The morning call., 1894-11-17
Several Missing Poll Lists Found
at Last
IN THE REGISTRARS BIG VAULT
Burns Trusted. Servants Prove
Themselves to Be Decidedly
:: Nearsighted on Occasion.

4 precincts yet remaining TO be canvassed.
Registrar Evans kept the Board OF Eec-
ton Commissioners waiting yesterday
morning until the patience of the indi-
yidual members was we'll nigh exhausted,
| and all present were decidedly out OF
i humor. 4 majority of the board was
present and ready for business promptly
at O'clock. but the dictator of the lower
| corridor. who has retarded business and
created more confusion in the administra-
tion Of the affairs of his office than all his
predecessors com bined, put in an appear
ance few minutes before 10:30 o'clock,
smiling and unconcerned.
Before his arrival Mayor Ebert passed
the time 10 consultation with his associates
| on the board. and had decided TO make full
use OF the anthor ity vested in him in order
| to compel Evans to furnish the official re-
turns from the vaults promptly at the time
designated by the Com mssioners. The
+ former was, therefore, 10 proper mood to
| deliver himself of weii-merted rebuke
when Dams brother-in-law arrived.
MIR. Evans" said the Mayor, earnestly,
''as secretary of this board you are re-
| quired to be in attendance with the official
| returns promptly at The time and place
! designated by the Commissioners, We are
engaged in an important duty and are de-
sirous of finishing it as quickly as posi-
BILE. Hereafter we will take steps neces-
sary to compel your prompt attendance
| should you again see fit to delay Us by
! setting your own time"
s. This was bad beginning for the Regis
/ trar and Improved such later on; but from
i:outward indications the remarks of the
+ Mayor had just about as much effect on the
/ autocrat OF. registration matters as the
process Of pouring water has upon a.
l:duck's back. He retired gracefully and
llelt the situation in charge of his trusted
lieitenants, Ray Falk and George Lewis.
f. But there was trouble in the air and
/ their turn came later.
Before going on with the canvass the
t board proceeded TO consider the alleged
i fraudulent returns from the Tenth Pre-
einet of the Ihirtg-fftb District. which
! had been set down Thursday for hearing
4 at 10 o'clock Yesterday morning:
F Attorney Gator represen ling Calvin
i Ewing, Peoples. party nominee for
4 Assem- blyman, informed the board that in
Il accordance with his promise he had
/ number OF Witnesses present and was pre-
:: pared TO prove that the returns had been
{.uniawfully changed and doctored, after
4 they had been certified TO by the precinct
| officers, and to such an extent THAT Don Ian,
4 the Democratic candidate for the Assem-
: bly,. was robbed Of sixty votes, which
. were given TO Higgins. the Republican.
4 Ewing was cheated out of his*election in
| consequence. ID a:.
f Then followed q: painful silence, which
was suddenly broken by the shriH tones Of
1 Attorney Gifoyle, who stated that he had
i been, engaged to represent Higgins, the
Il Republican candidate. As had been ex-
pected. he objected TO the examination of
witnesses by the board, claiming that it
had no authority to investigate charges OF
fraud in any of the precincts. The Com
: missioneTs were obliged, he said, to can
yass all returns, ana if evidences of fraud
existed judicial inyestigation should be
i demanded by the candidates affected
4 Mayor Ebert evidently did not entertain
i this view of the case, inasmuch "a he ex-
pressed his Willingness to proceed with the
4 nvestigatior.
Gentlemen of the commission" said
+ Attorney Gator. ''it is preposterous to say
+ that this board is authorized simply 10 can
vass and; close its eyes to gross frauds. In.
I the. present instance the returns of the
+ Tenth of the Thirty-ffth are rmpeached
/ up0n their face. and so tar as the legisla-
tive ticket is: concerned. should be- thor
i oughly investigated before being can
vassed This board has authority SO to
ret, and it is. not necessary 10 await the
faction. of any court"
+ Commissioners Broderick and Block
+ were in favor of proceeding. but after a
cons ultation it wasdeeided that the board
should proceed cautiously and according
to law. It was agreed that the presence
i of a. stenographer was necessary, and in
/ order not tt delay the regular canvass any
tmore than could be helped, the investiga-
tion was postponed until Monday morning
al 9 O'clock when the full board and all
of Mr., Gators witnesses will be present
Everything proceeded smoothly enough
i until the Fourth Precinct of the Thirty
seventh was reached. Upon opening the
Eenyel0pe twas discovered that there was
no taliy-sheet lnclosed. and inasmuch as
I this was the fifteenth precinct in which
E.this Oversight" had occurred, Attorney
CIunte entered al objection. 49,
a am convinced" said he, '.that the
| Registrars vault contains all of these
missing poH-ilsts. and it is merely trick
| on his part to delay matters and event
! ually have the returns in question thrown
out. am sure that II one OF the Com
missioners accompanied the Registrar and
made search, all the pol'-lists would be
i found
"Mr. Falk," said the Mayor, "did the
! Registrar keep list of the precincts and
check off the envelopes as they were
! turned in ?"
1--WE had kind of list down there"
replied Evans lieutenant impudent!y,
"bnt you can't tell from that whether the
pill lists were turned in or aot."
Ex-Judge Sullivan here ventured to ask
question of Falk, and after receiving an
evasiye answer was informed that eff he
thought he could run the office any better
he could try"
Upon the request of the Mayor, Commits
sloner Block was requested to accompany
Deputy Registrar George Lewis and make
a search of the vault for the missing poll
list. he was absent but few moments
when he returned with an envelope from
~