The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-26

counties contains more startling develop
ments than are even set forth from Dallas
county, II that were possible. By the testl-
mony of prominent citizens it was shown
that the names of persons that had been
dead from six months to five years were
recorded on the polling list as having voted
Nov 3. 1896. William ]. Gimer, chairman
of the Peoples party executive committee
of Dallas county, testified that the name
of Nathan Lewis, cOlored man, who had
died on Sd of July, 1896, was on the list.
When asked how he knew that Lewis was
dead at the time of the election, he said:
Because / was doing business for him, and
had him to bury l have a receipt for his
coffin, and have it with me now" L. w.
Mason, himself a Democrat testified that
he was at the Summerfield precinct all day;
that but thirty white men and not over
forty colOred men entered the polling place
all day; that N. G. Barker is recorded as
having voted No. Sc on the certified copy
of the poll list that he knew N. G. Barker
about all my life but he has been dead
five or six years. There were ninety-eight
votes recorded as cast at this polling place,
of which seventy-eight was given to Plow-
man and twenty-eight to Aldrich
Frank Jackson. the Republican inspector
at Mitchelrs' Beat No 50, in Dallas coun-
ty, testified that Mr.. Marshall, one of the
Democratic inspectors, tore up about eighty
OF the ballots that were cast for Aldrich,
but he did not tear up any that were cast
for Plowman. Richard Winter, who was
the official marker to mark ballots for illit-
crate voters at River precinct, No. 10, tes-
tilted that he marked between $50 and 40
ballots. for Mr.. Aldrich, and yet the returns
from tnat precinct snow l6S votes tOr PlOW-
man and only thirty-seven for Aldrich
A. Douglas, who was a Republican cleo
ton manager at Pleasant Hill precinct,
and who has helped to hold elections there
for more than twenty years, testified that
forty-fOur colored men whose names APP
pear upon the certified poll list as having
voted did not appear at the polling place
at all throughout the day. He was asked:
did you know Anderson Vassar and Will
liam Hunter? If so, state whether or not
they went into that polling place that day?''
'rhey are both Dead ne said. II knew
them when they were alive, and / helped
dig the grave for old man William Hunter,
and helped put him in the ground. / think
old man William Hunter has been dead
mighty nigh five years Anderson VasSar
went to Liberia about twenty years ago.
ana died there"
r. M. Riley testified that he was pres
ent at the voting place in Oldtown precinct
during the whole time of the election, and
counted every man that went into the poll
ing place that day, including the election
officers, and that but siXty-three entered.
The vote returned, however. was 134 for
Plowman and seven for Aldrich.
The proprietor of Albert Hotel, in the city
of Galina, showed by his hotel regis
ter the, following names, with residences,
on the dates given: Nov. 2 Claude N. Jones
tilnore. The poll list showed at No 637 Ir-
by Morgan; No 7G, Claude Jones; No. 500
j. j. WilliamS-notwithStan the law re-
quires person to be a resident for a year
before being g legal voter. And it is sim
ply continuous repetition in scores and
scores Of precincts in Dallas and several
other counties.