Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-11-15
SAMPLE BALLOTS
WERE CAST AND COUNTED At SOME OF THE
PRECINCTS.
Numerous Discrepancies Discovered by the Can
wasting Board Yssterday-ElectOn OFF,
GERS SummOnsd-WOrk Will
bs Resumed To-day.

to the Court House yesterday morning,
TO witness the work of counting over
the ballots cast in this county at last
Tuesdays election, and comparing the
count with the tally sheets sent in by
the election officers from the various
precincts, from which the vote OF the
county was compiled. In at least one
half the precincts examined during the
day a discrepancy was found and the
outcome will be a large amount OF work
devolving upon the Commissioners In
strengthening things out.
The Board, sitting as Board OF Com
missioners, transacted a small amount
of business, which will be found duly
recorded elsewhere, and then sat as
Canvassing Board to examine the re-
turns. All the members were present,
and with them in the Board room were
Chairman Kincheloe, of the Democratic
County Committee, Chairman j. IL.
Hall, of the Republican County Commit
tee, and number of candidates, officers
elect, politicians and interested
citizens. Before the work was COM
menced notice was given, through Mr..
Henry NJ. Russell, that a recount would
be asked for on behalf OF Mr.. w. IL.
Tarr, Democratic candidate for the
Senate. and Mr.. NJ. J. O'Kane, Demo
cratic candidate for the House OF Dele
gates. Mr.. Leroy Alexander, Demo
cratic candidate for the Board OF Com
missloners in Liberty district, pre-
sented notification in writing
that he would also ask for q recount OF
the votes Of that district for the Office
of Commissioner. These preliminaries
settled, the ballot-boX for precinct No.
|. Washington district, was produced
and opened, and while President Cruise
examined the poll-bOok the ballots were
counted by several of the Commission
ers in the presence OF -!e others. The
poll-book lad 1876 names recorded, while
but 1874 were on the tally sheet.
Precinct No. 2 tailed all right at lSS,
but only 1877 had been certified. Pre-
cinct No. was all right, at 1872 votes,
and No. 4 tailed at 1885, In precinct
No. ) there were 200 names, but only
1919 votes recorded, and In No. there
were 100 names and but 1S5 votes. The
Judges Of this precinct sent note along
with the ballots, stating that four He
gal votes had been destroyed by mis-
take. Precinct No. s was all right, 1873
votes having been cast and counted.
The election officers of Precincts Nos.
1873 and 6 were ordered summoned
before the Boaro.
The examination Of the ballot boxes
in Madison district was commenced at
Two o'clock in the afternoon. Pre-
cinct No. l tailed at 900 votes; No. at
266. No. 3, at 100, No. 4, at 1T, No. 5
at 300. and No. 6, at 143. When No. 8
was struck, however, there was trou-
bile. Strung on the string with the
ballots were three sample ballots,
yellow In color, which had evidently
been taken into the voting booth by
the voters, the official ballot been de-
stroyed or placed in their pockets, and
the samples, bearing the words Of in
structions, voted and counted. How
they came TO be passed by the election
officers and placed in the ballot box,
without the yellow color being noticed,
passes comprehension-but there they
were. This was not the only thing the
matter with this precinct. The poll
book contained 215 names, but there
were but 200 ballots, and an endorse
ment on the back of the poll book show
ed that there were twenty defective
ballots in addition. These things TO-
gether made pretty bad case.
In Precinct No. Of Clay, there were
$50 names and but 22S ballots. Pre-
cincts Nos. 2, 3 and were all right,
casting respectively 21S, 23l and 247
votes, but in Precinct No. there were
26s names and but 264 ballotC. A note
said there were four ballots sealed up
in an envelope with the affidavits.
These can only be opened by the grand
jury.
In Union district things were pretty
much mixed. In precinct No. l there
were 252 names and but $50 ballots, a
wide discrepancy, which has not yet
been sufficiently explained. No. was
all right, but No. called for 100 and
had but 1SS votes. No. was also 2
short, there being 172 names and but
ITO ballots, while No. tailed at 239.
The other precincts Of Union also
showed discrepancies, and several sam
pie ballots bearing the card of instruc-
tions were found. One ticket voted had
three of the ballots cut off with
a knife. At five O'Clock the
Board adjourned until 10 o'clock this
morning, when work will be commenced
with Precinct No. 1 of Centre.
The work is very tedious and unin-
terestlng, yet all the precincts in the
county must be gone through with in
this manner before the recounts de-
manded can be made. This stage may
not be reached before Thursday morn
ing.