New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-12
INVESTIGATING FRAUD IN CHICAGO.
MANY CASES TO BE PRESENTED TO THE GRAND
Irpv-srARrLING TESTIMONY BEFORE

MANY CASES TO BE PRESENTED TO THE oIAND
JURY-sTARTLING TESTIMONY bEfoNN
THE ELECTION BOARD.
,,.u. .n-, II fspeciaD.-The prosecution OF the
-, ,o,rotors of the recent election frauds Is
49, ~ oss,,,d fact The whole matter VIII DC
n,acod before the Grand Jury on Monday mornhs'
This exnlains the delay in Issuing warrants s.'c
-, Ionrcnccker now has the legal end OF the
oSair in charge. More than twenty-five cases nave
bean prepared by james Nye, chairman Oh the NO
nnh,,can Campaign Committee, and Messrs Bliss ana
$4,000 According 10 the statements Of these
MN AN honest Grand Jury cannot fail to return as
,.rv indictments To issue warrants, they say wouo
n. 10 rive the suspected notice TO leave the Guy
The RepublIcan managers are themselves startleu aV
the amount Of fraud that they are uncovering
since election Day q force of detectives has beeh
eploved on tho cases. and in several instances Ius
Of election not knowing TO whom they were speaHihe
have told what they did for tho election Of Cfcser
Any amount of evidence has been secured Inc NO
nubcans have, in sheehans election precinct, ."'
names OF thirtytwo men who either died or iei' Vi.
precnct before the election which names were ao"ou
70 remain on the registration list and for which, tfe
Republicans allege ballots were cast on TUESDAY.
The objection was overruled on the ground Oh
established precedent and the matter was dropped
The canvass then begun, and after ceVaSSins Uo
First Ward subject to revision in certain precihcus
which were objected TO, the Board adjourned unui
Monday morning. The result OF the Vote III tniS
ward az canysesed shows a loss of twenty votes by
Cregier, OF five by Washbume and OF Two Dy HarrI-
son.
The Board Of Election Commissioners met
TODAY for the purpose Of taking up the can
vass Of votes cast at the city election on Tuesday
The Boad first proceeded TO hear evidence in the
matter Of the alleged misconduct OF Dennis shechan
one Of the Judges Of election In the Nneteenth RE
cnct of tho Twentieth Ward. sheehan Is the man for
whose arrest bench warrant was issued yesterday on
complaint of the chairman Of the Republican Campaign
Committee.
S. p Harris one of the Republican judges, testified
that after the polls were closed an alteration arose
as 30 who should count the tickets to whether they
tailed In number With the number Of votes cast as
shown by the register Sheehan demanded the key to
tho balotbox and his request being refused, he took
hammer and broke the box. At the same time the
crowd outside broke in the window Harris said nc
was informed that there conspiracy to destroy
the ballots and the polbooks In the confusion the
ballotbox disappeared and aferward found In an
inner room. Harris then demanded that Sheehan DO
arrested and II was done.
Sheehan testified that the whole trouble arose from
the fact that Harris wanted 10 "run things" TO suit
himself, and did not propose TO allow the Democratic
judges to have any voice In the matter. He admitted
that he broke the box with hammer but said that
1t was with no Intention Of fraud. Mr. Harris re-
fused 10 open the box with the key and he (sheeham
opened 1t In the best way he could in order that the
work Of counting the ballots might proceed
The investigation was then put over until after the
completion Of the canvass In the meantime oheehah
was taken over to Judge Tuthlrs Court, and at the
suggestion of the Assistant State Attorney was locked
up In jail
When the Board turned Its attention to canvassing
the votes, Judge Prendergast who represents the
Creger wing OF the Democratic party appeared before
1t and made an argument against the legal right Oh
City Attorney sugg, member OF the Board, 10 st as
such, on the ground that he was candidate at the
late election, and was hostile 10 Mr.. CreGier.
Warrants have been Issued for the arrest OF election
Judges Cummings ard Faherty. The charges against
them are six in number eeeng variety OF crooked
work with the ballots.
The following is sample Of what Republican
papers of this city saying in regard to the late
election for Mayor:
"The Tribune sent reporters into the Fifteenth Pre-
clnct Of the Twenty ninth Ward where Creiger (Dem
received 512 votes against six for Washburne (Rep.I
and claims that even superficial! investigation gives
evidence Of Wholesale fraud. Its reporters, it says
found about thirty names of persons on the official
registry who either dead, no. naturazed or had
I removed from the precinct AS samples OF the klhu
| Of work done in that precinct, it says:
Last the gang cracked the skull and battered the
body Of J. Kurr Of 4.24 Ashandave.. and he now
lies in graveyard; bu. last Tuesday they voted hin
for Dowitt c. Cregler.
Last summer Mr.. slechter. Of No 424o Ashlandave
went % Wheeling w. Va. whore he IL now living but
last Tuesday the gang voted him for Dewitt c. Creeier
The gang voted not only the living for him. but the
dead not only living in the precinct and the sur
rounding nelghborhoods but States and for
een countries They summoned cadavers from Calvary
Cemetery and spirits abroad and voted them for De
Wit c. Creger.
! "The Tribune charges that 1t Is not safe for a
Republican to live attempt to vote the Republican
| ticket In that precinct.