Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1894-02-23

This morning at 10 80 o'clock the Dis
trict Court room held large gathering of
men, mostly those interested In politics.
The occasion was the hearing before the
Committee on Elections of the House of
Representatives in relation to the alleged
cases OF fraud In the election of five of
Pawtucket's delegation In the General
Assembly, namely, Representatives James
l.. jerks, Henry +. jerks, ID. Webster
Bullock, Wheat On Cole and w. w. Blod-
gett.
The Committee on Elections Is COM
posed of Thomas w. Robinson, Chairman, f,
OF this city; Edmund Walker OF South
Kingston, William p. Clark of Newport,
Lafayette Mowry OF Smithfield and
Charles {. Mumford of Providence.
There were three elections last Spring.
At the first trial ex-Gov, Davis was
elected Senator, at the second Thomas W
Robinson was elected Representative and
at the third James l.. jerks was, IL is al
legged, counted In by the Board of Alder
men. The other four held over.
1t Is alleged there was fraudulent vot-
ing in the Second Ward and there lies the
basis for the hearing.
At II o'clock there were three members
OF the committee present, Messrs. Robin-
son, Clark and Walker. Al 11:l5 o'clock
Mr.. Mumford arrived, accompanied by
Fred l.. e. Reating, clerk of the commit
tee.
Mr.. Robinson called to order few
minutes later, with Mr.. Mowry absent.
The complainant, MIR. Carroll, opened
D h..n hO "a n
prove that slips of paper were used III the
Second Ward by a faction OF the
Democratic party and Republican
party that invslidsted the election and
and changed the complexion of the whole
State. He said the faction in the Second
Ward sold out to Nelson w. Aldrich for
q 500 and that he had proof OF it. lie
thought that before the investigation
closed he expected it would be necessary
to summon Postmaster Goodwin, ID. }.
White, Edward Smith, John Z. Smith
and others to substantiate certain facts.
He first intended to show that
at the election In the Second Ward
Supervisor Coyle was prevented from
marking ballots snd from seeing them
marked. Slips were distributed on which
was printed "Please mark mark my bal.
lot for" and then followed the names of
a split ticket, partly OF bot parties.
The purpose was to have the purchase
BILE vote known az the slip was given back
to the voter by the Supervisor Chey
were watched as they went in aud came
out, but what tney got no
one knew, except that one man would tes-
tify he got glass OF beer.
There were only three trials and four
men held over, while two were elected.
1t was scandalous, and it was going to be
shown that there was money involved in
that ward.
When $4,000 was spent In this city
TO buy votes the people should know il
and men in high places would be reached.
rhe boast TO The effect that this faction
claimed to nave elected Senator Aldrich
and Gov. Brown had been made.
He hoped the committee would sift the
matter to the bottom and summon all
men whose names were menti,ncd.
Peter Is. Coyle testified he was a Super.
visor on April, 1893, at the three electio ms
held during that month.
He saw the slips used instructing the
voters how to vote. The slips were given
to Supervisor Howes. James z. Vey was
Warden and he refused to accept John
Hollands ballot after Coyle marked IL.
Holland asked for assistance.
Mr.. Holland said ne could read his
ballot and that 1t was all right, but was
unable to marx on account of paralysis.
McVey ordered Holland to get another
ballot and also ordered Supervisor Howos
to mark it, threatening Coyle with arrest.
On the second election Warden McVey
at irst said not to use he slips and after,
wards said the City SJlicitor had in
formed him that they we're all right. On
that day McVey would not allow Coyle to
see how ballots were marked by Super.
visor Howes,
He saw about twenty slips inside the
rail and they were all given to Howes,
who handed them back after marking the
ballots.
He was ward clerk two years and never
saw any slips used before last April.
He believed all the men whose ballots
were marked by Howes we're Democrats.
Peter +, Keough swore that he saw a
man named Penny go up to Howes with a
slip In one hand and his ballot In the
other. Howes marked the ballot and
Penny brought the slip out and gave it
to Thomas Meehan.