The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-11-23
Returns Taken 10 n Lawyers once
and Doctored Before Being sent
TO the Examining Board.
aJIM' FIPPEN's CUNNING
ATTEMPTED TO DECEIVE GOVERNOR
MATTHEW'S IN THE MATTER.
Rotten Ring About tn BE
Other Indiana News.
special to the indianapolis Journal.

Gratis and the Republicans for the control
of the county offices exceeds in bitterness
and determination anything that appeared
in the ante-election contest. The election
OF every county officer chosen at the recent
election has been contested, and in place or
hustling for votes the respective leaders are
now collecting evidence to convince the
proper tribunal that the men whom the re-
turns show were not elected should have
been declared duly and legally chosen
The contest on the local ticket was the
hottest in the history OF the county. IL
either had won by anything like decisive
plurality. perhaps. there would have been
no trouble but the closeness OF the result
offered temptation TO use fraudulent
means to overturn a result that was shown
to have been achieved by an almost phe-
nomenally narrow margin The total vote
of the county was in the neighborhood OF
1900. Out OF this vote the result as de-
clared by the official returns shows that
William Brisco, DEM, was elected prose-
cutting attorney by As votes; that Andrew
T. Fielding, Rep, was elected clerk oy
votes; Francis NJ. Price. DEM. auditor. by
36 votes; Martin NJ. Hobbs, Rep, treasurer.
by 70 votes; Samuel White. Rep, sheriff. by
q votes; william s. Renfro, Dem. coroner,
by IA votes; James L. Romach. Dem. sur
yeyor. by II votes: Anthony Werner. Dem.
assessor by l6 votes; Elijah Perry. Rep.
commissioner of the First district, by
votes: Luther T. Bench. Dem. commission
er. Second district by 21 votes. The off,
cial vote also shows that the election Tor
Representative was tie, both the Repub-
lican and Democratic candidates having re-
ceived 2046 votes.
1t was exclusively within the province or
the Democrats to resort TO chicanery ana
fraud to set aside the viii OF the people as
expressed at the ballot box The election
machinery of the county was entirely In
their hands. The early returns received on
the night of the election revealed to the
Democratic leaders that the contest was
exceedingly close. To avail themselves OF
the advantage there was OF immediate
knowledge of the result couriers were dis
matched to the remote precincts who
brought to this city the report OF every
| election board as soon as the count was
complete.
TALLY SHEETS ALTERED.
The night of the election there was
| meeting at the Office OF well-known DEM
| ocratic lawyer Of this city. and here the re-
turns were compiled. The vote on clerk
| and treasurer showed the election of the
Republican candidates by the narro~est or
margins, and after developments show that
| and steal these two offices. The returns
| submitted to this midnight meeting showed
that-Fielding, Rep. was elected clerk by
plurality The necessary alteration was
| made in the tally sheet from precinct No.
| g. of Cicero township. This tally sheet as
| IL was signed up by the election officers
| showed that Fielding had received So votes
| and that Glass. the Democratic candidate.
| had received 92 votes. When this tally
| sheet was laid before the canvassing board.
| four straight up-and-down tallies made by
| the election clerks. indicating that many
| votes for Fielding. had been scratched out
| with an erasing knife and that number OF
| marks had been added in the Glass line.
| The totals had also been erased and new
| ones substituted, showing Fielding ~ and
/ Glass &C. This made change OF eight
! votes. .giping out Fielding's plurality OF
/ and giving Glass a plurality OF l. The
| Democrats thought they had stolen the Of
i fee but the corrected returns gave Field
ing an additional ten votes from a ther
precinct, electing him by nine votes. not
| wfthstanding the theft OF votes in Cicero
township.
In the same way an attempt was made
TO steal the Office OF county treasurer. In
the first precinct OF Liberty township the
tally sheet. as signed up by the election
SnOWeQ
| for Martin NJ Hobbs the Republican candi-
date. When the tally sheet was opened be-
| fore the canvassing board IL was shown
| that FIVE marks in the Hobbs line had been
| erased and that the total had been changed
| from 1b to 140. Where and when these
J erasures were made and by whom remains
| for the grand jury and the Criminal Court
| to decide.
The Republicans next learned that the
| Democrats were preparing 10 contest the
| election OF every Republican official. and not
| to be placed at a disadvantage, papers were
| prepared and filed contesting the election
| of all the Democrats. The scheme OF the
Democratic leaders was TO prepare their
naners and postpone their fling until the
! very last minute, in the hope that the Re-
| publicans would not learn OF this move until
Il was too late to institute similar proceed
ings. ,>,s .>n
The next move of the Democrats TO
send Calamity JIM Fippen. notorious In
the last Legislature, 10 Indianapolis with
the certificates Of election. The usual meth
cd is 10 send them by mail. Fippen filed
the certificates and informed Governor Mat
tbevys that the offices Of all the Republicans
shown TO have been elected were contested
The fact that the Republicans had con-
tested the election OF all the Democrats
was studiously concealed Fippen asked for
the commissions Of the Democratic officials
elect, and requested that the commissions
of the Republicans be withheld, pending the
hearing OF the contest proceedings The
Governor shrewdiy OWNED that Fippen had
not fairly stated the case. and declared that
he would not issue any OF the commissions
until he had further investigated the case.
Yesterday Congressman Daniel Waugh went
10 indianapolis and laid before the Governor
the Republican side OF the case. and secured
a promise OF fair treatment IL Is probable
that all the commissions will be issued. or
that all will be withheld. There Is mo
doubt OF IL that II all illegal ballots had
been rejected, and all OF the legal ballots
honestly counted. the straight Republican
ticket would have been elected The Repup-
licans are in the fight 10 hold the officers
that the returns show they have elected.
and 10 unseat tho Democrats whom they
believe to have been illegally chosen. or
fraudulently counted In. They viii show
that number OF illegal votes were cast FOR
the Democratic ticket. They viii contest
! The legality Of the twenty-seven votes css,