New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-06
THE ELECTION CONSPIRACY.
LAST OF TIE SIXTY-SEVEN INDICTED
MEN CONFESS.
LAW THE RING DEMOCRATS OF NEw-JERSEY
CARRIED THE ELECTION OF 1883 IN
HUDSON COUNTY.

s.6flns the balOt-hoxes in the election for
Gsvcrnor in November, 1889, appeared in the Court
of General Sessions. jersey City, Yesterday and
rleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy. They
were Thomas Rusch. Richard Whelan. James Con-
nell and Frank l.. Hcrrick. Judge Lipppcott will
.utcnce them On August l6.
In the election of 1850 Leon Albeit was the
Democratic candidate for Governor against Gen
era, F. Burd Grubb. Congressman Edward F.
McDonald was the Democratic candidate for State
Senator against William s. Stuhr who had bern
nominated by the Independent Democrats. who
had tired Of "ringrule and corruption in the
Municipal and State Governments, and he was
indsrsed by the Republican party. August Brugge-
mann was the Democratic candidate for Director
at-Iarge against James Roach, who had received
the Independent Democratic nomination and the
inder~enent OF the Republicans. The contest was
q bitter ere, and indications from every part oil
the State pointed TO the defeat of Albeit and the
ring" aud a Republican victory in Hudson
County seemed certainty. The same people who
voted last spring to elect Peter F. Nanser
M.yor were outspokcn in their denuncation
Of Albeit and his following in the State
Tie Hudson County ring" was at
tackled with great bitterness by the lndc-
pendent Democrats, and on election day enough
Democrats had pledged themselves to vote the
Rcpublican ticket to elect il with a handsome
plurality. The alarmed managers of Apoett :
canpaiCn conferred on that day, and q dlspa'ch
was sent TO Jersey City by some one that HUDSON
County must give Albeit 1000 plurality or ne
would be defeated. The Hudson County ring
had prepared itself for this emergency new
natented ballot-box was 10 be used when Wouu
stamp mill and puncture every ballot deposited
through the slot The leaders of the ring" got
possession Of box similar % those TO be uSed,
and had a plate struck which would stamp bal
lots Then with needle the Haiiots
were punotued Thousands OF these prcparGa
hall.ts were par into the hands Of the trusted
abeelersp Of the ring" on election day, with
instructions that certain number should ne
frsudulentIy placed in each box. These ballots
were called "iokeis' The election ofi-
GERS who were made acqua49ted with
tAe scheme, contrived to have the ballot-boN
machinery refuse to work. and while waiting
untN the City Marshal could be brought to the
plaoe to repair it, received votes in cigar boxes
II WAS then that paper" ballots were voted. Some
one would dump 8 handful in tie cigor-box, ana
then when the ballOt-boX was put into order all
the ballots in the cisar-box would he dumped into
IL The register had been dectOrcd before
Election Day. and names of dead men, men who
did not live in the precinct, and men who never
existed at all had been placed on the register.
This made the fraud easy. for all that was needed
was to check off sufficient number Of dead men
and other fictitious voters on the register to cor
r.snond with the number of fraudulent ballots in
the box and then to enter that nusber OF names
on the poll-book.
The normal Democratic majority in Hudson
County was then 1000 The balot-hoX suffers
gave Abbett more than $4,000 plurality, or
nearly double the plurality the State leaders had
asked for The evidence that gigantic fraud
had been committed apparent to every one,
and General Grubb caused quiet Investigation
10 be made 1hs disclosed the notorious Joker
ballots. The schcmers when they manufactured
them had not got the plate exactly like the regu-
lar plate and the difference IL the stamping was
noticeable when compared. The result of this
discovery led 10 the Senate investigation under
Senator Gardner, of Camden, and the committee
unearthed tie most astounding election conspiracy
known in the history OF tie State.
The committee examined about half Of the
ballot-boxes in Jersey City AMI llOboken, ana
finding enough fraud in them 70 legally elect W.
s. Stuhr Senator, they recommended the senate
10 unseat Mcdonald and put Stnhr IN ms place.
This WAS done. The better element Of the Demo
cratic party realized the position Hudson Csnntys
ballet-box suffers had placed IT in, ana they
insisted that the Grand Jury should investigate
the frauds. These Democrats knew that Robert
Davis, tho chairman of the Democratic LNec"hVe
Committee and the County Committee, was Sheriff,
ard that il was in his power 10 draw "fanI
jury which wight investigate and "whtew">h'
with liberal hand. Davis drew the Grand jury
and to give it sonlblancc OF goSd body 'f
men placed DR. L. j. Gordon and DR.. benjamin
Edge on IT, Gordon was foreman. Both Of these
men had excellent reriIatisn6 and the respect OF
the community. TIE clamor Of the people ana
the press for the Indictment Of the balio'-OoA
Suffers became greater. anl it was found that an
indictment must Ike found
Tie plan proposed was 10 indict each man IN
dividually for volatin. the Election Jaw me
leaders of the ring" fought hard s2aIhSt '''iS
scheme. and Davis did all he could to prevent lt
II was suggested in the Giand jury room that 1t
would meet all the demands of the people 10 III
dict each accused board OF election officers iol CON
spiracv Iecal advice was taken by tAe leaders
of the "ripr." and the lawyers advised that IL
would he TEXT 20 impossible 10 convict the DaI'"'
box suffers OF conspiracy, particularly "heh o"ei-
III Davis had the selection OF the peHt jury "
try the eases. Being thus assured tha' 'hc cav"
ton officers could not be injured the Tihg Col"
ented TO its friends on the Gr"nd july ""ui''s
indictments for conspiracy. lhdic'Hc"' VIZ
found against the election Officers III '"'"''
Precincts il is said, and III some ui'a'c""iI'"'
manper five Of them were lost between TIE "rahu
jury room ani the COURTROOM 80 one Is'9 c'Ni
made known what became Of them ...
Tie indicted men in the seventeen cther pr
cipcts yere all arrested. There were sixty en-
OF them There would have been one mere Hau
not the Republican Inspector in one OF me piGt,
eincts refused to be a party 10 the ira9u WIFI WIFI
his fellow officers. lie was subsequently usT"
a. a witness Sheriff Davis. Dennis McLauSh1
lin and score of other ofce-hoders prOcnfru
bail for the siNty-seven men. There was no
trouble 10 obtain this, for it was known tnaJ
Sheriff Dayi. would draw the jury. Judge LppiIi,
tott n District Attorney Winfield knew beu"r,and
when the District Attorney apple for struck
jury 10 try the first case, despair seized on
the rine = This act took the jury entirely out
Of Tho hands OF the sheriff, and placed II IN