The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-01-23
and the marking off OF the Democratic
and Prohibition tickets, all done in

ana tne marking OIL OIL the DemOcrauc
and Prohibition tickets. all done In
black Ink, were the only marks that
we're upon that ticket when the election
commissioners counted 1t. and yet that
ticket now has the name of Brohard
erased md that OF Dent written over It
In purple with an indellble pencil, and
In handwriting wholly different from
that which penned the name OF Cow
herd upon the same ticket In Ink, and
the election officers swore that the
name OF Dent and the erasure of Bro
hard's name In indellble pencil wns not
upon that ticket when they inspected 1t
upon the night Of the election. The
commissioners of election at Grafton
precinct No. testified also to the alb
scnce of Indelible pencils. and the pres
ence Of pen and ink only, in the booths
at their voting place. and also to the
fact that none Of the ballots was
marked with indeliblc pencil when
they counted them. and to the furthc.
fact that Brohard was scratched but
little at that precinct.
III Same Handwriting.
The commissioners at Grafton pre-
clnct No. 6 deposed that Brohard was
scratched only five times at their vot-
ing place, and yet the ballots have been
changed to make Mr.. Brohnrd lose
thirty-fve votes there, and changed In
the same handwriting as that which
made the changes In the other pre-
cincts. and In n handwriting entirely
foreign to the other changes made upon
some Of the same tickets as to other Of
iices than that OF delegate. The COM
missioners from court house precinct
No. ., where Mr.. Brohnrd now loses
thirty-four votes. testified that he was
scratched there not to exceed four
times, at most, and they We're firmly
convinced that It was not that many
times. And so 1t went all the way
through. and so Interesting did tho in
vestigatlon become, and so dangerous
to the apparent purpose OF the commit
tee. acting. no doubt, as it was. under
instructions to report in favor of Dent,
that all further proceedings were cut
short by the committee on Saturday
night, Notwithstanding the protest OF
Brohard's counsel that they had abund-
ant other evidence to submit. They
were not permitted to do so. So unex-
pected and surprising was the testl-
mony furnished by Brohard Of n
fraud upon the ballot, that the COM
mittee who had evidently anticipated
that no such evidence could be produce
ed, simply turned tail and ran away
from further disclosures.
Justice Refused.
As sample of their conduct, counsel
for Rrohard insisted upon the right to
place the ballots that were claimed to
have been fraudulently changed into
the hands Of the election commissioners
on the witness stand and let them say
whether the ballots had undergone any
change since they were counted by
them on the night of the election This
course was bitterly resisted by counse!
Tor Dent and the objection time and
again sustained by the Democratic ma
Jority of the committee, until at last in
an uRguarled moment and under
strong pressure and heated comment OF
counsel for Brohard. the committee
weakened and permitted it to be done.
But no sooner had the committee heard
these election officers testify that these
changes from Brohard to Dent made
with indelible pencil on the Republican
tickets had been placed there by sorne--
body since they first counted them, and
no sooner did they hear these witnesses
detail the characteristics of the several
tickets that impressed upon their mind
ana corroborated their statements than
the Democratic contingent on the
committee sprang to their feet and re-
versed their ruling and refused to per-
nit any more ballots to be seen by the
witnesses, and this excited reversal
came when only the fourth ballot had
been handed to the witness. Evidently
the witnesses evinced entirely too mucl.
familiarity with the tickets. and too
good n recollection OF the amount of
scratching done n their respective pre-
cincts to sui. the purposes of the COM
mittee. and henca they throttled all
furthe- investigation at that point and
hastily adjourned sine die without
permitting the Introduction OF any
more evidence. They literally ran
away. for they suddenly adjourned
without notice. at the most interesting
stage of the investigation and hurried
~ fled from the scene, of their mock
inquiry upon the first train, which lcrt
within an hour after adjournment.
But before the adjournment tho,
Democratic chairman of the committee
pronounced these fraudulent tickets.
suspicious ballots" and before going
to the train the same gentleman ul-
mitted his belief that the tickets had
been tampered with. This being true
an anxious and honest public will whit
with interest to see what recommenda-
tion this committee will make as to
seating Mr.. Dent. whose only claim 10
the seat is by virtue OF these 'susnI-
cious ballots" and tickets that have
been tampered with"