The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-11-21
Sampson Pope's Expose.
Afndavits Which Look Ugly
for Aiken ssCOunters. %


for Aiken ssC0unters. y
Columbia State. Nov. 18th.
DR.. Sampson Pope yesterday re-
turned to the city from Aiken, where
he has been looking into the conduct
of the recent election in that county.
The Doctor when called upon yester.
day afternoon gave quite an interest
ing interview, some portions OF which
make racy reading.
The doctor has papers in his posses
sion bearing on the election In the
town of Aiken which indicate that
fraud was perpetrated there in the
most fragrant manner. He said he
went TO Aiken to sift the matter of the
frauds as thoroughly as possible in a
limited time ..and found that | had
been shamefnlly robbed He found,
he said, leading Conservatives, who
voted for John Gary Evans, frankly
admitting that he had been shameful
II robbed. The general belief in
Aiken, he seid, was that he chad got
ten ZIG votes to Evans 1O9;; but
that the managers took 200 from him
and added them to Evans vote, max
ing his vote 800 and mine 76." DR..
Pope continuing, said: 81 have here
the afidavits of l56 men, most OF
whom can read and write, and those
who could not do SO cast Pope vote
in each of the boxes, so they would
he certain to strike the right one. it
was noted On the day OF the election
also, that there were but very few
men to come in from the country to
vote, as compared with the number
who usually came, 1 have here the
afaieavits of lS7 men who swear that
they attended the election and voted
at the Aiken city precinct for me and
against the Constitutional convention,
and who swear that they can read
3 aanSknow thet they deposited their
bollots in the proper box. Then |
haye here. too, the afidavits of eleven
men who swear that they voted a
Pope ticfa 81 81 evsrS s7 3 hpS 0ilhe CONS
ter. Ihsses seleFen men & gould nct
read and did not Vote at all o1the Con-
stitutional convention question.
Again ! have here also affidaylts
from eight men who voted along with
others, who coald read and write and
we're instructed how to vote. They
voted for me and against the conven-
ton And here again is an affidavit
of man who votsd for Nose Garner.
forNopnsspd fsg 8 CONVEX
.;on . haze sseuad be6des aH
tIese He affdsyHs Of six men who
voted dor SEn 5a Fans for Govs
srnor, but alsSfor mo- convention.
Here are also forty-one aftidayits
from men who swear shatrthey voted
Tor no one. for, Governor, but yoted
against the convention. The man
ayers gave the vote for "no'aconyen-
ton as l34 and mine as Is. Eheg-
nres have there show that 204 men,
less IL, voted for "no'' convention
The managers reported the vote for
the convention as 294.'
DR.. Pope also has an affidavit from
Ned Thompson, whose srsg stration
certificate, dated May, fSs S at.
tached, in which Thompson says he
attempted to vote for Pope and mo"
convention, but was refused, the
managers claiming his name was not
on the books they had.
j. Nj. Wigfall has signed an afiida-
Wit declaring that he was forced to
stand in the line on one side Of the
poll awaiting his turn to vote for
three-quarters of an hour, and during
that time he saw many Evans men
permitted to comeap through the exit
side and vote.
Richard Henderson signs an affida-
Wit to which is attached his regist:a
ton certificate, No. ,4S0, issued in
July, 1894, saying that he was not
allowed to vote q, the State box. the
managers claiming mis- name was not
on abe books. yet he went on to the
Federal box and voted.
Judson Broadie has an affidavit
stating that after the poll was closed
a, Rocky Spring precinct in the coun-
~. he went inside to see the contents
Of the State box counted; that the
chairmad of the board of managers