Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-06-08
FROM ANOTHER
LOOKER-0N
History of the Jefferson County
Election Gases.
HOW FRAUD FAILED TO TRIUMPH
Judge Faulkner Highly Commended
The Law as II Is.
To the Editor ofthe Herald.

The Law as 1t Is.
To the Editor ofthe Herald.
CHARLES Town, June 4.
Kearneysville is small railroad
station in Jefferson County. w. Va.
about the center of said county. At
this place is situated the quarry OF
the Standard Stone & Lime Co. owned
by the Baker Bros. and c. F. Thomas.
and under the management of the
latter gentleman, with Thomas Clark
and Eugene Sharpless, foremen.
They employ about one hundred
hands, white and colored. The COM
pany is incorporated under the laws
of West Virginia and of course pay
taxes on their machinery and land.
the latter amounting to about seven
ty-fve acres. purchased from Mr. w.
I. Stewart a resident of Berkeley
County. Both political parties are
represented and whilst most of the
white men vote the Democratic ticket,
there are some who vote the Republi.
can ticket Then again whilst ma
jority Of the colored men vote the
Republican ticket, there are some
who vote the Democratic ticket.
During the summer OF 1894, pre-
paratory to the approaching Novem.
Der election, each political party in
the county held their conventions
nominated their candidates, and
elected the usual committees, general
and local. TO carry on the work Incl
dent to a political campaign. This
consisted in getting a correct list Of
the voters in each precinct and adopt
ing ways and means to get them to
the polls on the 9th of November
Democrats were urged bytheir leaders
to make desperate, stubborn, un,
yielding effort to hold up the usual
vote in the county for Vim. l.. Will
son. The news went everywhere
that their favorite candidate was in
danger; that the faithful old ship
which had carried him safely to port
SO often had sprung leak; there was
a hole in her hull; it was growing
larger and larger, and every man was
needed atthe pumps to keep her from
sinking. To prevent this they used
every means at their disposal, fair OF
foul, dark oropenly. They telegraph.
ed all over the United States, from
Maine to California and from Niagara
Falls to Fernandina on the Florida
Coast calling in byagoniziig petitions
every wandering son of Jefferson who
was known to be Democrat. They
brought men here who when they
left intended to NAL their residences
in other States and SO stated wher
they left. They voted men who had
resided outside of the State for years
some ten and twelve years--called
them up by energy and entreaty. to
&C me aid help swell the vote of their
cherished idol. am told that they
voted even men who were deaf and
dumb.
Now among these one hundred
hands working for the stan dard Stone
& Lime Company, many came from
Virginia, Maryland, Penn sylvania
and other States. They intended to
make their homes in our county and
claimed Kearneysyille as their resi-
dence. These men had been in the
State from two to eight years and il
the county longer than The requisit,
sixty days, of these. SOM: were Dem.
ocTats and some were Republicans.
The local Democratic committee
went into executive SEES sion, and by
ways that were hidden, and By
means that were dark" concocted q
scheme to prevent the Republican:
from casting their legitin ate votes,
either by intinlation or threats of ar
rest; but all Democrats among these
workmen were to be allowed to pul
n, thetv xyofec nf tho +b~aa o1.,,,;e
sioners. two were Democrats, and a:
the sequel will show. against the pro
test OF the Republican commissions
and challenger, they actually carried
out their plot. All Democrats were
allowed to vote, but six Republican
voters were ignomlniously arrest ed
and seven or eight others frightened
from the polls. They, to carry out
this work, appointed three constables
and had the sheriff of the county
walking up and down thu; pike in
front of the election room, TO perform
their orders. The Democratic com
mittee to ait. them III their scheme o
intimidation, had letters IRON Dem
ocratic law yer, telling them what ht
thought the law was. but not what il
rally was. They also had an affida
Wit from the assessor with list d
names IF persons whom he said were
not vot RS, when it is his duty to Civ,
only names viii III he knew to be or
the assessors books, and not name:
of people who were not there. See
Pretty, isn't it,
Now for the Republican side of thi,
momentous question. Whichcomme enc
ed with the arrest of five innocen,
men, ended with their triumphant &C
quittal in our Circuit Court, anc
closed this Democratic farce:
At each election precinct in Thu
county we are entitled to one Repub
1ican commissioner and of course :
Republican challenger. Our instruc
tons were received from our Stat,
Committee, Hon. VIM. NJ. o. Dawson
chairman. he had tie lar as n real
" ssas, not zChat sse thought ii aus
Do you remember the law? Here il
is in plain English: .s1f man is q
years old, has been in the State twelv,