Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-04-11
L|NCOLN'S DISGRACE.
Doodle and Bribery
Carried the Day.
CORRUPTION TRIUMPHANT.
Rumsellers Promised Protection and q
Renewal of Lincenses.

Lincoln is once more the subject of
newspaper articles throughout the
country and Is keeping its reputation as
being the most rotten spot, politically, in
the State. Concerning the disgraceful
York World says:
Before election fifty saloon keepers of
Lincoln held a secret meeting and voted
| to work for the Republicans, in view OF
the promises OF protection that had been
made to them by the bosses OF that party.
Among those who made themselves con-
spicious and active procurers of non-at
| tendants at the polls were William II.
Regan, James F. Lodge, Thomas Ready,
Joseph Bacon and four saloon keepers
named Moore, Lyons, Walker and Deg
nan. The chief boodler in the seventh
District, as disclosed by the evidence,
was Regan, known i'm Central Falls, as
"Billy Regain" His GROCERY is on Mill
street.
This morning Paul Regan, his father,
told Mrs. Thomas Murphy, an old resi-
dent OF that place, that "Billy" had 5000
OF Republican money to spend in the
election. A saloonkeeper named Degnan
had like amount to spend. During the
| forenoon, according to the testimony OF
one Of Regan's own heelers, four men,
John Burnt, laborer; Jack Smith, alias
"Shackle," a copper foundrymsn; Charles
McCarty, mill hand, and John 0'Brien,
q hodcarrier, were standing in front of
the Town House awaiting an opportunity
| to dispose of their votes to the highest
| bidder.
Regan approached them and after a
| short talk they were driven to his saloon,
| where they were given all they wanted
to drink. Then they returned to the
Town House, Johnny McAllis, the bar
tender, accompanying them. When they
voted the Republican Supervisor, so the
| World man was informed, assisted them
In marking their ballots. Regan was
heard to say, "That party got $40 apiece"
Daniel Shugrue, Democrat, a foreman
in the employ of the United States Cotton
| Company, who says he has two witnesses
to back up his statements, told The World
man that before sending his dupes inside
the rail to the voting booth Regan in
structsd them as follows: "Go inside,
boys, pretend you are ignorant and get
| the Republican Supervisor to assist you
at marking your ballots. Then come out,
| go down to my saloon and have all you
want to drink"
When the World man visited Regan's
place on the afternoon OF election day
there were n dozen men drinking and
| lounging about the place. Among them,
as the investigator was afterward inform
ed, were Bernard .McKenna and Henry
Stafford, employees in Weatherhead &
| Thompson's tannery, and John Eagan.
| When openly accused i'm the Town Hall
| of the part he had taken in the election
| Regan said "Well, know did wrong"
| At the saloon Of James +. Lodge, at No.
$40 Mill street, it was said eight men were
kept until the polls closed. Towards sun
| down the World man walked into Thomas
| Ready's saloon. There were eight or ten
fellows here including one poor half
dressed fellow OF voting age who was al
most insensible from the stale beer he
had drunk. He was Jack Murphy, whose
father and mother live in the house ad-
| joining Ready's place. He is a voter. The
World man was introduced by his guide
to Mr.. Ready as a reporter who was
studying the methods Of carrying the
Rhode Island election. Ready greeted his
caller with these words:
"well, I've hired eight men to work for
me today for s2 apiece. When they're
working they can't vote. See!" Ready
laughed hilariously, and pointing to Jack
Murphy, who was reclining on the bar,
too stupidity drunk even to raise glass Of
beer to his lips, said: "Now, that man
there has worked hard all day. Don't
you see how he's hustling9 Hiring men
to work for me amt breaking no law.
Seev'
Tom Ready, SO the World man was told
by different people, had 300 OF Republic
can Doodle to put out during the election.
John NJ. Fournier, the French Canadian
whom the Republicans elected an As
semblyman, is charged with having in
fiuenced many voters. Candidate John
n. Butman, for Assembly on the Demo
cratic ticket, told the World men that
members OF his family overheard Four
nier or his brother talking in the next
house to five Frenchmen. The subject OF
the conversation was money. Finally the
Canadians walked across the road to the
town house to vote.
DIR. A. Y. Falcon, the present Democratic
Representative from Lincoln, told the
World man that Fournier's brother had
admitted that he had "hired" men at the
ruin shops. According to the stories told
by those who took part in these scenes,
bribery was not alone resorted to as a
part OF the Republican scheme TO capture
Lircoln's vote, but there were other kinds
OF crooked work. One OF Regan's agents
says that "Shackle" Smith voted under
the name Of Cummings. Cummings has
been dead four months.
John o'Brien, who lives on Cowdcn
street, was III on election day, but a man
who had no vote Of his own cast q ballot
under O'Brien's name, this same infor.
mant says. Assemblyman Butman was st
the Town Hall when James Cruise, a reg
istry voter, presented himself at the gate
OF the polling inclosure. There il another
Jsmess Cruise in the town, who il a real