The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-03-08
SOME DISCREPANCY FOUND
BETVEEN ELECTION RETURNS and
RECOUNT BY COMMIITEE,

Senate Contested Election Committe,
Begins Recount In Averill-CaIIahar
COntest-NItstaIke of Twelve Vote.
Found in Recount of First and Second
Ward Ballots Mistake Said to be In
Favor of MIR. .Callahan-Com tc
Continue Work To-day.
The senate committee on contested
elections yesterday afternoon began the
recount of the ballots cast in New Ha-
ven for state senator at the last cleo
tion. The committee began work at
2:15 and adjourned at $50. During that
Second wards We're counted. Although
the committee would not state definitely
last night the number of ballots cast in
both the First and Second wards for
Mr.. Averill and Mr.. Callahan, it was
learned on reliable authority by rep
resentative of this paper that in the re-
the discrepancy in the count of the bal
lots of the other thirteen wards contin-
ues in the same ratio as that found in
the recount of the First and Second
wards, there will be a total difference
of about ninety ballots for senator as
counted by the committee and as GER
titled to in the official returns filed with
the town clerk.
According to the official returns, Mr..
Callahan received a majority of 124, and
while no member of the committee
would state in whose favor the discrep-
ancy, already found, was it was learned
from other and reliable sources that the
discrepancy favored Mr.. Callahan.
The members of the committee were
very reticent when asked as to the re-
suit of the recount of the two wards.
Senator Smith was found with Mr..
Averill at the Hotel Tontine and stated
in answer to questions that the boxes
containing the ballots cast in the First
and Second wards were not resealed af-
ter the recount and another member of
the committee told the janitor of the
city hall that so far as the committee
was concerned these ballot boxes might
be thrown out into the street, as the re-
count was completed and was correct.
Senator Hall, chairman of the commit
tee. was seen later in the evening and
stated that no official information re-
garding the recount would be given out
by the committee until after the recount
was completed.
The committee will resume the re-
count at o'clock this morning and VIII
begin to-day on the Third ward. Sena-
tor Smith thought last night that the
committee would be occupied at least
week In the counting and Senator'S Hall
and Whitlock were of the same opinion,
The committee on arriving at city
hall yesterday, went down to the ballot
box room with Town Clerk Brethauer,
Janitor Schappa of city hall, and Pa
trolmen Dunlap and Hayes. The mem
bers Of the committee went ahead and
the other members of the party fol-
lowed On arriving at the door of the
room in which the boxes have been kept,
the committee made careful eXamina-
tion of the locks and seals on the door
and found these apparently all right.
The door having been opened, with Off
cial sanction, the members of the COM
mittee proceeded to examine the interior
of the room to see if any evidences of
breaking in to tamper with the boxes
could be found. 1t was found that while
the room was apparently securely lock-
ed. the partition on one side, separating
the room from the rest of the cellar of
city hall was of thin seven-eighth inch
material which could have been easily
removed and replaced.
The door leading into the room was
sealed by paper strips and apparently
securely locked. Three bars of iron
were placed across the door, a slot at
each end of the bar being placed over
staple and padlocks then locked into
the staples over the end Of the bars.
THE committee found, however, that the |
points of the staples were not clinched |
on the inside of the room, where they |
nrotruded through, but were simply |
driven through and could have been
easily withdrawn and placed back in the
same holes.
On examining the boxes, the commit
tee found that the seal over the box of
the Fourth ward was broken, the strip
of paper used as seal being broken
entirely across. This was accounted for
by Town Clerk Brethauer by saying
that contra ction of the damp mucilage
on the paper Udu CiuScu liiC piSdh'
Other seals were found similarly broken.
When the members of the committee
arrived at city hall they found Patrol
man Dunlap on guard at the ballot box
room in the basement. After the room
and the boxes had been examined, two
boxes. those of the First and Second
wards, were ordered carried to the al
dermanic chamber upstairs, where the
recount was to take place. Patrolman
Dunlap was placed on guard In the an
te-room of the aldermanic chamber,
and on being asked if he did not desire
a policeman to be present in the room
with the committee, Chairman Hall re-
piled: mo; we want no one in this
room but members of the committee"
Patrolman Hayes was left down in the
basement to guard the room while Dun
lap acted as sentry to the aldermen's
chamber After the two boxes, men
toned above, had been removed from
the room in the basement, the COM
mittee closed the door of the ROOM
locked 1t and seals of paper slips We're
placed over the edge of the door and
on these seals certain marks were plac-
IN fl,o sell 80 I, c