The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-12
A MAN, A GUN
AND A BALLOT
At BELMONT
Cause Trouble in the
Pretty Suburb.
CASE OF PIONEER POLITICS
ALMOST A TRAGEDY IN THE
ELECTION BOOTH.
An Official Who Did Not Propose to
Be Bulldozed Carries Terror
Into the Camp of
the Enemy.
ALMOST A TRAGEDY IN THE
ELECTION BOOTH.

1t is conceded that the late campaign
was one of the hottest in the history of
the State but with few mild exceptions
the war was confined to ballots and words.
Strange as it may appear, that quiet,
orderly and aristocratic suburb, Belmont,
where political passions are not supposed
to exist has established the fact that it
is warm number when it comes to
campaign where some of the people are
determined to elect both candidates to the
same Office.
There was little interest taken in the
State ticket. The conflict was along the
trail leading to the Office of Supervisor.
In that district the candidates were Will
lam Brown, Democratic incumbent, who
had the appointing of the election officers,
and J. H. Coleman. BY some accident all
Browns appointments were of the same
political faith except one. and they were
apparently imbued with the idea that the
other fellow had no right to be in the
race.
This belief led to complications before
the machinery of election had ceased run
ming.
The fight In the district was very close
and along in the small hours of the morn
ing it became evident that the fellow who
wanted to be reelected was getting the
worst of it and the unpleasantness began.
The active animosity grew out of the dis
position of FIVE ballots, the genuineness of
which was in doubt. The lone strange
Republican Indian among the 1roquois
braves in that booth insisted that those
ballots should not be counted. Finally
four of the disputed documents were har-
monously passed upon, but the BULLDOG
ing majority went up against hard for
nation when they reached the fifth bal
lot
The lone Republican regarded that inno-
cent looking piece of paper as a delusion
and snare and declared on his honor as a
gentleman that it should not be counted
with his consent. This declaration of
intention engendered democratic wrath
and muscular demonstration thereof, in
which the lone champion of clean politics
was getting worsted in his own building,
wherein was the polling place.
The argument became SO strong that the
lamp was knocked over. threatening the
destruction of the property. This was
enough for the minority. With commend
able haste he hied himself homeward
where he made close connections with
gun and returned to the scene of contest.
His temperance with fire in his eye
and death in his hand was the signal for
the other election officers to rapidly re-
cline The man who felt that his rights
and dignity had been trampled upon was
not Modified by this retreat from the bat
tie ground. The result was that he Sc
lected the man he considered responsible
for the trouble and, chasing him out OF
the hall, gave the fellow some violent ex.
ercise in the, street trying to get out OF
range of a gun in the hands of very
angry man who was also good runner.
Darkness and the other mans speed
prevented tragedy and the polls were
closed without burning down the oullo-
ing. -.
The illustration of how pioneer politics
was done has furnished rich material for
gossip and conjecture IN the pretty SUD
not hitherto been made known TO the
public.