The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1890-06-28
CENSUS FRAUD.
Thousands of Bogus Names
Said to have been Manu-
featured at Minneapolis.
Review Of a Conspiracy That
Bigins to Assume Nation
al Importance.

brief, is: Information was fled with certain
st. Paul citizens early in the census enumer'
ating canvass that the Minneapolis citizens
census committee, as managed by Ed A
Stevens, was engaged in a system OF whole
sale census padding, and to prevent or expose
such a proceeding Mr.. Murray and two OF
three other st. Paul citizens engaged
Detective Mason to 60 over to Min
neapolis and trace out the facts as iar az
possible. The detective progressed amaz'
ingiy well. He had been in the Flour city
but a few days before he secured an engage.
ment as clerk for this citizens census en-
umerating committee. He was employed to
copy names into the government banks
provided for making the returns to the
Washington census bureau. The de-
t~ective, was shrewd n diplomatic. he
succeeded in ingratiating himself into the es-
TEEN and perfect confidence of Manager
Stevens, o: the citizens committee, and, was
given, he now AYERS, hundreds upon hundreds
Of fictitious names to insert in the lists, and
he was directed to locate them in vacant
houses. He was given lists OF the applicants
for work at employment agencies, the names
of people to whom aims had been given BY
the city, and these also were represented to
live, some in vacant houses and SOM on va
cant lots where no houses exist at all,
All and all, he listed thousands of mythical
people. The detective furthermore alleges
that O large corps of clerks was engaged IN
precisely the same line Of work, and the ag-
gregate OF fictitious names enumerated was
enormous. This is the substance of the story
which the detective told to Mr.. Murray, and
also to United States Commissioner Nc.
Cafsrty, and it was upon the strength
Of these startling revelations that
the warrants we're issued for the
arrest of twelve enumerators, and Of which
seven were taken into custody by the federal
oficers-and all without the knowledge OF
United States Distsict Attorney Hay. The
coup was planned entirely bv Detective
Mason, and at his advice the descent was
made upon the Minneapolis enumerating
Office in the night time in order that the en-
umerators might be caught in the very act
Of classifying the returns, and also so that a
big pile Of blanks filled with ictiti
evidence to be Used in the prosecu-
ton. Tuesday night this arrest was effected,
and at ten o'clock the prisoners were ar:
rained before Commissioner McCafferty and
morning at ten o'clock. At that hour the
preliminary hearing was taken up, and q
motion for a change Of venue was argued
the major portion of the day. Both the
counsel for the defense and the district at
torney argued for this change but the court
overruled the motion, and then Dis
trict Attorney Hay moved for an
adjournment of the age two months, and
the hearing was accordingly set for Aug. 20.
ton and displeasure, organized q citizens
committee to conduct the prosecution. The
latter waited upon Mr.. Hay and petitioned
him for the prosecution oil the people impli-
Gated: charging them with conspiracy. This
petition was supplemented by Detective
Mason's affidavit setting :orth the revela,
tions mentioned above. Mr.. Hay declined
to prosecute, and there is where the matter
stands.
A peculiar and significant political aspect
is sought to be given this case. Eugene Hay
enjoys the personal friendship and confidence
of President Harrison and Attorney General
Miller, in whose Office at Indianapolis, Hay
studied law. The wife of E. j. Davenport,
the Minneapolis census Supervisor is a niece
OF President Harrison.
MAsoN's
STATE OF MINNESOTA, j.,
County OF Ramsey.
oath. says: I am a detective, and have beenfor
several years last past. On the 31st day OF
May, 1890, being employed for special work, l
went to Minneapolis for the purpose of ascer-
tanning whether or not any violations OF law
were being made in reference to the taking OF the
United States census in the city of Minneapolis.
On reaching said city of Minneapolis I noticed
Ed ]. Davenport, the supervisor OF
the census for Hennepin county.
I observed a person frequently calling
Mr.. Davenport, whom I afterward
learned to be e. A. Stevens.
AS I saw him coming from said Daven-
Of May. bringing With him a large pack
age of papers ! approached him and made APP
for employment. He directed me to
appear at z O'Clock in the evening at Room 4S
On the third floor OF the government building,
I would there find himself or one
Dickey. He further directed me that If he, said SteY-
was not present, to inform said Dickey that he
On the following day 1 learned that said stevens
supervising the operations of the citi-
sens' census committee of Minneapolis
and that said Dickey was acting as his assistant.
1t the appointed time I went to said Room 4S
IND there met said Dickey. ! stated to him what
n said room and told me to 20
% work. He handed me a set OF So
Elk. /, hereto attached, is a sample, and
me to copy the contents from those in
order into blanks, of which Elk. 2, here
% attached, is a sample. | afterwards learned
that the Information in Elk. / was transcribed
INTO Elk. 2 in order that it might be made more
and that the various blanks of the form
Of Elk. 2, when completed for any particular
ulSCIlCU3 WCulQ Ue ldSUoI10Q CORSBQ.
er. thus making one long, continuous sheet OF
that particular district. Besides myself there
were engaged upon this work in the same room
persons. The number 4S was q temporary
attached to the key to the door Of said
room. Adjacent to this room were three others,
In which there were several persons at work
upon what ! was unable to learn while W re-
manned In the government building. Entrance
into said last three named rooms could only be
at one door, the rooms opening from one
the other. and only upon a certain signal,
OF four raps given in a certain way,
there being a person stationed OH the inside who
acted as doorkeeper. Said Stevens and said
D1ckey spent a large portion OF their time in the
three last named rooms.
from Elk. ! on to Elk. 2, Elk. l was destroyed
and Elk. 2 was carried into the three secret
rooms. l continued on this work until the 4th
day OF Jnne
matter, consisting of emu
m~erators' preliminary reports, such as
L, together with official schedule
blanks and other DOCUMENTS. were being
continually brought from the looms OF
the official supervisor of the census on
the floor below and carried into these
three secret rooms. The pile of blanks
Of the form of Elk. I, from which we
worked, was at least two feet in height
and five feet In length and three feet In.
width.
The object Of TRANSFERRING the information on
TO Ex. 2 was to get, i'll a concise n condensed
form, the exact number of vacant blocks, houses
ana rooms In each enumeratpr's district, to-
gether With their number. location and total ca.
which vacant blocks. houses and rooms
were filed with Fictitious persons, ~
hereinafter stated.
On June 4 I was given by said Dickey q list Of
SS9 names and directed to transcribe them upon
blanks of the form of exhibit 3, hereto attached.
Later said St0YAnRy fnfnrrn n n ffpnA cofa