The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-03-16
HARPER ARRESTED.
Work Of Uncoyering Ward | Frauds
Begun.
THE WARDEN THE FIRST TO
GO BEHIND BARS.

Scheme of the Democracy to Lay Upon
Harper's Shoulders the Whole Odium
! of the Attempt to Count in Ingraham
Harper Maintains Reserve as to the
Count
Warden Thomas r. Harper, who was
| the Ward | tool in the scheme to count
Ingraham in as Mayor, was arrested last
even about O clock by Sheriff Cram, on
a warrant, sworn out in compliance to
complaints made to County Attorney
True. The charge is Of classifying the
count in Ward 1, on the evening after the
election.
Harper was arrested at his home on
Howard street He took the matter in a
cool manner, and demanded that the
warrant be read to him. He declared
that be had committed no fraud; but had
merely made mistake in the count
He was taken to the Jail and shut up.
There he maintained the same surliness
that distinguished him on the evening
when he took things into his own hands
in Ward 1, refused the motion to have
both parties represented in the count,
and made the now notorious return.
After he was locked up in the jail
Harper sent out to see what could be
done about bail Hon. M. P. Frank was
sent for as bail commissioner, before
whom bail might be arranged. Warden
Harper's father went after Mr.. Frank,
and the two started for the Jail. But
when they got as far as Locust street
Mr.. Frank turned back. as sureties
enough had not been arranged for. This
left the senior Harper, who is an estima-
BILE. hard working man, to scour the
town further. He has property, and was
willing to go as one of the sureties. A f.
ter Mr.. Frank left him he hnrried to the
jail alone, and there had a interview with
with his son, who directed him to go to
the clubs and get Alderman MCGOWAN
or some other of the leaders. Then the
father started again to search the De-
mocracy.
While the search for bail was going on
Harper spoke briefly of his situation.
He professed to have no fear as to the
result of his arrest.
At late hour last might bail was Sc
cured; his father, Mr.. Charles A. S.
Harper, and A. D. Sweetsir, Jacksonian
Democrat, qualifying as the warden's Sc
curities.
Harper will be brought before the
Municipal Court this morning, prob
ably.
There was a report about town yester
day that the Democratic ballot clerk in
Ward 1, Asa Russell, had left town, the
inference being that he had gone to es-
cape arrest. Inquiry last night disclosed
the information that Mr.. Russell went to
New York Tuesday night. AS he is ac-
customed to travel much in the course
of his business this absence does not
seem to have any special significance.
It became evident yesterday that the
Democrats intended to put on brass
front and pass off the attempt to count
Ingraham in simply as piece Of stupid
laundering on the the part of Warden
Harper The confession of City Clerk
John Russell stands little in the way
of this programme; but this obstacle is to
be gotten over by abusing Mr. Russell as
traitor to his party.
From their standpoint he undoubtedly
is traitor; for his statements have prob
ably been all that have stood in the way
of an attempt to cover up the Ward l
frauds. 1t is not generally understood
that when it was known in inner Demo-
cratic circles that the check list would
not bear out Harper's count, certain
Democrats wanted to mark up enough
names to supply the deficiency. City
Clerk Russell stood in the way of this,
and when he made clean breast of the
whole affair, revealed the fact that such
a clumsy makeshift had been proposed.