Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-01-21

dpDu NA4b OlDdhtE small bdlA TO-
turns. certificates. ballot boxes, keys,
papers and documents to the committee
OF elections OF the House for investiga-
tion and examination.
IA soon as the resolution was adopted
Sheriff Finn retired to get the keys.
During his absence the Dickey men
made an effort to adjourn until Monday
afternoon, nut the effort failed, and
the sheriff arrived with the keys, which
be banded to Speaker RiGgin. The
latter IN turn banded over the keys to
Chairman HAZEL Of the committee on
elections. and TO him entrusted the
custody OF the boxes. On Mr.. Hazell's
motion, the House adjourned until II
o'clock Monday morning.
Several members of the House rushed
TO the Speakers desk and informed
him that he had no right to open the
boxes, az they mad not been delivered
In the House while in session. How
ever. the Speaker was advised that he
had lived up to the spirit Of the resoln
! tiou, and he was thoroughly satisfied
that he had. Sheriff Finn waa also
advised that be had not delivered the
boxes legally. tn. be, too, felt sure
he had, and there the discussion
| ended.
Before accepting the boxes Chairman
! Hazeil desired 10 assure himself that
| the boxes and contests we're in good
| shane, and be wanted the deputies TO
make oath that the boxes we're the
same as when 10 New Castle Jail.
\ Sheriff Finn objected. He said his
| deputies were responsible TO him and
| be was responsible for the boxes. With
| this assurance the boxes we're accepted
| without further controversy.
Then another hitch came when the
\ matter Of going to dinner came up
| The committee, having relieved Sheriff
| Films deputies from duty, it was
1 necessary to have a new guard, and two
men we're selected by them to watch
| the boxes until the time Tor counting
| arrived The Dickey men claimed that
the guards were Cheair's men, and in
sisted that they be allowed two men
! also on the guard. Counsel for Mr..
/ Cheairs said they had nothing what.
! ever to do with the selection of the
| guards and desired no representation,
and tho committee declined to grant
the desire Of the Dickey men. This
made the latter Indignant, but Chair
| man HAZEL was Obdurate and tho men
selected by the committee we're ordered
to watch alone until relieved by order
of the committee.
1t was 2 O'Clock before tho members
Of the committee and others interested
we're ready for the count, and even
after that hour considerable time was
consumed Ia preliminary work. All
the members of the committee we're
present, as were also Messrs. Cheairs
and Dickey, and Attorneys Kurtz,
Heisel and Hughes for the former and
Ponder, Pennington and Daley for the
latter. Counsel for Mr.. Dickey called
the attention OF the committee to the
fact that resolution huu been passed
by the House allowing contestant and
cnntestee one clerk each, and construed
it to mean that but two clerks should
be employed. The Cheaira men con
tended that no such restriction was
placed on the committee, but it was de.
cided to start in with two clerks with
out rendering any opinion on the real
meaning OF the resolution.
Again things looked bright for begin.
ming the count, but the DicKey men
filed another kick. They held that it
would be necessary to count not only
the Democratic, but also the Regular
Republican, Union kepub lican, Pro-
hibition and Single Tax votes. This
aroused tho Cheairs men, " no believed
that such was not the intention of the
resolution authorizing the count. AZ.
tOrney kurtz was vigorous in his re-
marks in substantiation of the contan.
ton of himself and his colleagues, and
the committee agreed with him. This
settled the matter and it was decided
to count only the Democratic votes and
the votes of those candidates y no were
On both the Democratic and Single
Tax tickets
At about go o'clock the committee
and clerks settled down to business,
and from that time until 6 there was
no interruption OF any consequence.
Mr.. Dempsey left before the count
commenced. He stated that he had
important business in Wilmington. but
wuulu return 10 th" morning. This lett
tue committee composed Of Messrs.
Hazell, Mccoy. johnson anu Smith.
, Everything being in readiness tbs
start was made by opening the hos
from the First District o! the First
: ward of Wilmington. Tho ballots were
carefully removed from each box by
, two members of the committee, who
sorted out the Democratic and spill
} tickets and handed them over To Chair
man Hazol, who, with another mem
0 names and they were recorded by Clerkt
; Herman Il. First, who represented thu
E Dickey interests and John e. Hop
c ltins, who had been selected by tht
5 CheRirs men
p The key for the box from the SecoIt
y district OF the First WARD could not b
o found and the committee opened tn
a box with Ratchet. The attorney
i watched closely everything that tool
place, but they found no cause for com
b. plant and very little objection wa
:. offered, thr ballots in tho main bein!
d in good order
IL In order 10 fully appreciate the alle
It gationa of fraud made by Mr.. Cheair
+ il should be stated that his cuunbc
claim that tho figures for the following
4 districts we're altered: Third dis
/, triCt of the First WARD; Fourth AM
d Fifth of the Secund ward Second an
/ Third OF the Third ward; Fifth OF tn
Fourth ward: Fourth OF the Sixt
u ward; Second Of the Seventh ward
o First, Fourth and sixth Of the Eight
o ward, add Third of the Tenth ward, i
II the city of Wilmington
10 Early in the evening one member G
1t the committee suggested that III
Is straight ballots be piled together an
n counted in bulk, ana the whole com
10 mittee would, in all probability, hav
n agreed to this plan, but counsel fo
10 Mr.. Dickey strsnuously objected eu
10 the count proceeded as it was started