Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-02-24
FIGURES THAT TALK.
THB MINORITY REPORT IN THB ATKINSON
PBNDLBI0N CASE.
Some Of The Dark Dolrgs In Wsilsl County
Thrown On the Screen A Clear Case
Of Stsal-A Telling Tabular
Statement
Special Telegram to the Register.

Special Telegram to the Register.
WASHINGTON, d. o., February %
Col. O'Ferrsll has submitted the miuOri.
ty report in the Atkinson. .Pendletou case
His adopting the rule applied in the
Smith-Jsckson case the minority find there
were % illegal votes cast for Pendleton
and 54 for Atkinson.
The basis Of the whole case Is the Wet
gel county rec. unit, the details OF which
the readers OF the REGISTER are scqusint-
cd. Atkineon charged that the
BALLOTS WERE SCRATCHED
aud changed after the election and that
the gain for Pendlelon was accomplished
by fraud. The report states that they did
not make any mistakes.
Two precincts Of Weizsi county are in
volved-Martin's school house and Ar
ther's Fork. The minority enters upon
long argument to demonstrate that there
was no fraud; that the count OF votes at
Martins school house wss long and ted
ious, lasting thirty hours, during which
time the Judges aud clerks had very little
sleep The lgbts were ye.y poor, consist
ing only of two keros' ne lamps and Ian
tern; the judge who took the ballots from
the bcx
WAS A RBPUBLIoAN
sixty-two years old the Judge who read Of
the tickets was old and used glasses. He
usually" voted the Dsmocratic ticket,
but declined to show how he voted at that
election.
After this tedious count the election eff
GERS iu delivering the ballots to the
county clerH, complained OF the hard time
they had had. DISTANCES Of failure OF
memory by the election officers as to the
status of the vote are quoted. When the
ballots were recounte1 1t was found that
there were fourteen on which Atknson's
name had been scratched.
At Archer's Fork the recount showed
ten scratched ballots, aud the testimony
sho we'd that the conditions as 10 bad
light, etc, were much the same "a at
Martins school house; that
TWO OF THE JUDGES
were so fatigued they went to sleep during
the count. The minority find that at the
first place the count listed all night and
until noon Of the next day. Second, the
light was very bad, only q lantern and
lamp bsing used; that sfter counting for q
time the election officers abandoned the
system of reading names on the ticket in
detail, and simply called off the Demo-
cratic and Republican tickets as straight
goods When he found ticket headed as
Republican, be called only "Hurrah for
Harrison, all wool and yard wide,
straight goods" 10 the same manner he
cALLsD OFF TICKETS
headed az Democratic, then hurrahing for
Cleveland instead OF Hsrrifon. As the
minority explain, in reading of the tickets
from the headings it was inevitable that
mistakes should occur.
This is oil there was 10 the alleged Wet.
eel county frauds upon which the Republi-
cans base their s.eal of PeDdleton's seat.
As the minority asasrt in view Of this tes-
timony, these facts are so plain as not to be
controverted. The accuracy Of the original
count is shaken and the correctness Of the
recount established.
The minority take up that portion Of the
charge which alleges that Deputy County
Clerk Snodgrses
WAS THE PBRrETRAToR
of the alleged fraud, aud that Benjamin
Earnshsw, President Of the Commissioners,
was privy thereto They cite the chief
tendency bearing upon these charges, and
while censuring SnOdgrass for conduct not
altogether proper, deny that he committed
any fraud. They admit that in man
ifesting and expressing q Willingness
to take money from the chairman
of the Republican State Committee Snod-
grass was guilty OF Teprehensible ooaduct
But as that chairman was apparently
seeking to bribs somebody TO swear to such
a statement as he would like to prove,
Snoograss stated that upon being sp-
preached he expressed q Willingness to
''tell all be knew" at the same time assert
ing that he knew nothing wrong, but that
if be could get nold Of the
REPUBLICAN MONEY,
or il the chairman was fool enough" to
nav for what WAS not to be had, he would
take the money. The minority report
gives the details of West Virginia's
Republican chairman undertaking to sn-
born perjury to bribs Snodgrass, and
while csnsuring the latter, maintain that
nothing was developed 10 impeach the in
tegrity of the recount.
After disposing CT all thsse questions
that were raised subsequent TO the election
20 cloui the result, the Democrats submit
their conclusion ss TO figures.
Thy present several tables: