The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-19

Flagrant violations of the laws gov
erning the conduct of election officers
were unearthed yesterday in the off,
cial count of the returns from the
Eighteenth ward. 1t would be not at
all surprising Il the whole vote should
be thrown out.
There were startling discrepancies
found in the return sheets the test of
voters was missing, and from the evil
dence that was adduCed at an inVesti-
cation instituted by court, it would
appear that certain of the officers were
not in u condition to perform their
duties, one having to give up his posi-
tion and put on a substitute as early as
10 o'clock in the morning. 1t was ad-
mitted by the board that outsiders
forced their way in during the pro-
gress of the court and were permitted
to assist in making out the returns;
also that one did all the signing and
attesting Of such of the papers as were
signed
The bitter fight for select council be-
tween Thomas O'Boyle, Independent,
and John j. Hoban, Democrat, was
the cause of the trouble. Attorneys
NJ. J. Donohoe and G. c. Donovan,
representing O'Boyle, who are re-
turned as elected and Joseph O'Brien
representing Hoban, the candidate re-
turned as defeated, indicated by being
present during the progress of the
official count, that the bother was not
unexpected.
IRREGULARITIES APPARENT.
When the Eighteenth ward sealed
return was opened by Comparing
Clark J. Elliott Ross the Irregularities
were at once apparent. The open re-
turns gave O'Bolyle 1856 votes and Ho-
ban 159 votes. The tally list read
O'Boylc 81 votes; Hoban, GA votes.
The triplicate sheet credited O'Boylc
with 80 votes and Hvuan with 26. In
addition to all this it was found that
tn list of voters was missing; that the
forty-five ahidavits which accompan-
led the return, We're. every one, incur
ably defective; that the handwriting
of the signatures on the tripliCate and
tally sheets indicated that all were
made by the one person, and that the
open return sheet was not signed at
all.
When Judge Gunster's attention was
called to the matter he sent for the
sheriff and ordered him to bring in
every member of the election board,
which was made up of Martin Nc
Hale. judge; John McHale and S. A.
Moser, inspectors Patrick Minahan
and w. +. HOsie, clerks; John Jones
and Patrick DouEher, overseers. John
Burns, who was substituted for Nina =
han, when he took sick" was also
summoned
-..-A All were on hand. with the exception
of Jones, at the reconvening Of court
in the afternoon, and the inVestiga-
ton was proceeded with.
Judge Martin McHale and Inspector
John McHale avowed that they knew
nothing of the whereabouts of the list
of voters, but believed it was stolen
after the watchers left. They denied
that they were drunk on the board
or that they had in any other way
violated the laws they had taken an
oath 30 observe
Patrick Minahan said he was APP
pointed clerk by Inspector McHale. and
/ was engaged in performing his duties
when he was taken i'll and had tC
Vacate in favor of Burns. This was
about 10 o'clock in the morning. He
denied that he was drunk that day
but admitted that when he relnuuished
his post on account of illness that he
did not go under a physicians care
but remained about the polls all day
and until the count of the votes was
completed.
MINAHAN EXPLAINS.
When asked what had became of the
list of voters, Minahan said he believed
it was in the ballot box. He re-
membered having helped put it there
He didn't sign any of the returns, bu
supposed that Burns signed them fol
him.
'inority Inspector Moser, who mex
s called to testify, swore that JOIN
! Hale and Minahan were both drunk
.nahan was an intolerable nuisance
fIl day long around the polls, and Me
, Hale was worse. After the watchers
It the list of voters disappeared, h,
aid, and he had cause to suspect tha
1T was stolen. 1t was, he said, The
most disgraceful and corrupt election
that had ever taken place in the ward
AS to the discrepancies in the re
turns, Mr. Moser explained, on cross
examination, that the tally was car
ried to the end of the sheet and footed
up, then it was brought forward t
another sheet, and this being footed III
was carried to a third sheet, whicl
contained the final and correct footing
These extra sheets, he believed, Wer
by mistake locked up in the ballo
box.
William f. Hosie, who was clerk T.
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