Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-06-11

not interfere We all left deening II
unsafe from the condition of things to re-
turn. In the midst of the raid +. b. Col
ton was found helping colored men in the
side window, which had been repeatedly
closed by me, but was as often
opened by some one. Democrats were as
saulted and forced out of line to have
their places filled by some colored person.
Out of a registered vote of 20 Democrats
only 81 were permitted to vote while l25
Republicans voted. Possibly this might
be all need say, but my position is a
peculiar one. Ilabored earnestly and sin
cerely TO elect the mayor that has given us
the present police force, believing that
under him we would have better govern
ment than Mr.. Dougherty would give u.s.
yet when my life and the lives of others
were in peril am sneered at. | am glad to
be able to congratulate the community
that there is soon to be change, and that
we may yet have government that will
challenge the respect of the people, and a
police force capable of performing the
duties for which they have been selected.
But even more to Others TO whom lap
pealed for protection | feel that | have
been treated with base ingratitude. Very
respectfully JOSEPH l.. CARPENTER, JR.
JOSEPH NJ. GRIFFITH's STATEMENT.
Joseph M. Griffith, who was the Dem
ocratic judge, gives the following YER
sion of the trouble:
The whole trouble was caused by Ed
mund Mitchell. Jr Three or four colored
men had their ballots folded up prepare
tory to voting but their votes were OBJ
jected to by Joseph L, Carpenter, Jr This
caused some trouble and Mr.. Mitchell
blocked the polls for an hour and ten
minutes. He would perhaps have had it
closed longer, but Edward r. Kane tele-
graphed to the Department Of Elections
and Mr.. Capelle and A. q. Wilson came
out to the polls. They both seemed to
uphold Mr. Carpenters course, rs he
had made personal canvas of the de-
linquent list. and feel assured that he
took the action he did because that was
the only open and honest course he could
pursue. Whenever he challenged man
his tax receipt was passed TO Mr..
Martin, the Republican challenger. The
trouble was caused by ,colored man
named either Ellis Jefferson or Ellis John
SON cannot tell which, Mr.. Carpenter
was sworn and the colored man was sworn,
Mr.. Carpenter declared that the colored
man had no right to vote and the matter
was left to the election officers, | would
believe Mr.. Carpenter before the colored
man any time, Captain Mitchell made
one colored man put his ballot in the box,
and after Mr. Carpenter asked him if his
tax receipt was all right, Mitchell replied.
bGl IL II y pl tdll anu llUtl pllt. j ne llTsU
man who put his arm in the window and
started the trouble was one who had al
ready voted and not Thomas Brown,
whose ballot was rejected The Colnred
men forced an entrance through the
back window, which opens on the
porch of the house where the polls
are, and we started TO drive them
windows, one Of which was raised. Cap
tain Mitchell here made himself conspicu-
Gus by cieeting the cclored men. He was
asked by one of the Democratic electors
II. +. Kane, whether he was not doing
wrong. He answered mo; If it were not
for me these darkieS would have been in
here yet,
MIR. Carpenter went to three policemen
who were setting in the park and told
them to drive ont the colore2 men, when
one Of them replied, Let them fight it out
themselves Captain Mitchell was the
ringleader in the trouble and actually
assaulted John K. G. Gorrell, who had
been waiting one hour and 20 minutes to
vote
WHAT INSPECTOR THOMAS SAYS.
Charles +. Thomas, Republican in
spector at the Sixth district polls, Fifth
ward, who acted with Frank d. Car
penter and Joseph NJ. Griffith, the
Democratic officials, was interviewed by
an EVERY EVENING reporter this morn
ing. His statement in regard to Satur-
days occurrences is rs follows:
There had been trouble, on and off all
day. The first that arose was when In
spector Frank p. Carpenter pocketed tax
receipt. That's what raised the row. 1t
was shortly after the polls opened, be.
tween ~ 30 and | y, m. We had received
instruction from the Department Of Flee
ton that no one had right to pocket
tax receipt They are the property Of the
voters Any election officer who did this
did il on his own responsibility and is
amenable to any action that the owner of
the receipt might take
You must distinctly understand that the
department gave the inspectors to under
stand that they did anything of this kind
as individuals not as election officials. All
the members of the department agreed on
this point.
Then the colored men in question
claimed his tax receipt from Inspector
Frank u. Carpenter The latter insisted
on retaining it and reached for him
through the window. i protested and
told Mr. Carpenter he should give it up,
that he had no right to retain it. Mitchell
was not there then. Mr. Carpenter, ST.,
seeing the trouble told frank 10 give the
taE receipt back which he did That was
the commencement of the trouble through
the day
The colored man was of course refused
| his Vote.
| from that on there was a persistent eff
| fort on the part of the Carpenters (Joseph
| l., CARPENTER, Ir. was challenger TO re-
! fuse the votes of all c0red people that they
| possibly could,
The reporter-Did the Carpenters give
their reasons for challenging the votes
| Well the reasons given We're two-bN
| Frank that they were fraudulent tax re-
ceipts, and on the part of his father that
they We're not assessed.
The reporter-What did you, as RePub-
| lican inspector to meet such challenges
Frank CARPENTER and Mr. Griffith, being
in the majority, decided most Of the cases
without asking my opinipn-or, rather
Frank decided without asking the opinion
of Griffith or myself.
We're not these challenges, after the
initial ones, run on much the same line?
Yes, pretty much for the same reasons
In some cases agreed with the refusal Of
Of tax receipts cant tell how many. II
most cases protested against refusal on
the ground that the tangible evidence tt
me of parties right to vote was the posses
sion Of a tax receipt coupled with th'
voters registration and his willingness t.
take oath (Which some did that he is {
qualified voter.
In the case of negro or others who's
vote was disputed, the voter showed tina
he was registered. He offered his tax re
ceipt and offered to take his oath that h,
was properly qualified voter. Now
on the other hand in deciding OF
challenge ! was faced with JOSEPH
L. Carpenter, IRIS private list, which al
legged that the men We're delinqnents.
referred the problem to the department I,
Messrs. Wilson, Capelle and Hart, askini
what ] should do. promised to aceep
the evidence of certified copy Of the de
linquent list The department officer
turned to Mr.. Carpenter and asked him
whether his was a certified copy. He re
Piled, No, but it is better than a certitiet
list, for they are often incorrect.
, Mr. CarDentar an uupatiOn stated h