Evening star., 1896-01-29
Seventeenth District.


In the seventeenth and eighteenth districts
the wheelhorses of the local republican
party voted early and often. The polls
were opened at o'clock, and already big
crowds were in attendance ready TO back
their favorites. In the seventeenth the poll
ing place was in a little barber shop, 52s
Sd street southwest. On one side is a bar
room and on the other an undertaker's
shop. so that the crowd. as one man ex-
pressed it, could be taken care of dead or
alive. The bar room did a rushing business
In bad whisky and worse gin and the
suit was that as the afternoon wore away
some of the crowd got very boisterous but
the presence of Sergeant DAILY and a squad
of police from the fourth precinct kept
down the spirits of the more obstreperous.
so that there was 10 serious disorder.
A curious feature Of the election in these
two districts was the fact that the colored
voters, almost without exception, scratched
the names Of the white candidates from
their tickets, under the impression that in
voting for a colored man for delegate and
a colored man for alternate they were
voting a straight ticket" There was
nothing In the world to prevent repeating
beyond the fact that the Judges asked the
voter where he lived and what his address
was, but as no record was kept of the an
swers and the voters were not registered IL
amounted to the same thing in the end.
See that man at the window said a
policeman TO Star reporter Now. that
is the second or third time L have seen
watch on him. either"
Eighteenth District.
The voters of the eighteenth district gath
cred In front of 9l6 Sd street southwest, and
this was one Of the liveliest spots in town.
Both districts are On the edge of Bloodheld
and consequently 30 per cent of the voters
are colored- In this district no attempt at
all was made to supervise the election, and
practically any one could vote who wanted
to. One little nine-year-old pickaninny
walked up to the window with a ballot In
his hand. and the ticket was all but in the
boy back and pushed him out OF the line.
A Star reporter thought he would try
1T, so he walked up to the window and said:
Il live up on r street northwest. Can
1 vote here?'
Certainly; hand IT In
And that one vote went, at any rate.
In the seventeenth district the same ef-
fort failed, however, and The Star man
was told that he would have to go to his
own polling place to vote.
Nineteenth District.
Tho number Of votes cast in the nine
teenth district is considerably greater than
the number Of voters who dropped their
ballots in the box. for repeating was the
order Of the day. ard the man who did not
repeat was strictly out of order.
Some of the repeaters bcasted of having
voted as many as thirteen times. The ef-
ft rts cf the police to maintain order dur
ing the three hours Of the voting proved
successful, for there were no serious dis
trrbances, and ii only required an occa-
SIGNAL move on order a SHOVE 10 queu
an obstreperous Statesman" or subdue one
of the voters who imagined himself the
all-important individual, and they were
numerous.
Long before the hour OF opening the poll
In Saloonkeeper O'Brien's woodshed .
large crowd of colored men and a small
sprinkling OF white voters were about the
polling place.
"Jocko" Brown, coiored resident Of an
alley near the government printing office,
fell from grace at an early stage Of the
proceedings, and he insisted on taking the
place of d watcher at the polls, until blows
were about to be passed. when Sergt. Ed
ward Wall of the ninth precinct hustled
him across the sidewalk from the poll in
the shed. A one-armed man, who was upon
the scene Of action early in the day, with
held his vote until about the time for the
polls to close, and then when he went to
deposit his ballot in the box he was chal-
lenged. To say he imagined he had been
deprived of the rights guaranteed him ny
the hfteenth amendment to the Constitu-
ton but mildly expresses the manner in
which he denounced the action of the
judges. He announced that he would ap-
peal to the country at large to have his
rights passed upon.
An elderly colored man. one OF the first
tc arrive at the polls, was sought by the
heeiers of different candidates. Finally the
old man, turning to one of the heelers in
qUired: What is dah ticket?"
Saunders and HOLLAND" he was told.
What's de color OBJ de men?'
White and colored"
Look here, man." said the old man 'I'ss
oene voted for Perry Carson, and ain't he
'publicang'
Yes. indeed. uncle" was the response.
Den what yer wantg' he asked. IF he's
a publican. and Use done voted fo' him
what mo- does yer spec?"
Come on up and drop this ticket in the
box. said one of the workers to a little
c0lOred c ha it,do
to say CLOSED"
Amt dropped one in there YETI. was
the apparent innocent response.
Then give 1t to me-" and In went tn.
ticket, and when the voter had left the yot-
Ing place he announced that his last vote
was the twelfth ballot he had cast
All during the three hours the polls were
olen gangs of men from other districts APP
peared and deposited their ballots without
being questioned.
nineteenth district a young man named
John Gibson was assaulted and cut about
the face and arms, il is alleged with n
razor. He had picture of Gleeson stuck
In his hatband. colored man who wa.
interested in another candidate wanted The
picture removed. and because Gibson re-
fused to accommodate him a fight ensued
II Is alleged that colored barber named
Edward Wilson did the cutting and war;
rant for his arrest was sworn out TODAY nv
Policeman Gordon.
Twentieth District.
The voting in the twentieth district was
very orderly. Before the polls were opened
crowd of Key men marched up Sd street
southeast to between c and d streets where
the ballot box was located in Prof. j. w
fowlers" tonsorial parlors, and planted
their transparency near the sidewalk This
transparency informed the public that the
bearers Of II were "the people" and that
every one should follow them. There were
a 1har nfp Dol Law
but Bailey's vote fell short of that of Glee-
son, while Perry Carson got in many votes
There were some differences of opinion
among the voters, and at times it seemed
that their disputes might cause trouble
but nothing happened to break the record
of the precinct for good order. The judges
were John Middleton, w. H. Harris and
Brooks Burr Louis Cornish was clerk