The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-13
BALLOTING IN HANCOCK
ELECTION SCANDALS AT GREENFIELD
AIRED YESTERDAY.
A. C. Harris Brings to Light, in the
stoner-CregOr Contest, Some
of the Conditions.

The Senate elections committee took up
the Hancock county end of the Stoner-
| Cregor contested election case yesterday
and listened TO witnesses of a different char
/! acter than those who testified the day be-
fore. As two lines of evidence were entered
into, it was difficult to determine to what
extent either side had gained, as neither
line apparently was completed yesterday.
All the attorneys for Stoner took hand in
conducting the case, although from his ia
miliarity with the county and his personal
knowledge of the witnesses Attorney Huff
was largely in evidence. At one point Adj
Olson c. Harris. the newly appointed min
lister 10 Austria-Hungary, conducted affairs.
Throughout the proceedings there was
constant wrangling between the attorneys,
which at one point became so fragrant that
Senator Brooks administered a reprimand
to them. 1t was not possible to complete
the work mapped out by the committee by
7:15 last night, and the testimony of one
witness was interrupted TO allow the ses-
sion to adjourn until this afternoon.
The first attempt of the Stoner faction
was to show that a conspiracy had existed
to doctor the canvassing sheet made out
by the clerk of Hancock county. William
A. Wood, present clerk of Hancock county,
said that the eanvassing sheet came to him
when he came into office and that he had
brought it with him to court He was posi-
tive that there had been no changes in it
since it came into his possession, as it had
been kept under lock and key all the time.
Attorney Huff then asked him to state how
many votes had been cast for the different
candidates for joint senator as shown by
the totals on the sheet, but Judge Ballard,
for Cregor, objected, claiming that the can
vassing sheet was not in the nature of
competent evidence. He held that the law
required that the best evidence should be
submitted and that therefore the original
tally sheets were the best evidence and
should be introduced if that sort of testi-
mony was to be handled at all.
Senator Brooks here expressed the opin-
ion that under some circumstances he would
look on the canvassing sheet as competent
evidence for the reason that he had had
some experience in joint senatorial elections
and had found it to be the rule that tran
scripts taken by sheriffs of different coun-
ties to the sheriff of the oldest county from
which the senator was to be elected were
almost invariably taken from the canvass
ing sheet and were considered absolutely ac-
curate. After considerable discussion among
the attorneys and the senators it was finally
| agreed to admit the sheet in evidence. Wit
ness Wood then read from the sheet that
the certificate of the vote made out by
the board of elections was: Cregor, 24S0;
Stoner 2,O6S; Leary, 49,
At this point Mr.. A. G. Harris said it
would be shown that the vote in the Sew
enth and Eighth precincts of Center town
ship had been changed on the canvassing
sheets. In the Eighth precinct, where
Stoner received 116 votes, the sheet showed
that he had received 106. Continuing the
| county clerk read that the footings of the
columns as shown by the sheet were: Gre
| gor, $3.50; Stoner. 207S; Leary, SO.
Attorney Huff then produced d deposition
signed by Jacob II. Cook, an election judge,
to the effect that Stoner had received four
more votes in Center township than he had
| been credited with on the returns. This,
together with the sheet, was formally placed
in evidence and another phase of the ques-
| ton was taken up.
MARKS ON THE BALLOTS
Oak S. Morrison, poll clerk of the third
precinct of Center township, said that he
knew of from fifteen to twenty ballots that
had been marked by the Democratic clerks
on election day, and that all but one of
He then told of some trouble that occurred
in the voting place because, as it was al
legged the Republican sheriff said he saw
the Democratic challenger make signs to
! party workers outside through an open win
! dow, and that it was believed that the men
| who asked to have their ballots marked by
| the clerk on the plea that they did not
| know how to read or write did so in order
| to receive money for voting the Democratic
| iG hnWQWpT i
! rect on any point.
VIM. r. MCGOWAN, Republican committee
man, said he saw Robert Bennett, the DEM
| ocratic challenger, make signals to people
! outside, and that among the latter were
| County Central Committeeman Felt, who
| was present yesterday and grinned as Nc
| Cowan made the remark. He said he re-
| monstrated about the open window, because
! it afforded such fine opportunities for sig
| mailing, and ordered that blinds be put over
! II. This was done, but within a few min
| utes they were down again. only to be or
! dered up again as soon as he noticed their
! absence. MCGOWAN, too, was at sea when
| asked TO specify what the signals were and
| who the "hoaters" were that voted under
| the signal plan of remuneration.
John Weber, sheriff of the precinct, said he
! saw a man named Scott going back and
| forth to the window making signs. He pro-
| tested about it, and, without waiting for
| any ones authority, covered up the window,
| which was later ordered closed by Nc
Cowan. On one occasion he saw a man
| meet another man after he had voted, and
! as he put 1t, take something out of his
| pocket and hand it to the other man, who
! took il and put it in his own pocket" What
| the something was, however, he was unable
! ia say.
| The next witness was Joseph Hamilton
! and he displayed a fine knowledge of ward
| politics and the current tricks to secure
| votes He said he was a Democrat but had
worked for Stoner. During the latter part
| of his testimony he refused to answer a
| question regarding his relations with
| Stoner. and left the stand for half an hour
| He said he had talked before election with
| about twenty people who had told him that
! they could get money by having the poll
| clerks mark their ballots for them. He
| could not remember their names, but said
! he had a list Of them at home. He Temem-
! bered that one of the men had told him
! he had arranged to have his ballot marked
! for a price. and that the required signal
! was not given when he came from the Vot-
] ing place. On the strength of this showing,
! he said, Leander Jenkins, who was the
! financier of the outfit, refused to pay the
price agreed upon. This led TO wrangle
/ in which the voter said that he had not
! asked the clerk to mark his ballot but that
! he had voted the ticket, and. as a proof of
! it, he said that he had marked both the
| plOW and the rooster. At this Judkins. he
claimed, said that. as he had lost his vote
by not letting the clerk mark his ballot, he
had nothing coming to him.
During the crosS-examinatiOn, by Judge
Black Hamilton was asked if Stoner gave
him any money to work for him, and Ham
ilton replied that he couldn't say that he
ever did particularly" Additional attempts
to extract the same informant brought
e TT.a,