Birmingham age-herald., 1895-01-12

 number had not reached there others were sent. I deny the charge that the two democratic inspectors knew prior to open
 ing the box that it did not contain the re- Quired number of ballots. l deny that l000 or anything near that number of legally qualified voters who were your | friends or supporters were present or would have voted for you had there been | plenty of ballots.
 12. l deny that my friends and partisans | had control of the election at the Bessemer l box during the entire day, or that they | filled the voting place with policemen and | deputy sheriffs, or that no one was allowed 1 in or around the voting place unless my 1 friends desired them to be there, or that any one was arrested and afterwards dis l charged without proper judicial investiGa- l ton and trial according to law. The l election at Bessemer was fair and not l single legally qualified eector was pre- l vented from voting at said election by the | acts or procurement o; my friends and sup l porters. The Bessemer precinct Is situated
 near mining camps, where about le00 con l vicis are worked. When released many of
 the convicts finger around in the adjoining
 beats and frequently attempt to vote, 1 though disqualified by law. It is also
 fact that a large per cent of the population | in the Bessemer precinct is of floating or l transient character, having no settled res- 1 idence, but voting or attempting to vote | wherever they may be on election day. l These two facts make 1t necessary to ob- | serve unusual precaution at these nearby l voting places to prevent illegal voting, and | no more than the usual and necessary pre- 1 cautions for this precinct were observed in l the November election.
 l 13. l deny that 200 or more voters who
 would have voted for you at Bessemer were l intinidated or driven from the polls. Il. deny that it was well known to me l or my friends that h fair election you would get a majority of 600 votes over me
 at Bessemer and that this knowledge was
 the cause of a sufficient number of ballots l not being sent there. l deny that the ar
 rests were part of plan 10 defraud you 1 of your just vote at Bessemer. 1 charge
 that you secured more than 1C0 votes that l would have been cast for me by threats l and intimidation.
 l 15. deny that deputy sheriffs or police
 men acted as assistant inspectors at the l Bessemer box, or that the ballots of
 seventy-five illiterate voters were marked
 for me instead of you by such assistant in- l spectors.
 | Is. l deny that at Oxmoor, Jefferson county, you were deprived of more than | forty votes by qualified electors being re-
 fused the right to cBst their votes.
 r. deny that it was any mistake or oversight on the part of the county. officers
 in making the name of one of the inspect ors at Bethlehem read Adam Powell in-
 stead of Adam Pow. Jerry Fountain, | chairman of your campaign committee,
 was present when the probate judge, I 1 inspectors and furnished them names of your political friends to serve as inspectors, | and he gave the name of Adam Powell and | not Adam Pow as his choice for the Bethle- | hem box.
 IS. l deny that Charles l.. Martin had | any registration certificates at the Oneonta, | Biount county, box which he refused to l surrender, or that you lost any votes in
 that way, or that said Martin threatened
 to discharge any of the men if they voted 1 for you. Mir. Warrington, a supporter of
 yours, had superior control of them, and
 Martin was himself in the employ of MT. l Warrington.
 19. deny that majority Of seventy five l was cast for you, or that said maj jority was | returned to the county supervisors. The | county supervisors were your supporters, l and il the Oleonta box was thrown out | il was because they were unable to count 1t | for you.
 l 20. l deny that there was any ballot box
 stutfing, fraud, changing of legal votes as
 as cast, bribery, undue influence or in- l timidation of any sort pracllced in the | election in Perry county. l deny that there | was any understanding or collision exist l ira.hatween the probate judge, sheriff and | Ar. .Iclerk and the officers holding the | eha,,sd to defraud you Of any votes legally
 css.. Sr you, or that the clerks and markers | were selected with a view to deiraud, or 1 that the election off cers were not sworn, | or that county registrars acted in parti- | san manner or contrary to law, or that | after the returns had been received by the
 the sheriff and before the official count the
 returns were changed by the inspectors
 with the Knowledge and consent Of the | county board.
 2l. 1 admit that not more than per cent
 Of the republican voters of Hale county 1 registered, obedient to instructions from | the republican committee.
 | 22. l deny the registration in Hale, when | completed in May, 1894, was less than | 14o0, or that none but democrats were | allowed access 10 the registration lists.
 Your political friends, Jerry Fountain and | J. M. Hobson, had access to the lists. | From twenty three to forty make denial | of certain charges brought in connection l with the election in Hale county, most of
 which is covered in general denials con- l tained above.
 | And for further counter notice of contest l herein, you will please take notice that
 shall rely on the following grounds, upou
 which also 1 rest the validity of my elec- | tion, to-wit:
 l 1. l received majority of all the votes
 legally cast at the November election. | 9. In Bibb and blount the supervising l boards were composed of your political
 friends and refused to give me au inspector
 at each box, as required by law, and where | they did give me one it was not the one
 asked for, but generally an illiterate person
 who could not prevent the frauds Of your | friends.
 l 8. In Blount and Bibb counties many of l your friends were permitted to vote with l out the necessary registration certificate. | 4. You received at least POO votes cast by
 persons who carried ballots of the same ] size and shape as the official ballots into the
 box with them, contrary 10 law, and after
 you had been advised that it was viola | tion of the law.
 5. At Gate City employees of the Alab1ma | Rolling mill were forced to vote for you by
 reason of their employers threatening to
 discharge them if they voted for me. | 6. Your political friends told the miners | at Blocton, Bibb county, they woul1 be discharged if they voted for me; that you
 would soon come in control of the Blocton | mines.
 2. Your political friends and supporters, | with your Knowledge and consent, offered
 bribes 10 the inspectors aud judges of olec- ton who were appointed as my friends to
 protect my interests in said election, and
 In some cases actually gave them money to l assist in carrying the election for you and
 against me, and thereby lost at least 800
 votes, which shall insist shall be counted
 for me.
 8. had DO representation at the Cham.