The Indianapolis journal., 1899-01-17
ELECTION LAW SCANDAL
MORE OF THE MADISON AND HAN
COCK COUNTIES DISGRACE.
Corruption Openly Practiced-AIOre
Witnesses Testified that They
Were Bribed.

''Well," said Senator Hugg yesterday, as
the last of the Hancock county witnesses
brazenIy testified that he had received
money for voting the Democratic ticket in
the last election, 'those fellows in Madison
and Hancock counties are more daring about
buying votes than they would be if they
were in Marion county. I never before
heard Of such a thing in my life"
Man after man took the stand yesterday
morning and said that he was a Republican,
but had been bought by the Democrats last
November. The first one was William Jack
son, coored, who said he received SO from
Jim Coffieid' for his vote. He said he
would have cast a Republican ballot had it
not been for this. He further said that in
order to get the money he was required to
have the Democratic clerk make out his
ticket for him. While he was being dick
cred with" he heard another colored man,
named Page, say that he was going to vote
the Republican ticket, whereat Cofield said
he would give him S. if he would vote Tor
the Democrats Page voted that way. The
money, he said, was paid by Coffield at the
fire engine house, where both men went as
soon as they had voted. VERNE Gates, a
native of the county, who said he could
neither read nor write, said he was nineteen
years old and voted the Democratic ticket
on election day. He, too, got some money
for doing so.
N. E. Bradley, challenger in the first pre-
einct of Center township, said he saw from
sixteen to twenty ''hoaters'' voted by the
Democratic workers on election day. and
that invariably the clerk would go into the
booth with the 'foater'' and mark his
ticket, afterward letting the workers outside
know how the man had voted by making
signs to them.
William A. Wood clerk of Hancock coun-
ty, produced the sealed packages containing
the tally sheets and certificates used during
the last election in the sixth, seventh and
eighth precincts of Center township None
of the sheets or certificates were signed, as
they should have been, by all the election Of
hcers, and in the case of the seventh pre-
cinct, where Stoner's attorneys claim he lost
four votes which were cast for him, only
the Democratic clerk signed the papers. The
documents all showed the same figures as
were on the canvassing sheet. The attor-
neys for Stoner objected, however, to either
the sheets or any statement concerning
them being introduced in evidence, as, by
reason of their not being signed, they were
not the best testimony as to whether or not
StoEer had been defrauded out of the votes
claimed. 1t was shown that Stoner's attor-
neyS had already offered q memorandum
signed by all the election officials of the
seventh precinct both Democratic and Re
publican, setting forth that Stoner received
119 votes against Cregors 1l2, whereas the
tally sheet and canVassing sheet, which
were not signed by any of the election Of
icialS showed him to have received only 1l5.
1t was held that the memorandum was
therefore, by reason of being signed, the
best evidence of what he actually did re-
ceive.
Louis E. Kimberln, clerk of the third
precinct of Center township, told Of Berry,
man Whelcher, an old, inflrm and partially
blind man, coming 10 the voting place and
requesting the Republican clerk TO mark his
ballot for him. The Democratic officials
claimed, however, that he was able TO see
and refused TO allow him to vote. This was
held by Senator Brooks to be in violation of
the law, which provides that, on the de-
mand of a voter, it is the duty of a clerk
of elections to mark his ballot for him, on
his own word that he is unable to do so
himself. In explanation of the reason for
the Democratic officials conducting matters
with such a high hand, Kimberlin said:
We'll, Republican don't stand much of
chance there, anyway.
Absolom Humble, with a flowing, white
beard and mild demeanor, took the stand
and at the first attack by Attorney Spen-
cer said he was paid s. for voting the DEM
ocratic ticket, although he had been a Re-
publican ever since the war" and had
never before voted the Democratic ticket.
He was paid, he said, by a man named Full
Ter, who agreed with him to have his ticket
marked by the Democratic clerk as a con-
ttngency upon which the money would be
paid He said in explanation, that he
happened to need little money about cleo
ton time" and Fuller offered 1t and he
couldn't resist. On cross-examination he
admitted that he had also voted at a Dem
Ocratic primary last spring and had re-
ceived money for doing so.
Ernest Rockefeller, who said that, since
j. ID. Rockefeller had refused to recognize
the relationship existing between his fam
lily and the millionaire, he had changed his
name to ROckey, testified that he couldn't
read or write,' had voted the straight DEM
ocratic ticket, was twenty-One years of age,
and expected 10 get some money but
didn't"
Charles Huston the next witness, said he
was truant officer of the county and that
session showed that 'Rockey" was nine
teen years old when the enumeration was
made last spring. Cregor's attorneys OBJ
jected to the Introduction of the books as a
means of determining his age, claiming
that, as his mother was available, she was
the best authority, and that the question
could not be cOnclusiVely determined until
summon Mrs. Rockey TO testify.
Howard Roberts, of Maxwell, said he saw
'hoaters" being run back and forth by
Democratic workers all day" and on sew
eral occasions had been told by the float
erS'' that they had been paid money for
having their ballots marked to vote the
Democratic ticket. In explanation he said
he knew they were "floaters' because he
had worked some of them himself in former
elections
The committee will resume it's session
Wednesday afternoon.
M0RM0NS tn ERFCT d CHITPrH