, 1898-12-02
ELECTION CONTEST
FRAUD CHARGED BY REPUBLI-
CANS IN SWEETWATER
COUNTY.
Tally Sheets Tempered With in County
Clerks Office and Vote of Green
River For David Reavill Increased
Giving Him One Majority Over Jo-
seph Iredale


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more prazen anu uhscrupuious an-
tempt 10 perpetrate a frau upon n
peopie mas never oeen dnaoe IN the state
than mas come to light IN sweetwater
county Dull we are gia 10 De aple TO
say that 1t was not the work OF the can
WASHING hoaru' put was contaminated
III a ciandestine ann by some scouh-
Trel or wno han access 10
the returns n ana
changed them after the ooard had de-
clared the result and pefofe the second
COUNT "h-ch was suDsequently "aue'
inns attempt was made In bhe county
OF SweetWater 10 u IN the demo-
cratic candidate tor state
DAVID "A. heaV1il and TO OUT the
republican CANDIDATE Joseph ireoale'
by 'the clumsy device OF adding one
taly IN Green friVer precinct 70 those
credded 10 MT. ReaVlia' ana mus thro"-
ing the tally sheet out oil balance, not
only with Its footlng ana WIN the
certihcafes OF the Judges OF eiection
contained N the same DOCK, but also
with the other poll book, tally sheet
election returns OF said precinct "hlch
was retained by the Judges OF eiection,
as Is required by law.
ihe node OF procedure IN the case
was as follows:
Inc OIL county commissioners
met on november lotn' canvasseo the
vote or the county completing thelr
work all but signing their abstract. by
this canvass II appeared Una the Vote
on state senator was a ue, ana nat
ousten, a republican eandidate Tor
county commissioner, was defeated.
On h 18th Mr.. outsen came to Green
River from Rock Springs and accused
the board OF counting him out, saying
that he had received l9l votes in North
Roc Springs precinct, and the can
wasting board a only given him
credit Tor VI. The % examined the
returns, n found that Outsen, IN the
certf1cate. was said to v VI votes,
but the tally sheet showed that he a
received l9l. The board ordered the
Judges OF tina precinct TO come INTO
Green River and correct this mistake.
Afterwards they consulted County At
torney Chiles' n were advised by him
that the boaru or "a a
right to correct a plain, manifest cler-
ical error themselves and TO consult the
tally sheet for that purpose. The board
reassembled on the 18th nor that pur-
pose. On meeting, a telegram was re
ceived, purporttng to nave been sent
by Mr.. Chiles. who, in TACT, did not
send such telegram. The message in
structed the board to be guided by the
tally sheet n not by the certificate
in ALL cases.
The returns from the several pre-
cincts a een opened between the
10th and the 18th and had been ex-
amined and handled by a great many
people. On two days, h 10Th and 18th,
Mr.. Preston and other leading demo-
Gratis a these BOOKS IN the county
clerks office.
On making the recanvass, counting
the tallies and not the certificates, 1t
was found that In Green River precinct,
ReaviN had 164 tallies. although the
taiiies were footed at the end OF the
column as 1853, and the certificate OF the
judges at the. end OF the book stated
that he a 153 votes. The gave
him credit for l64 votes, thus electing
him by n majority.
An examination of the book which
was retained by the precinct officers
disclosed the TACT that In 1t Reavill had
only 1853 tallies, and everyone of them
insisted that when they sealed up their
returns only 1853 tallies appeared to
the credit o Reavif, and that. II che
book In the county clerks possession
now showed that he had received l64.
someone a d a tally after the
book was opened in the county clerks
office.
This attempt has caused deep and