The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-01-23
Special Dispatch to the 1n,elllreneer.

Special Dispatch to the IntclliGencer.
GRAFTON, Jan. 22.-Again the bal
lots OF Taylor county cast at the re-
cent election hava been firted with by
Democratic canvassers In order to seat
n Democrat In the legislature and secure
IL Democrat for United States senator,
and the second proceeding was as farcl-
cal as the first.
Fl. F. Brohald, Republican. was un-
seated IN the, house of delegates by Il
Democratic majority because his Ger
ti!icate of election was signed by only
one member Of the county board of can
rassers and with all their boldness and
unblushing effrontery the Democrats,
without some pretext, could hardly seat
Dent. his opponent, upon q certificate
of the same sort, which was the only
kind he had, So to seemingly justify
that which they had already predeter-
!niEad to do, subcommittee OF two
Democrats and one Republican was Sc
lected from the Legislative committee on
privileges ard elections and sent here
to make a pretended investigation as
TO who was elected. and go back and re-
port In favor Of Dent. In pursuance
of this purpose the two Democratic
members of the subcommittee, after
arranging with the Republican, mem-
Der to leave Charleston Friday morning.
hurciedly departed themselves for this
place on Thursday, arriving here in
company with Messrs. Brannon and
Pest, counsel for Dent. that night. and
by the time the Republican member of
the committee. and Mr.. McClintock, OF
Charleston. counsel for Brohard, got
here on Friday evening the Democratic
members of the committee had COM
pleted one days work and had taken
Gost Of the testimony in the absence
no; on" of Brohard and his counsel. but
actually In the absence OF the only Re-
publican member of the committee.
The Changed Ballots.
About 10 o'clock Friday night the
Committee began an inspection and re-
count of the ballots in the precincts
where the returns were SO startinGly
and ridlculously changed by the former
recount, and whatever the committee
mag report to the legislature or that
body may do as 10 seating either Dent
o" Brohard. one thing Is forever and
unerringly established by this iaspec-
ton, and that is that the ballots in those
precincts were feloniously changed in
favor OF Dent after they were returned
fS the election officers. The hand
writing In which these fraudulent
changes were made Is so easily detected
in all the five precincts that novice
~ * Ia t,tf 81. 1.
ballots we're scratched by the voters
and which have been fraudulently
changed So feeble was the effort or
ability 10 disguise the Handwriting that
SIX men OF prominence here, standing
ny at the time, upon being separately
asked By the prosecuting attorney 10
identity the penmanship and name the
perpetrators, all unhesitatingly named
the same persons. These ballots Will
De Photographed and vigorous prose-
cul!oA OF the suspected parties will be
oeSun At the next term of the circuit
court. and to that end arrangements
nave been made to bring an expert here
from New York In the next few days to
compare specimens OF the handwriting
or the suspected persons. which are In
the possession OF the prosecuting attor-
heS, with the handwriting on the fraud
'''tb anu tIcII iblill lft re-
suit o. his investigations 10 the grand
jury.
The Accusing Pencil Marks.
The election officers of Knottsville
precinct No. .. commonly called Roster
school house, testified that there we're
no indellhle pencils at their voting
place. but that on the contrary the
booths were furnished with pen and
Ink only, that every ballot cast there
was marked with ink. and that there
was positively not the mark of an In
uelbIe pencil upon any ballot counted
oF them election night. They testified
further that there was not a Republican
flcKet passed through their hands TINT
night that had the name of Brohara
scratched off. and no other name writ
ten In It's place: and. moreover. that
Srohard was positively not scratched
more tftan oHce or twice, fr at aft, at
their precinct. And In corroboratlo
o' their testimony the ballots them
selves snow In every instance that the
Two tickets not voted on each ballot
were marked of by the voter with in,;
and all names scratched off on the tick
cts voted were scratched of with ink.
ana all names substituted thereon by
the voter were written In ink. And yet
on these same tickets the name OF Mr.
Dent appears written upon the Rc,llb-
licln ticket over the name OF Mr., Rro-
hard. erased. both erasures and Ipler-
l!neatlons being mnde With an indelibla
pencil whose bright purple lines stand
6Ht Ike The mark Of Cain. In sharp con-
trast 20 the Egyptian darkness Of the
Ink which marks the rest of the tIcke;
And the came hand that wrote the
name OF Dent upon the Republican tick
cts over TINT Of Brohard with an indcl-
iblc pencil at Rosters wrote It In nlsn
at the nthc: fou" precincts. This Is
plainly alseernlbie.
\ Dead Give Away.
One ballot In particular was shown
mn election commissioner on the Wit
ness stand. 1t had the Democratic and
Prohibition tickets welt marked off
With the blackcst OF Ink. ana on the
Republican ticket In the place OF the
regular Republican candidate for
school commissioner the voter had writ.
t"n In with Ink the name Of j. W. Cow.
nero. tn" commissioner testified that.
n" dlatinctly remembered that ballot
nrcausc Mr. cowhcrd waH not u can.
"luhlc ana was not voted for by any
"'h'r voter and for that reason that
Mchct was impressed upon his mind. and
me witncHa was positive beyond an
un"umt That the substitution of Cow
'-'a name Tor school commissioner