Iron County register., 1892-08-04
Roguery at Piedmont.
PIEDMONT, Mo-, july 80. 189

the actions of sensible men, my chagrin
that Democrats could be so partial and
unfair, and hurt and indignant that
men who ought to be above reproach,
should resort to such methods to win
an election.
The mass-meeting for Benton Town
ship was CALLED to order about / :45 P.
NJ. by S. j. Malugen, Committeeman
from this township. Resolutions that
Republicans and nOn-residents of the
county and township be excluded from
participating in the meeting were unan-
imously adopted by viUa voce vote.
S. A. Lee was placed in nomination for
chairman by the Byrns men, and I was
placed in nomination by the Edgar
forces. The Edgar leaders asked for
tellers, one from each side, and that
they be instructed to not count those
excluded by the resolution. Tellers
were. appointed by the chair; DIR. Lee NJ.
Petit for the Byrns side and James NJ.
Wilson for the Edgar side. The tellers
first proceeded to count the Edgar men
and for this purpose had them marched
in single file between the tellerS in an
alley. (The mass-meeting was held in
the street) When nearly all of the
Edgar men were up the alley away
from the chair, the first dirty work
was attempted. Sam. Malugen the
Committeeman and who was in the chair,
left the chair and went to the Byrns
side and held consultation, l was
watching all this and saw it. Sudden
ly he ran and jumped on the box used
for platform; at the same time Eli
KlOtz, w. +. Purteet and S. A. Lee ran
up and collected around him. Malu-
gen says: 'Who will you nominate for
chairman" Immediately and in such
a manner as to indicate pre-concerted
arrangement between Malugen, Klotz.
Purteet and Lee. Purteet says: 81
nominate sDoc" IS. Az Lee" The
chairman put the question in the
twinkling ot an eye. Of course it car
ried, as the Edgar men were up the al
ley being counted on the craftsmanship.
With quickness which was, to say the
least, wonderful and surprising for
man of his age, S. A. Lee mounted the
box, and before he had steadied himself
thereon, asked: WHO will you nomin
ate for delegates to the county conven
tion?" Purteet then commenced run
ming off lot of names for delegates.
The Chairman was about to put the
question when / interferred.
At first when | beheld this proceed
ing / was thunderstruck, absolutely
speechless, that the leading citizens of
a township could so far forget their
manhood, honor and self-respect, as to
band, collude, conspire and confederate
together to, by trick unworthy
Bowery politician, disfranchise their
fellow citizens and fellow Demo-
Gratis, and thereby cheat and defraud a
fellow Democrat out of justly earned
victory.
/ interfered and protested against
such damnable and outrageous proceed
ings. Malugen would barely listen to
me, and would not talk of the unfair
ness of such a proceeding; but, in re-
ply to my protests and denunciations,
said to me, 'sWhy aint your men here
they ought to be here; Cd d-m you
we have you beat two to one, and |
you want to raise fuss" / replied |
that if they had us beat, to beat us fair, |
not by such low-down trickery as they |
were attempting to perpetrate. 1 was
alone in my protests; but, at last, by
the aid of S, A Lee, who admitted the
justice of my position, and DR.. j. N.
Holmes, Byrns man, who denounced
it also as unfair, prevailed ON them
to desist and Malugen again assumed
the chair.
When the count by the tellers was I
concluded it footed 1877 votes for me for
chairman and 124 votes for Lee for
chairman. Malugen, who had again
vacated his sole post, the chair, to
work and whoop up the Byrns men,
when he heard the result came running
back like one wild, jumped on the box
and swore by all the Gods, big and lit
tie, that the count was not fair, that |
the Byrns men had not all been counted,
and that he wouldn't put up with it:
later he changed his position and con-
tended that the vote was not on the
craftsmanship, but on the resolution to
exclude non-residents, which had been
passed by a rica roce vote.
The tellers compared the vote, they
agreed and James M. Wilson an
nounced it as above. The Chair
,Malugen) refused to announce the re-
suit and declare who was elected. /