New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-04
THO or THE THIEVES.

Among the SDeHUlu ltSuIbS va hiO '"''"N'"
County election none is more gratifying than the
defeat in heavily Democratic towns OF r.. Wright
Vail and Edward Sturgg. These two men were
especially prominent among the dhreputaoie
gang who stole Senator Deanes certificate 1hey
both performed parts that were utterly daSardly
and scandalols Vail was the man who dld me
talking for the thieves. He brought forward the
infamous Mylod certificate, In tho proceedINS
before Hill to remove County Clerk Holman
who refused to attest the certificate, Vail swore
that he didn't know where he got the certificate
or when he got it, or who gave it to him, or what
was said or done when it was put into his hands
He swore he did not know what it contained
when he read it before the Board and moved
its adoption, nor how the results it declared were
reached from the inspectors returns. All he
remembered was that he found himself in pos
session of it, and that thcreupon he presented II
and moved ito adoption. No man ever Swore
himself more distinctly liar and SOUNDED.
The case Of Shlrgs is just as bad. lie was
the Red Hook Supervisor. Thrty-One Ecpub-
lican votes were cast Mt poll in his town on
which q slight blur occurred. Tho blur was
made bv a quad which had "worliod up" in the
nrinter's form when it was on the press, and had
touched the paper. The inspectors noticed the
blur. but unanimously agreed that 1t was OF no
importance They gave out the ballots, th"fe-
fore and thirty one were voted. After the elcc-
ton. when Hills orders to steal Mr. Dcanc Sea'
were received, every Democratic inspector IN the
county was personally visited and crVs' exam
ined in the search for some SOFT of excuse on
which the thieves could throw out Republican
- IoI in
questioned. told of the thirty-one quad marked
ballots. Sturgis sent after him, had him brought
into Poughkccpsie, and met him in a saloon
whence they adjourned to Boss liinckleys
hack office. Here the quad marked ballots were
exhibited. and at SturgiS's direction one was
pinned on the official return which, beng IN
Sturgis's possession as Supervisor, he produced;
and the inspector again on Sturgiss orders,
wrote on the ballot: There were thirty one
voted like this"
The significance Of this dastardly business will
appear when the law governing ballots marked
for Identification is understood. The law says
that when the inspectors. in counting the returns
on the night of Election Day come across bal
lots which any one Of them, or any watcher shall
challenge as having been marked by the voter
for Identification, it shall be counted and then
attached to the return, and the reasons for lis
challenge shall 10 reported in the body OF the
return. Now, these ballots were not 10 voted, or
challenged, or attached or reported but the IN
spectors wero unanimously agreed that they were
proper ballots, properly used SturgS how
ever, having thus two weeks after election, Sc
crctly got one of them affixed TO the return as
il challenged and reported the next day lad the
return before the Supervisors, and it was then
found that around the blur a ld-pcncil mark
had been drawn, which the inspector SwcaiS was
not there when he left Ilinclilcy's Office. Upon
producing this three-py fraud before the super
yisors Stlrgis declared that the ballot and
pencil mark were both there when ho first got the
return on the day after election, but that was
such an obvious lie that he soon backed down
far enough to admit that he didn't have his
specs on" and that the ballot might have bec1
attached when he sent the returns back for the
correction of clerical errors
These are specimens Of the crimes and of the
criminals by virtue of which and whom Edward
A. Osborne, an old man who ought TO be think
ing of other things than how to grab the profits
Of steal. sits to-day in the Senate OF the State
Of New-York, wretched fraud. the object Of
every honest mans scorn and contempt. These
are the crimes denounced az such by five Su-
preme Court Judges all Democrats, and invaI-
dated by the unanimous decision Of the Court OF
Appeals, five Democrats and two Republicans, to
which Frank Rice, Edward Wemple, Elliott
Danforth, Charles +. Tabor and John Bogart
dcfant!y and wickedly gave effect. The public
is through with Sturgis and VAIL but it has it's
ewes. and it will soon have it's hands, on the
thieves of higher degree.