The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-12-07
ANOTHER ELECqIONCASE
Prosecutor Winfield Weak
but Ready for the
Work.
GOING OVER THE POLLBOOK
Mute Evidence That Looms Up From
Its Pages-Only 226 Voters,
but 1853 Ballots-The
Joker Was There.

1t was half past eleven o'clock today
when the last juryman was selected to
try the election officers of the First pre-
cinct of the Fifth district on charge Of
ballot box surfing. The men on trial
were Thomas German. Michael Fallon,
William Taylor and John 7. Walsh.
These men would have been tried about
one month ago had it not been that Cor
man was very Ill and unable to 60 to
trial.
The jury selected today consisted Off
Herbert P. Campbell, foreman; William
Mcintyre, Arendt Behrens. Homer
Brooks, Henry Pemberman, Herman
Sudhaus, Eugene B. Cook, Edward F. G..
Steudner, Albert Sturcken, Charles M.
Southal, Oscar Siebourg and William
Martin.
Prosecutor Winfield looked very pale
and weak when he turned to the jury to
open the case for the State. He said that
he had not recovered from the effects OF
the operation that was made on his
throat Friday. He asked the jury to
make allowance for his weak voice, and
during the trial he received much help
from Mr.. Joseph NJ. Noonan, the Assist.
ant Prosecutor.
THE STATES OPENING.
Mr.. Winfield, in presenting the case to
the jury. said there would be no difficulty
for the jury to find q conviction. The
registry book should contain all the
names of the legal voters in the precinct,
and no other name, and no person whose
name was not on the registry had right
to vote. This Board, the Prosecutor said,
had not complied with the law for it had
failed to file copy of the registry with
the City Clerk, which opened wide door
for great fraud. On the close of the first
days registration, October Is. 1893 votes
were recorded and certified to. but on the
close of the second days registration no
certificate was made to the names
recorded as the law provided should be
done. The book showed 292 names. A
peculiarity about the registry book was
the fact that every name on it was check
ed as having been voted, but that after
ward some one had erased twenty-three
checks.
The Prosecutor dwelt on the absurdity
of the idea that every name registered
should have voted. thing that is never
the result of an election. He also asked
why the twenty-three checks should have
been erased.
THE PoLLBooK's EVIDENCE.
The pOllbook WAS numbered to 246
names. but the mum bers were not conaec-
utive, and as an actual fact there were
but 226 names on the pollbook, although
| by sKipping numbers they were marked
Ava -
certified that los names had been voted.
but at the close of the day no certificate
of the total number of votes was attached
to the last name as the law requires shall
be done. When the election officers can
vassed the vote, although there were but
226 names on the pollbook. yet 263 votes
were counted and nineteen other bal
lots allowed to remain uncounted In the
box. OF the ballots 104 jokels were
found. These jokers only existed Tor the
purpose of fraud. and that they were
fraudulent ballots the puncture In each
ballot clearly denoted. Four names that
had been checked as voting, and the
check marks afterwards erased of, were
found as voted on the pollbook, and there
were five names on the poll booK that did
not appear on the registry.
THE VOTE IN DETAIL.
The Prosecutor showed that in this pre-
cinct the total number OF votes had been
226. but for Governor one candidate got
232 ballots, the tally gave 248 and the re-
turns PA. The other candidate had % by
ballot, by tally and IL by the returns.
One candidate for Senator received pa
gave 251 votes. The other candidate got
| Is ballots, was tailed 10 and given 10 by
| the returns. All of the other Offices voted
| for showed the same Inaccuracies.
| City Clerk Scott. City Marshall Long,
| Colonel William S. Sharp, Ex-Assembly-
man Corbin and Court Stenographer
| Nuoent were called as witnesses to prove
| the identity OF the ballots and to give
| other technical testimony identical with
that they gave in all of the preceding
cases. John Alien. of No. 125
| Brunswick street, the next witness called
| by Mr.. Winfield, testified that he and
| George Griffing were at the polling place
| that night, and that Inspector Taylor
| made several objections that names were
| not being called off correctly. He noticed
several times that the judge would an
nounce the names on the ballots before
| he opened the ballots.