The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-24
CLAIM OF CREGOR MEN
ALLEGED ERRORS IN THE TALLY
SHEET IN ONE PRECINCT.
stOner's Majority, 1t Is Claimed,
yesterdays Testimony.

During the two hours in which testimony
was heard by the Senate elections commit
tee last evening, no damage was done TO
the Stoner interest. Most of the time WIS
spent by the attorneys for Cregor in arguing
before the committee the right to bring
In all the voters of the entire seventh pre-
cinct Of Elwood, where, it is alleged, that
what was given on the tally sheets as a
majority for s oner should properly have
been reversed, so that Cregor's vote would
be Stoners and Stoner's should have been
Cregor's. The allegations presented by the
Cregorites was that the tally sheets showed
that Stoner received 100 votes in the pre-
cinct and Cregor received only "a, while the
real vote should have reversed these figures
exactly.
In arranging for the citing of authorities
the committee allowed each side to use
twenty-five minutes in argument. This led
to quite discussion between counsel and
the committee as to what constituted the
best evidence as to the way vote was cast
lii an election Judge Ballard claimed that,
as the Australian ballot law purposely pro-
vided for the destruction of the original ball
lots, the word of the voter himself was
then to be considered as the best evidence.
This was combated by the committee, the
members of which felt that while that point
held good under the old system, under
which the original ballots were preserved,
the new election law had changed all this,
and it was therefore to be presumed that
the tally sheets were final and conclusive
evidence of how the votes were cast. no
decision was reached as to the admissability
of the evidence of all the voters, and the
committee adjourned to consider the matter
before allowing Stoner's attorneys to pre-
sent their argument against it, Several of
the attorneys on the Cregor side claimed
there were no authorities touching on the
case under the new election laws, but the
members of the committee feel that as the
law mas been in force in several states Tor
nearly ten years, it is extremely likely that
no Supreme Court has yet rendered a deci e
sion in contested elections.
Albert II. hoffman, Democratic election
clerk of the third precinct of Center town.
ship, Greenfield, said that John McGregor
came TO his precinct to vote on election day
and said he wanted to vote the straight
Republican ticket. In spite of the protests
of the Democratic officials, he was allowed
10 vote, the Republican clerk marking ms
ballot for him. Charles Albert Clark, city
marshal of Greenfield, said he had had "a
private talk with Stoner in the Masonic
Temple, and that Stoner had told him that
when he took his seat as senator he in
tended to have the truant officer law
changed so that 1t would add 500 year
to witnesses salary and that If he would
agree to work for his election he would lose
pOthing by so doing.
l.. e. Connor, of Anderson, said he was
Democratic poll book holder during the last
election and had checked off the name Of
Horace Hooser, colored, who claimed,
couple of weeks ago, that he had been pre-
vented by the Democrats from voting. the
witness said Hooser came into the polling
place shortly after o'clock and he sup
posed that he voted. although he could not
say so positively. John E. Davis, Repub-
lican poll book holder of the same precinct,
also testified that he checked off 1ooser,
who had probably voted When asked by
Attorney Greenlee, however, TO name
others whom he had checked off, at that
time, the witness said he could not remem-
Der any of them, although admitting that
ard was we'll acquainted in the precinct.
William Boland, of Anderson, said he was
member of the Democratic county central
committee and knew Horace Hooser ana
that Hooser had solicited him to buy his
vote several times on election day, put that
he refused to do so. He further said he had
bought no votes al all, nor had he arranged
with anyone to buy any.
BENJAMIN Willis, colored, said he moved
from Carthage to New Castle about Oct. D,
but left his clothes and valuables at Car
thage He said he had been pooled to
vote there and had notified the Republican
committee that he intended to return and
vote in Carthage. on election day he was
driven over in a carriage and voted. lie
still claims Carthage as his home.
Frederick Seelin, field superintendent of
gas lines for the Pittsburg Steel Company
at Elwood said he was a delegate to the
nominating convention and had met John
Brewster several days before it occurred.
Brewster asked him if he ad made any
arrangement by which his expenses in at
tending the convention were to be paid, ana
he said that he had not, and that mo one
had any strings to him" Brewster never
made any offer to pay his expenses nor cid
any one else.
E. o. Newhouse, of Elwood, was also
delegate to the convention and said that he
met Stoner at Upton, while on his way to
the convention at Greenfield, and that
Stoner took the delegation to dinner at his
expense and bought tickets for himself and
witness to Greenfield. He said none of these
things had any weight in making him vote
for Stoner, whom he had known for years
and would have supported anyhow He
later said that Attorney Broadbent of the
firm of Griffin & l}roadbent, ef Elwood,
called on him last Thursday and told him
that it was generally known that Stoner
used money in the convention, and that if
he would go to Indianapolis and testify
that he knew that money had been used by
Stoner he would be paid $50 or $25. On fur
Their examination he said that Broadbent
consorted with all political parties and had
even been known to vote the Prohibition
ticket.