The Norfolk weekly news. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1888-1900, 1899-10-26

When the legislature meets they gen
orally use that for an investigating
room or to give audience for the COM
mittccs to work IN.
Q.-Wcrc the same parties present
each Of the four nights that you have
mentioned?
A.-Ycs, they were all there.
DO you know who occupied the
room whore those ballots were kept.
Isn't 1t "A fact that Mr.. Starrit of the
secretary of states Office occupied
that room?
A.-No, | wouldn't be positive. lie
might have had a desk there to work
an hour a day or SO.
Ole was not In there in the day
time?
A.-No sir, he had an Office at an
other place.
Q-Thc room that | was speaking
of. You may state whether or not the
same persons were present on all Of
these occasions.
Ayes sir.
Q.-Take Mr.. Edmisten for instance.
Wa he present the whole length of
time?
A.-No, he used to go and open the
door and start the work. and when
we started he would leave.
GLOW long would he stay there?
About an hour or so.
Odd he take part in the mark
ing?
Ayes sir.
Odd you have anything to do
with the ballot boxes in any other
precinct?
A.-The first night we opened the
poll books to see how many votes
were cast, and we found out it didn't
do any good and we didn't have the
ballots to mark up and we didn't open
the poll books any more.
Dust describe what kind of mark
you would make and how?
A.--Well, if the ballot was blank
entirely we would just mark OPP
posite the amendment.
Q.-Was there any effort made in
the marking of the ballots to make
them appear differently as though
marked by different hands?
A.-What | marked | changed the
form of the mark and the other fell
lows as much as took notice of just
went right ahead and had the same
cross all the way through.
GLOW long on the average would
you be engaged in this on the -four
nights you have mentioned?
FIXED YORK COUNTY.
A.-The first three nights. One
night we worked until 2 o'clock. The
last night when we fixed up the York
county ballots we worked until half
past l o'clock, and then two Of us.
| got York county, and two Of us
stayed until morning.
Q.~-Can you name any Of the
ties the ballots of which were mark
ed in this manner?
Ayes sir.
Q.-Namc some of them?
A.-Blaine. Banner, Chase. Dodge,
Brown, keya Paha. Dawson, Gosper,
Keith, Wayne, Box Butte, Mcpherson,
SCOTS Bluff, Cherry.
Q.-How about Harlan county?
A.-Harlan county.
GLOW about Dundy county?
Ayes sir.
Q.-And Sioux?
Ayes sir.
Q.-And York county?
A.-York county was the last.
Q.-And Dodge county?
A.-That was fixed afterwards.
Q.-Iou did fix Dodge county?
A.-The way we fixed that we laid
one precinct on another and counted
them.
Q.-EXplain that again please?
AFTER the legislative committee
took the ballots | got on first as one
of the clerks and it was my place to
open the packages of ballots and the
envelopes and then | would give the
counters the ballots and they would
hand than, hn,lr a, ~, aud MOULD
take half of those and lay them on
the e precinct and send them back
as much as | thought the package
would stand.
On other words you would count
them over several times?
Ayes sir.
Q.-That was done during the ses-
sion of the recount committee?
A.-Ard the legislative committee,
yes.
Q.-The committee was all present?
A.-They didn't know anything Of
Q.-Who did know of it besides
You?
A.-The man we was counting for.
Q.-Who was he?
OBERFELTER A BALLOT FINER.
Al think ii was Oberfelter.
Ole was a member of the COM
mittee?
Ale was a member of the gov
crnor's commission, and after the leg
iSlature started the count the com
mission was all employed as clerks
helping to count them except He'd
lund.
Q.-Do you recognize any of those
exhibits lying before you on the table?
Ayes sir.
OF you were to look at any Of
those could YOU identify them as the
ballots you mad marked2
A,-This package of ballots were
blanks that had not been used at the
polls and we got them down there and
we just marked them for the amend
ment and we put them III.
Q.-Can you explain how they come
to he separate in this matter?
A,-They were put in different
wards.
Q.-In other words you distributed
those uncast ballots?
Ayes sir. They were distributed
and rejected ty the recount people.
Q.-Was there anything done by
uou of trNinu IN affapt tho SIGNATURE