New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-08
NO KEY TO THE BALLOI-BOA.
HOW AN ELECTION WAS PREVENTED IN "A
REPUBLICAN TOWNSHIP.
VARIATION IN THE TRICKERY OF ARKANSAS
pEMocRArs-AN EFFORT To REVIVE THE
spIME NOVEL" SENSATION OF WHICH
HOOPER WAS THE HERO.

little Rock. May 7.--The Congressional lnvcs-
ticatiop Committee spent the greater part oi inc
dav in The examination of witnesses whose Fo'eS
tor J. 81. Clayton had, in some mysterious way,
heen changed into votes for {. I. Breckenridge.
A large proportion of the witnesses came from
Freeman Township in Woodruff County, whose
Republican ballots, it is true. were not changed
into Democratic ballots. not because the oppoT-
tunity for doing would not have been seized
nromptly but only because it was not necessary
there The friends Of Mr.. Breckenridge may he
said 70 have taken short cut to accomplish the
return of their candidate; they did not think il
necessary 10 resort 10 fraud and forgery, with
their attendant risks but instead decided to have
no election at all. This accomplished by the
simplest means possible. To begin with, among
the three Judges and two clerks. there was only
one Republican, and he could neither read nor
write II is favorite trick of the friends OF Mt
Breckenridge this trick of appointing election
judges not able to read and write Though they
certainly must he aware of the fact that TINS Is
against the laws of the State.
One of the judges at this township electl'h'
Henry Askew, blandly stated that he dld ho'
60 10 the polls, his duty on election daN'
because il raincd' This tender plant was evil
IDENTIFY afraid of getting wet. He did not claim
q he an orphan. a claim set up for buIid"ler
forty-ive years of age in another township nor
did he look as ii unable to stand good deal oi
vet inside as well as outside. But, aside from
the rain which kept him irom dlscharSlng ms
duty as Judge of election. hc had received word
that the box had not arrived yet lie hao
not heard whether the sheriff of the county.
Democrat, had complied with the law. when re-
puires him to send blank poll-books at least
doN 10 TO lldrcS
of the election. He did not inquire. either. Ap-
narently he thought il was none of his business.
Indeed. he frankly confessed on the stand that h'
knew R;cckinrGce would he elected, anyway.
But he secrlS 10 have become uneasy N
home for about , o'clock. though II was still
raining he ventured out to III" polls. only leo
cards from his house. He found that many
negroes who had come to vote the Rcpubllcan
ticket had gone away when they fouad that there
was to be 20 election. Ben 1lyce, the other
Democratic Judge, arrived just about that time
with the box under his arm, bu' the Key 10 thc
lock was missing. There was a grave discussion
as TO the right of the judges to force the Jock,
as grave almost as the constitutional! dlScusSipA
of Democratic Senators in the United States
senate The result of the discussion was de-
csion that the Judges had not the night I" open
the box and, rather than procure another Don as
they might have done by stepping across the way
10 secure a soap cracker box and cut sllt
i'm the cover they decided TO have no election at
all. OF course in this township the K"puplcah
vote is heavy. and outnumbeIs the Democratic vote
b. nearly 90.
Trvce was Judge at the September election. as
well as in November In September he received
fhe box from the Sheriff. with the key attached TO
il by a string The township went Republican,
;azi, hut Vr,-g pIp-
tends not 70 have noticed il. though the box waS
in his possession four days before the election
In the afternoon Mrs. Sue Benjamin was heard.
Sic is the widow Of Judge VI. w. benjamin, who
went 10 Morrillton from here on the eve OF tho
November election for the purpose Of seeing that
fair plav was given the Republicans. On arrlv-
mo =, Norrillton he was greeted by mob which
ie,t kicked and maltrcatcd him in a manner
resulting shortly aftclward in his death. Coun-
sci for Mr. Breckinridac objected 10 the introduc-
lion of testimony which tended TO show that Judge
Bcnlamin had said To his wife prior 10 his dea'h
that his illness was the result of the treatment he
had received at Morriilton. a Characteristic IN
stance of the assistance" which they have given
judge Mcclure and the committee IN ferrctnS OUT
tbe evil-doers Their alleged reason WAS that
these were confidential communications between
man and wife. and, such. not admissible as eNi-
dence The committee reserved It's decision on
this point
Late in the evening several members OF the
Hooper family appeared before the committee Tor
the purpose of tcstfying that they hadn't seen
Thomas Hooper since 1870, and that fhcy Wo"d
have known Of Lis presence in Arkansas had ne
made the trip in January OF last year, claimed
Lv the supporters Of the California
theory In the course of the eXanina-
Mr. Rrpcl
cecded in exposing their hand completely, ana
demonstrating conclusively that it is their OBJ
ject TO array in every manner possible the Demo
cratic citizens Of the State against the Clayton
family but more especially against Powell Clay
ton They laid grcat stress on the incidents con
nectcd with the killing of the father of Thomas
UooDer irving 70 make ont that il was foul
and unprovoked murder on the part OF what Is
known as the Clayton militia. The facts can
be- briefly stated as follows: The militia was
organizcd in 1868 to put down the
Ku-KIuX In certain counties martial
law was proclaimed Conway was
one of these counties. The elder Hooper was
Identified by a white KuKluX cap, which bore
his name on the inside, the member OF "a gang
OF these lawbrcakcrs, who had been concerned
In the killing OF d negro. \ company OF militia
under command of Captain Matthews arrested
him. While being conveyed as prisoner to the
county seat, ne attempted 10 cadlf an" was N'"''
Matthews was tried and acquitted by a Demo
cratic Judge. though at the time Of the killing
Of Hooper he was plainly in the discharge OF his
duty and was scarcely called upon to answer a
charge preferred before civil justice against nm
for murder.
year afterward Matthews was killed, and IL IS
The consequence OF this murder, probably, which
compelled Thomas Hooper to go TO California
With his family. Al any rate. he frequently
boasted of having killed Matthews But he never
uttered "a threat against j. VI. Clayton. His
frpd Powell CLAYTON.
One OF the IlOopcrs declared to-day that he dld
not know that there such as j. NJ.
Clayton. or w. II. H. Clayton This ought 10
settle the Safer fable for all time TO come but
there is still disposition shown in interested
quarters 10 bolster up the california theory,
so that il may be necessary to take the deposition
Of people in Los ANGELES and Ranchta who know
for certain that Thomas Hooper was incapable Of
travelling at the time he is alleged to have killed
j. VI. Clayton. and that he was peaceably living on
his farm minding his business