Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-12-19
COnIon, The Fraudulent
Voter, Not Indicted,
ALTHOUGH PLEADeD.GUILTY
The Assessors Escape, Yet There;Waa
Plenty Of Evidence Against Them.

A great deal OF indignation IL expressed
by the people OF this city by the failure
OF the Grand Jury TO indict James Conlon,
the man who voted fraudulently In the
Second Ward.
II will be remembered that Conlon,
when arrested, confessed to Chief Perry
his guilt and implicated Patrick McGeary
In the bribery transaction. Conlon re-
ceived g for doing what he did. A war
rant was sworn out against him charging
him with voting on another mans name
and he pleaded guilty to the charge.
The bail was fixed at the ridiculously
low figure OF 200. Michael Luby was pre-
vailed upon To furnish II and the culprit
skipped the town.
matter up and brought 1t before the
United States Grand Jury In Providence
and haG Conlon indicted. The same evil
dence that was brought before the United
States Grand Jury was presented to the
Grand Jury OF the Court OF Common pleas
last week.
Strange to say, the Attorney General
did not have him indicted. The evidence
presented to the Grand Jury was that
Conlon went from Dempsey's saloon, on
Main street, TO the Second Ward room on
the Sth day OF Novemb Der; called out the
name OF "John Casey" that he received
a ballot; marked ii, and voted that bal.
lot. lie WAS followed downstreet In COM
pany with another person, who had also
voted on another mans name, to Demp-
sey's saloon. After leaving there he went
to the depot, bought aticket and was ar
rested.
TINS evidence was produced before the
Grand Jury together with his confession
and also he record of the police court
showing that he pleaded guilty to the
crime.
The question asked by the public Is,
How did he escape indictmentr
On Saturday Mayor Carroll spoke to the
Attorney General, Mr.. Burbank, and was
told by him that the Grand Jury refused
to indict Conlon because he had already
been indicted by the United States Grand
Jury.
The Mayor said that that was too
himsey an excuse, because the man not
only violated the United States law, but
also the State law, and he wonders how II
Is that the two cases sent from this city.
Assessors and CoDlon, In which both OF
the parties were oonspiring against the
Democratic party, should fall through,
and the people are also wondering.
When the Grand Jurymen are sworn to
secrecy II Is inevitable that the secrets
will leaK out.
II IL stated that Mrs. Hyland, the as
sistence City Clerk, was asked who erased
the names from the assessors books and
that she said she did so by order OF the
Board OF Assessors.
"Oh! then" said the Attorney General,
Smiling, ait was you then that mutilated
the books, eh3"
The members OF the Jury smiled
audibly as II cat hing on to the Attorney
Generals tactics,
Another question asked OF City Clerk
SiDley was whether or not the assessors'
books had been signed by the Assessors
at the time the names were stricken from
the list.
II will be remem bered the assessment
closed July 20th and that the names were
stricken on in August.
City Clerk sibley replied that he did
not know whether the books had been
signed or not.
He was then asked II the books had not
been signed by the assessors 10 they were
laQaly guiltv of fraud
Mr. bibley very properly replied that
the Attorney General was the person to
give law TO the Grand Jury and not he.
II Is stated by parties who claim to
know that the AsSessorss' books were
taken by two OF the Assessors sometime
about the beginning OF last August and
after the assessment had closed; that a
First Ward Republican politician met the
two Assessors in a certain house on the
East side and that they had a list prepared
for the Assessors which contained the
names Of all the Democratic personal
property voters who were stricken OF the
First Ward list.
Further developments In this lmporta ut
- a.