The Red Cloud chief., 1893-12-01
ThA0COntcst.

date on the independent ticket for
clerk Of Webster count flied his petit
ton in the county court, asking for a
recount Of the ballots cast on Novem.
Der Z, 1893, alleging much crooked
ness on the part Of the judges Of cleo.
ton in Red Cloud and Line township,
Is we'll % in the irst ward Of the city.
MI. Miller charges %mal.conduct and
other serious intentions on the part Of
The judges TO defeat him. He again
claims that a great many electors vot.
cd for him. and that their votes were
counted for others. This would in.
deed be Q serious matter we're the
charges backed up with suficisat evil
dence to warrant the statement, but
THE CHIEF does not apprehend that
the charges can be proven, and does
not believe that the sworn judges
would falsify the returns over SO
small a matter, where the interests ere
Of so little importance to the com.
munity. Had the election centered
on some great issue, the case might
have been different, still this paper
will refrain from any remarks that
might be p~rejudicial to the contestants
until the case 10 decided. Below we
give the petition in full as fled in
Judge Duffy's court.
Jacob L. Miller contestant,
We.
L. II. Fort incumbent,
In county court OF Webster county, Ne.
braska.
Jacob L. Miller contestant complains
Of L. II. Fort incumbent that on the
seventh day Of November 1893. an cleo.
ton for county and state officers was
duly held in the several townships and
voting precincts IN Webster county, Ne
braska, ut which election contestant and
incumbent were duly elected candidates
by their respective political parties for
tho Office Of county clerk Of said Webster
county, Nebraska, and had their names
duly placed on the official ballot voted at
said election for said Office. Contestant
then and there being nm elector in said
COulity u btuJc III tOuDDctcut " COu-
test such election. and being in oil res.
poets a legally qualified candidate foI
Office. On the 9th day OF November
1893, the results OF said election were
duly canvassed, and il appeared there.
from that tho contestant has received
1913 votes and tho incumbent. 92 votes
and D.. j. Meyers, received 406. and in
cumbent i. Ii. Fort was declared by
said canvasers Of said election, elected L
said Office OF county clerk. That sale
election, did not result in the election o.
said incumbent, but did result in thu
election Of contestant. who received
more votes for said Office Of county clerl
than did incumbent. That there wal
NAL. conduct on the part OF the judges o
election in Red Cloud township suficien,
to change the result Of said election
That eighteen defaced ballots wer,
counted ut said election which ballot
were purposely defaced and marked b,
the electors voting them, for the purpos'
OF Identifying the ballots 80 voted b,
them from the other ballots; which bal
lots were counted against this contes
tant and in favor OF incumbent. Tha
the letter and spirit Of the law, were q
violated as to prevent a free, fair and I'm
hindered expression OF the voters u
said election OF their purposes. Tina
official tickets were given out, to tn
electors, who were then permitted to b
approached by partisans ut the pollinI
places which tickets were marked b
said partisans other than the electors
judges Of election, and were voted an
counted, after being 80 marked. Tina
parties other than the judges, were pen
mitted to and did approach and solici
the votes, after the Official tickets Ser
handed to them by the judges, and bt
fore said tickets were marked and voted
and then said tickets were received int
the ballot box, and counted in the result
That in the counting OF said ballot,
the judges OF the election were over rule
by the clerks and ~bystanders two OF tn
judges voting for the rejection OF the ba
lots as the counting Of others. and tn
other Judge and the two clerks encoul
aged by the bystanders over ruling then
And counting or rejecting the ballot
against the will and vote Of two Judge
OF election-tha more tickets appeare
in the ballot box, and were counted an
returned, than there were voters at sal
election. That candidates were permit
ted to handle and deface, and did handl
the tickets voted at said election, Will
the count was in progress.
ouSh DCiIIk uelttltT JuuHt
or clerks Of election. That for the man
violations OF law the accurate vote c
said townships, cannot now be obtaine,
And the whole township should not b
counted in this election. The returnsc
said townships gave incumbent a plural
ty OF II votes, over contestant IN sal
township when in truth and a fair ele,
ton he would not have received an
plurality, whatever. That there was @,
ror and NAL. conduct on tho part Of th
judges OF election Of the first ward of Re
Cloud city in said county in counting tn
votes thereof, whereby OF fifty votes cas-
for this contestant, only twenty-five wer
counted and returned az cast for hin
and the rest or twenty eight were coun
cd for incumbent or ID. j. Meyrs. Tha
there was error and NAL conduct in th
part OF the judges OF election in Lin
township in said county, in counting an
returning the vote whereby Of ~seventee
votes cast for contestant, only eight vote
were counted and returned as cast fc
him, and the rest were counted and r.