The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-23
BALLOTS AND BLACK EYES.
RiOtOuS Scenes al The Fifth District
MdgiS.CTill Election.

Notice Of Contest - Candidate
Brown Is Disabled Early in the Day.
The Colored Candidates TO Garry the
Election Into the Courts The Mana
gers Kept Busy Fighting Ballot Box
Suffers and Challengers-The on
cial Count.
John O. Smith was elected justiceof the
peace Of the Fifth district yesterday. 1t
was a great election Lord" Cole did
not get single vote. not even his own.
He win contest the election.
The election beat anything of the kind
ever seen around the court house. There
were fights every hour of the dav and
almost every minute. Everybody took a
hand, including the managers Of election,
who suffered more or less.
The excitement began carly in the
morning. The voting place was the little
frame shanty formerly occupied by JUS
tice Davidson as an Office. When the
managers arrived at the scene at O'Clock
they found Lord" Cole in possession. he
has been sleeping in the Office of late.
He claimed possession and demanded
fee of one dollar from each candidate
for the use of the Office. The managers
did not debate this point very long, but
elected Mr.. Cole without ceremony. The
''lord" took up his headquarters in a
frame building a short distance away
where he announced that he would dis
pense free beer to his supporters. The
beer did not arrive until late, but sup
pOrters ralliedin sufficient numbers TO CON
sumo il when it did arrive Unfortunate
" for Cole they were not voters, or if
they were they did not vote for him
Later an old white woman arrived and
offered to rent the Office TO the managers
for 81 a week
Having no use for the Office for such a
length of time the managers took the
proposition under consideration and pro-
ceeded with the election.
OPENED WITH A FIGHT
The fights started in at once Thefirst
one occurred between Candidate George
Brown and his supporters and
some Of the Smith faction. Can
di5ate Brown called somebody a liar
and pretty soon there was q small riot in
progress. Mr.. Brown was struck in the
head with a beer bottle and disabled
from further effort. His brothers repre-
Sented hIm during the rest Of the day.
The managers Of the election were
Magistrate Blois Of Isle Of Hope, Maurice
Buttimer and W. II. Styles, the largest
colored property holder Of the district.
Being the Youngest man of the three,
Buttimer took charge Of the election and
ran it IN his rarest style. Those who
have seen Buttimer in charge of a ballot
box before have some idea Of what this
means but they should have seen him
yesterday. Besides running the voting
lists, Buttimer found it occasionally nee
essary to clean out the Office, which he
did in good style
The clerks were Messrs. Lilienthal and
Randolph Watts, and John Mcintosh Jr,
colored. There were about half a dozen
colored constables on the ground depu-
TIED as special officers to keep the peace
but who displayed active partiSanship in
behalf Of their favorites
James Mcbride and some of his friends
went out to help out Mr.. Smith, but see
ing their assistance was not needed re-
turned. Mcbride and Buttimer are not
very friendly anyway, and so the formers
party concluded that it was not their fight.
THE VOTERS GAUNTLET
AS Soon as a voter approached the poll
he was challenged by half dozen par
ties and an excited discussion generally
ensued as to his right to vote. The mana
gers put him through an examination as
to his age, residence, occupation and pre-
vious history for the last several years
and then held a consultation upon his
AAbAe 10 FOGC II nc IldQ ldllel 10 answer
all the questions satisfactorily his vote
was rejected. In this way it took from
i've to ten minutes for every voter Time
did not seem to be any consideration
with the managers however.
A general free fight occurred during
the morning over a question of some
body's franchise. During the fight the
office was cleaned out, Magistrate Blois
was knocked down and walked on, and
the other managers had as much as they
could do to take care of themselves At
ter the melee it was discovered that the
ballot box had been stuffed The box
was opened and Manager Buttimcr sorted
out the unlawful ballots as well as posi-
Bile. Several attempts were made during
the day to stuff the ballot box, and some
times it is said, with success. In repell-
ing the attempt to thwart a worker
outside the window who was
attempting to introduce tickets into
the box surreptitiOUsly Mr., Buttimer
struck at the man with a beer bottle
His blow failed to reach the man for
whom II was intended, but caught Mana
ger Styles upon the hand, making a Sc
we're cut, which bled profusely Styles
tainted from heat and loss of blood and
was compelled TO come to the city to have
his hand dressed.
A CONsTABLE's HARD LUCK.
Constable Tom McNish was working for
Sam Black, one Of the colored candidates,
and caused the managers considera bic
trouble. He refused to get out of the of
fee when requested, and was summariIy
elected by Manager Buttimer. McNish
landed in Oficer Baughan's arms and at
tempted to collar that officer. Before he
knew what had happened he
was hoisted into the Red Mama, which
had just come out for another prisoner
and was taken away to the barracks.
Clarence Nichols, one Of the colored
candidates, was arrested on the charge of
attempting to stuff the ballot box and
was taken away with McNish. Nichols
claimed that it was another man who at
tempted to stuff the box
What came very near being a serious
difficulty occurred late in the day Health
Inspector VIM. II. Walls came up to vote
His vote was challenged and somebody
struck him from behind. He attempted
to defend himself when the crowd closed
in on him. He drew his pistol, but
found himself seized around the waist by
Constable John jackson (COlOred) There
was good chance for a riot when Oficer
Baughan iuterposed and arrested both
men. Officer Baughan, who was on duty
in the afternoon, conducted himself in a
most credita0le manner exercising dis
erection and making arrests only when
necessary 1t was no pleasant job he had
however