The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-11-11
ALLEGED RBPEATERS
Five Men Held For fraudulent
Voting in Philadelphia.
SAID TO Be FROM WASHINGTON.

It Was Testified To That the Men. Four
OF Whom Are Presumably Governs
msnt Employees. Were Sent to Phlla-
dslphia by Police Lieutenant.
Philadelphia, Nov. 11.-As the re-
suit of O. newspaper Investigation fve
men, all residents of Washington, d.
c., arrested Tuesday night, were
yesterday held In ball for court on the
charge Of repeating, impersonating
election officers and making fraudulent
returns. The defendants are John f..
6heehan, r. NJ. Dinkert. William
Cook, Harry McCabe and George Kirk
land. All but one are said to DO In
the governments employ.
It developed that Kirkland had been
employed by the newspaper mentioned
to enter tho conspiracy. He was tho
principal witness. and bail In his case
was fixed at $1,000, the others being
required to furnish $500. The tes-
timony involved several prominent
Republican politicians in this city and
q lieutenant Of capital police at Wash
ington.
The alleged fraud. 1t was sworn to,
was accomplished in the Thirteenth d.
vision Of the Seventh ward, and the
election papers of this division were
produced In evidence. The returns
showed vote of 337 for Colonel
James e. Barnett, the Republican can
didate for state treasurer, and 5 for
william 7. Greasy. the Democratic
candidate.
Kirkland, who at the time of his ar
rest said his name was George
Wright, described the trip from Wash
ington to this city Of the alleged re-
peaters on Monday night. He then
related In detail all that happened
from the time of their arrival until
their arrest at the railroad station on
election night On Tuesday morning.
he said, he and William H. Cook went
to the house Of Deputy Coroner Sam
,el Salter. accompanied by Lieuten-
ant Joseph G. Rodgers, Of the capital
police. Lieutenant Rodgers, Kirkland
declared, was in charge Of the party
when 1t left Washington. At Salter's
house they met the Deputy Coroner
and John Silverman, one of the cleo.
tion inspectors. Continuing, the wit
ness said:
"Salter handed US a number Of bal
lots, folded and sealed. and told us
they were to go in the box as soon
as we got tn the polling place. On
our arrival there Silverman and Cook
unlocked the boxes and we put the
ballots In. There were about 200 I
judge"
kirkland then said that he acted as
minority inspector under the name OF
Clarence McCabe, the regular inspec-
tor, and that Cook impersonated q. e.
Rankin, the Judge of the election.
During the afternoon, witness assert
ed, Is additional votes were marked
by Cook and Sllverman and placed In
the box. The last "a voters were
handed specimen ballots, which, wit
ness thought, were destroyed after the
POLLS. He said 124 votes were actually
cast and that the number returned was
$3.50 of thereabouts."
Kirkland said he acted in the mat
ter at the instigation of R. M. John
son, a newspaper reporter. He was
raid SIS for his work at the polls by
Lieutenant Rodgers, he said.
William Hamilton, the Judge of cleo
ton, testified that he was unable to
officiate owing to illness and to the
fact that in order to do SO he would
have to resign his position as laborer
in the postoffice. The clerk of the
hotel at which the Washington men
stopped Monday night said the bill
was paid by prominent local Re-
publican politician.
R. M. Johnson. newspaper reporter,
testified that he was in Washington
last Sunday. He saw Kirkland there
on that day and also on the train en-
route to this city the following day.
Counsel for the prosecution an
nounced that in view ofsthe evidence
he would ask for warrants for several
others who had been implicated and
that he would demand the extradition
of Lieutenant Rodgers,