and sometimes paper none
The World representative obtained t
'e names of a few of the men whom Heff'
a a had apparently bought. Four Of thel
ie whom two reliable citizens of this ci
are ready to swear they saw go tarou
the procedure described, are, as th
gave their names to the election Office
Azel S. Holt, John T. Coughlin, Char
A. Mcclure and Henry J. Prescott T
q last named is a large man who walk
Y, on crutches.