Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-06-11
MORE REGISTRATION CASES
The Young Man Who Mistook
an Act of Kindness.
4 TAX RECEIPT CONFISCATED
Four Disposed of at Municipal
Court Last Evening.


-Four more cases OF alleged Illegal
registration were disposed Of by Judge
Ball at municipal court last night week,
which, with the cnse heard on Thurs
day, winds up the list of these prosecu-
tions for the present. Of these four
cases three were discharged, and one
held for trial at the general sessions
court.
The victim of the lot was Minor O.
Smith, the man who tried to play smart
by publishing in the M0rniiag Neios
letter which Joseph L. Carpenter, Jr.,
kindly sent him, warning him that he
had been illegally registered and would
get into trouble if he attempted to vote.
John j. Dougherty testified that Smiths
name appeared on his tax duplicate for
1889, but was returned as an error and
was not assessed for 1890 Joseph L.
Carpenter, Jr., testified that Smiths
name was not ON the Wilmington as
sessment for 1890, as he knew by a care
full examination of the books of both
districts.
Walter H. Hayes was counsel for
Smith, but he offered no testimony.
Judge Ball held the accused in $500
bail for the court of general sessions.
SUSPICIOUS RECEIPT.
Joseph Virgins, colored, was next
arraigned ON charge of registering
Illegally in the Sixth district of thd
Fifth ward The receipt upon which
he registered was shown to ex-Collectoi
John j. Dougherty, who examined il
carefully and said Il did not issue that
receipt The signature esembles mine,
but the writing in the body Of the re.
celpt is not mine. | do not think ever
Sat thie ranait,t bafOrn - Mr nn,,1horta
then carefully examined his books and
found that Virgins was not assessed
for 1885,
III answer to Mr.. Hayes, Mr..
Dougherty said he would not swear
that the signature on the receipt was
not his, but he would swear that he did
not issue the receipt. He also said the
stamp of the seal on the receipt was
heavier than he had ever noticed.
City Solicitor Lyman asked Mr..
Dougherty to explain what he meant
by saying that he would not say the
signature was not his own, although he
was positive he had issued the receipt,
Mr.. Dougherty replied that he was COM
PEELED to keep receipts signed in blank,
SO that his clerk could accept the taxes
of thoseywho called to pay while he was
away, and that some Of these signed
blanks might have been taken from his
desk without his knowledge.
Frank d. Carpenter testified that Wig
gins registered on an 1889 tax receipt
but gave conflicting statements about
his term of residence here, on being
questioned.
Judge Bail said he did not feel iusti-
fed in sending the case to the upper
court, although it has been clearly
shown that Virgins has no right to
vote. He then discharged the accused.
Meanwhile Frank D. Carpenter had
obtained the tax receipt and put it in
his pocket. Mr.. Carpenter is the chief
election officer Of the district. Mr..
Hayes asked that the receipt be given to
him or to Virgins, claiming that they
had better right to it than Carpenter
had.
Judge Ball said he could not see that
Virgins had any right to the receipt un-
less he could prove that he paid for it.
The receipt remained in Mr.. Carpenters
pocket.
TWO MORE CASES DISMISSED.
David Kramer and James Hogan were
charged with registering illegally in the
First district of the Second ward. They
gave their residence as Kienle's saloon
No. 106 East Third street, and Jonathan
b. Roberts, who had the warrants
issued, testified that he did so on infor-
nation received from other persons to
the effect that the men did not live at
that place.
Mrs. Harry Kienle, who resides with
her husband at No LOG East Third
street, testified that the men had been
boarding there for several years.
This knocked the bottom ont Of the
case and both men were discharged.