The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-06-14
THE THOMPSON CASE
Investigation Into the Al
legged Camden Election
Frauds Resumed.
THE HICKsEs OF HICKsvILLE.
Twenty of Them "Who Couldn't
Read or Write, But Could
Spell a Little Bit"
THE HICKsEs OF HICKsvILLE.

CAMDEN, June IA, 1S94.-The incidents IN
the session of the House Committee invesui-
eating the right of William J.. Thompson to
a seat in the New Jersey Legislature, when
was resumed in the Court House here yester-
day ran from the very tragic to the very
comic. All through it was very interesting
st interesting that the committeeman dld
not mind sitting until after supper hour.
Part of the time they were rather indignant
and the rest of the time they were amused
beyond the power of restraining themselves
from laughter.
Just about the time the committeeman
were ready to begin the proceedings a RIOT
came near taking place. Several witnesses
| who were supposed to know OF election
| frauds in T~hompson's district had been SUP,
| poenaed. Among them were some eoloreo
| men who live in the Second precinct OF
Gloucester Township, which is part OF the
| Assembly district represented by the
| gloucester race track owner. The allegation
| is made that some of these men were paid
for voting for Thompson. When the as
| sistant sergeant-at-arms began to look around
| for the colored witnesses to notify tnen 10
| go upstairs he was unable to locate Them.
| He searched the building and finally Went
l QOWU luUO Uut DdStlIlCAG II
colored man apparently receiving some IN
| Instructions from ex-Policeman John IL.
| Smith, who is one of ~Thompson's men,
SMITH ARRESTED. Il.
The Assistant Sergeant-atrArms ordered
| the colored witnesses to go upstairs and he
! claims that Smith said to the colored mem
| ssThat's all right; / say stay here" XIX
| again repeated his request and Smith again
| is said to have commanded the witnesses to
| stav in the basement. There was an inter
| change of warm words and finally Kirk went
| upstairs and notified Captain Jack Graham,
the Sergeant alarms, who rushed down
| into the basement, forced his way to- Smith
and placed him under arrest. Smith resist
ed and several democrats rallied to his assist
ance. Just as things were beginning to look
like q general riot Under Sheriff Hartshorn
| appeared on the scene. Smith was taken TO
the City Hall in a patrol wagon and was held
on the charge of illuminating witnesses.
| Subsequently, the committee decided to take
| precautions against q repetition OF such ac-
lions and placed the witnesses under the care
| of Assistant Sergeant-at Arms kirk.
AS the most comic feature, of the days
proceedings, the examination OF q number
| OF colored witnesses, all named Hicks. and
coming from Hicksville, gave everybody
pain in the side from laughter. They were
lit subjects for character sketches. Not one
Of them could read or write, but all ''could
spell a little bit" When Chairman Storrs
handed them a Bible aud asked them to do
some spelling, all failed dismalls. Their
memories were remarkably bad and all in
| dignanuly denied that they had voted on the
| promise of receiving $3.50 each. They started
| out in their testimony with certain state
| ments and a few minutes later it would ap-
! pear that they did not mean what they had
| said:-
Samuel Hicks, colored. was the first wit
ness examined. He said that he was a ma
l Il. . q II;.t-,x,,l1n onI nHtnifto1 that hn and
some of his friends were promised money for
| their votes, but that they did not get any
| thing. Charles Alexander, one OF the cleo
ton officers of the First precinct OF Glouces-
ter Township, testified that Ferdinand Daisy
and Ralph McDermott voted at this pre-
in Blackwood as well as in Gloucester City
last fall. Edgar G. Wilson, clerk of the
Election Board of the First precinct of
Gloucester Township, stated that if the
anne of Harry Long, McDermott and
| Daisy were on the pollbook In his hand
writing, they voted in his precinct.
E ~REPEATERS.
AT this point John w. Hartman, counsel
for the prosecution, stated that he would
| show that every man at the Camden County
| Almshouse, who owed his position there to
| Thompson, voted at least twice. William s.
Abbott and Alberto Plum, election officers of
| the Second precinct of Stockton Township,
1 lueIlUll1tQ 1lAlI 1OAS 90 AfAh NOoSo
there. Edward G. Cole identified Long as
having voted at his precinct in Blackwood.
Long was then called to the stand He
swore that he voted in Gloucester City,
| where he claims to LAY lived twenty-five
| years. He denied that he was In Blackwood
! on election day. The witness admitted that
! he Is employed at the Almshouse, and that
1 McDermott and the other alleged repeaters
were employed there last fall. He said that
! he did not know that he had a double.
| Samuel b. Easton, the next witness, who
was one of the Judges Of Election IN the
J remember whether Frank Johnson had voted
there. The poll book showed that a Frank
johnson had done so.
The crowded court room was now treated
to a few hours OF amusement. The Hicks
family, a score in number, occupied one Sec
tion Of the room, Their appearance at
tracted the attention of everybody. They
had all sorts of boards, from mutton chops"
to s'Spanish goatees." All looked as sober
as Judges and all the same time glanced
furtively around the court room. Finally
Lawyer Hartman called out: Garrett
Hicks, Jr.n Up started a colored man with
incipient chin whiskers. He sat complacently
down in the witness chair.
.ttHow old are youW inquired Mr.. Hart
man. HDon't know how old / am" "Did
you vote at Blackwood last fail In the
hotel?n mot exactly in the hotel, but in
| one Of the rooms OF Une nOUel, Sir answered.
the witness calmly amid the uproar In the
court room. The witness said that he could
not recall who gave him a ticket. After he
was being pressed by Chairman Storrs to
tell who gave him a ticket to vote the wit
ness got alittle excited and enjoined the
chairman as. follows:-'Don't Interfere with
MY ffecoliection. as want to go back TO
my mind" Isl II
fnsns fHEY MISSED THE L
This was too much for the court room.
There was aagood hearty shout of laughter,
but the s'EicRsites, y a score in number, never
grinned. They would not encourage any
laughing atirone OF their own number.
Finally heswitness thought that q Mr.. Nor
cEoss did give him a ticket to vote. I'm q
rephblicanj though,,,y saidhe bravely.
sssF4ow do you know you voted the Repub-
ican ticketiH you cannot read or writer
because I was told that 1t was a Republi-
can ticket
sDidn't you tell me this morning about
being offered $3.50 to votes" inquired Mr..
Hartman. mo, sir; I don't maybe think I
did,
AT this point Mr.. Hartman moved that
all the other siHicksites'' be excluded from
the court room and placed in q small com
partInent by themselves. The "Hicksitss"
did not seem to like this motion Of Mr.. Hart
man, as thoy wanted to see and hear every