The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-04-09
Official Count Necessary to De
eide Chicago Election.
oRoss DEMOCRATIC FRAUDS.
Carter Harrison Denounces Shameless
Methods of Cregier Faction.


CHICAGO, April Sat midnight tonight
both Republicans and Democrats were
claiming to be victors in the exciting cleo
tion for the mayoralty. Each side, how
ever, had practically minimized its claims
to plurality of 200 or 300. The official
count to begin tomorrow is awaited with
impatience. The Democrats put forward
the assertion that many votes for Elmer
Washburn, the citizens candidate, we're
counted for Hampstead Washburn. On
the other hand, the Republicans protest
that in one precinct alone at the stock
yards over 100 votes were deposited for
names that were refused registration, and
that some of the names are those of per-
sons who have been dead for weeks or
months. In this particular precinct. il Is
charged that affairs were so manipulated
that every judge and clerk, without excep
ton, was Democrat, and the plurality for
Cregier was something abnormal.
Not a few people tonight were inclined
to believe that tho many alleged mistakes
and changes in estimates were in the in-
terest of the gambling fraternity and were
designed to give certain big bookmakers
chance to hedge ont on their bets.
Colonel Nye, chairman of the Republi-
can campaign committee, went before the
election commissioners this morning and
requested that two members of his COM
mittee be permitted to remain on guard
over the vault in which the returns and
documents are preserved night and day un-
til the official canvass has taken place.
Ny reason for asking this" he said, .sis
amply sufficient. | have been informed
upon unquesfionable authority that Mayor
Cregier has declared that no circumstances
can remove him from Office for two years.
That seems to me to warrant extraordin-
ary precautions against fraud" The
election commissioners finally agreed that
two men should be permitted to remain
in the room until the official canvass COM
mences tomorrow, as an additional pre-.
caution. The combination was changed
on the safe containing the official returns.
Subsequently Chairman Nyc asked that
the judge Of the Fifteenth precinct of the
Twenty-ninth ward be prosecuted for re-
fusing to admit Anton Pophal, a challenger
of the Republican and Citizens parties, to
the polling-room. Nye states that of 565.
registered votes in that precinct, 564 are
shown to have voted strange ticket,
and that of these 562 are recorded for
Cregier and only 6 for Hampstead WASH
burn and is for the other three candidates.
He says there are strong suspicious that
fraud has been resorted to in several pre-
cincts, and he is engaged in ferreting out
the perpetrators.
Ex-Mayor Carter Harrison this after
noon announced his permanent retiremen:
from political life. He proposes to leave
Chicago for good and either travel or so
on farm. Concerning the tactics of the
Cregier wing of the Democracy, he said it
was i'll line with its action for the past two
months-.'fraudulent intimidating, cor
rupting and disgraceful. 1t was a reyel-
alton to me, for / had never before at
tended the polls in the hoodlum districts.
More disgrnceful orgies, more savage and
open appeals to buyers of votes, could not
exist in the most ignorant of the Southern
Districts
William H. Braniff peddled tickets all
day yesterday for Harrison. After the
polls closed he went into saloon very
happy and called for drinks. Afterwards
he began dancing and singing until he
was out of breath. He is large man, and
the bartender warned him to desist or he
would hurt himself. Braniff kept on
dancing, however. and soon dropped to
the floor and died in few minutes.