The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-05-21
THE FIRST SMIRCHED AGAIN
This Time Burglars Break open Ballot
Boxes.
A LYON-DUNN BOX IS INVOLVED.
Two Were opened and Rihed, and One of
Them Contained the Ballots Polled
at the General Election Held
Last Fall-Case Reported

Once more the First ward-the Bloody
First" as many call its dragged into dis
repute. This time the stain may prove in
delible. 1t will certainly occasion discussion
that will last for some time. 1t has been oc-
casioned by the breaking and robbng of the
ballot boxes of the ward, which have always
been kept between elections in the office Oc-
cupied by Justice jeremiah Toomey since
the Baker ballot law has operated and at no
time before have they been molested.
Justice Toomey discovered the deed and
hastencd down to Pottsyille to report it to
court. There are many who hope the guilty
parties will be apprehended and prosecuted,
but there are few who believe they will be.
Justice Toomey left his home on South
Bowers street, around the corner from his
office, at about S:45 this morning and paid
his usual visit to the Lehgh Valley depot
After the arrival of the newspaper train and
at about 9:2O he went to his Office on East
Centre street. As he entered the place he
was dismayed to discover that two of the
boxes in which the ballots used at the county
and borough elections, and the respective
returns are kept sealed according to law,
were missing. One box, that contained th
ballots cast at the election last November
| posite to the customary place, and close to a
trap door covering stairway leading from
the Office to cellar. The lock of the box
had been forced off, the cover was thrown
back and the contents looked as
| if they had been hurriedly taken from the
box and thrown back again. A number, Of
ballots appeared to be missing. The second
box, the one used at the Spring election of
] . g., ga .I..
cellar. The top of this box was broken clean
IF, efforts apparently having failed to force
the lock. rhe contents were in a state
similar to that in which the contents of the
other box were in. The ballot box used at
the Spring election of 1896 was in its usual
place and apparently undisturbed.
Upon making the discovery Justice
Toomey called in Michael Graham, the East
Centre street grocer and related the circum-
stances leading up to the discovery Some
ballots were scattered about the room. One
was found spread out on Justice Toomey's
desk. 1t was ballot on which mark had
been made only for p. NJ. Dunn, but the
mark was to the left of the name, instead of
in the square space assigned to the right for
it and ON the back of the ballot was written
in excellent handwriting the word "dcfec-
tive" Justice Toomey gathered up the
ballots. mt them back into the boyes and
piled the boxes in their usual place Atl1:l5
he took the train for Pottsville to report the
robbery.
The Justice says the boxes were undis-
turbed when he left his office at 10 o'clock
last night and went home. 1t was no diff
cult matter to get into the place The trap
door over the stairway leading to the cellar
I is never locked. neither /. thp lppr connect
ING tbe cellar with tbe adioininp ward Of
Michael pribula IN which tEcre is aosv access
from Peach auev the narrow tborouobf,re
between Bowers and limerick streets and
running south from Centre street
Inc IaGt Ihat at least one oi tne pallot
] boxes rODDeu VIII De wanted IN Lut Lyon