The age-herald., 1900-02-06
CONTEST BEGUN IN
 RUSSELL COUNTY Final Hearing by Committee on
 February 21. MANY CHARGES OF FRAUD If it is Found That Sufficient Illegal Votes Were Cast to Change the
 Result the Box May be
 Thrown Out
MANY CHARGES OF FRAUD

Scale, February 5-(SpeciaL) )-The honest electors of Russell county, enraged at the | outrageous methods of certain candidates at the Girard box last Saturday, are de- l termined to right the wrong, and the dem ocratic committee, which met here today, decided to sift the alleged fraud to the very bottom.
 The better element of both factions of the party say that the corruptible element of Girard beat shall not longer control in the politics of the county and the wholesale purchase of votes in that precinct last Sat- urday is scathingly denounced.
 The committee held a very harmonious session today and decided to have @ full and thorough investigation of the charges made by four candidates for county offices that many illegal votes had been cast in the county last Saturday. The contestants are granted till February 15 to gather and sub init their evidence, and the contestees are then given until the 21st to rebuilt it. If it is found that sufficient illegal votes were cast at Girard box to change the re- suit in any county office, then It Is most probable that the whole vote of the pre- circt will be thrown out and a new primary election ordered in the county. This seem-
  and in case it is carried out the next prl- mary will be held under the Pettus primary election law, so that fraudulent young may be reached by the laws of the state and the instigators properly punished.
 The committee Meeting
 The committee met little past noon to- day. Chairman Bellamy calling IL to oruei. Roll call revealed the presence or elgHt ol the ten committeeman present, one having died last week. ,4 1ob,,
 Iii was moved by MT. Bellamy that Johh I2la,,lxstock be elected to represent Jerdng all heat vice Craig, deceased. AS MT. bldch- shock had no recommendation Iroin liie voters of the beat, the motion was Voteo down. ! to g. Messrs. Cloford oI 6tTaru, Torris of rraJyford Starkes of HartSooIo, Delacey of IiatelnechlpDoee, and Pitts oL Osw5chee, voting no; and MessrS. bult ol 0leunville Walker of Uohee and DeSraa- fenreid of Scale, voting yea
 Degraffenreid held the proxy of Chalr- man Bellamy, who resigned, ms hoiilfip@0i0" as sheriff being contested.
 This was a test vote as between the uWo factions in the county. MT. Buft was chosen chairman of tho committee py unanimous vote.
 Judge E. Herndon Gienn, representing Colonel Lymam Martin, attorney Tor r. M. Daniel and E. M. Ragland, contestants for sheriff; H. l.. Dudley, contestant TOT treasurer, and C. O. Martin, comteStant for assessor submitted the following paper. to the committees:
 .,ro the Russell County Executive Com nlittee of the Democratic and Conservative Party: The undersigned respectfully repre- sent to you that am election was neid at Girard hast Saturday, the 3rd instant, under your call tor the nomination of party can didates for county officers and representa- 'tives i'm the next general assembly of Ala bama and for a vote by the legal voters expressiTlg a choice for United States Sen- aItor We, further represent that at said election in Girard there were many votes east by persons who were not citizens oG the said precinct; that many persons voted mora than once, and that there were con- siderable numbers of minors who voted It is difficult matter to even approximate at this time the number of illegal votes these made. But the voucher will be very large. We state these facts upon inform atlon received from trustworthy and re- liable sources and we are convinced fully in our minds that they are true and we will be able to submit a competent and sa satisfactory proof of all these statements. Ir the short time since the closing of said election at Girard we have not been able to have ready the evidence to support these statements, but we can be able to submit such evidence at a very early day. We therefore ask your committee to post poue counting the returns of the Girard precinct to a future day to be named by you and thus afford reasonable time in which to have the evidence before your convention in support of these statements. (Signed) LYMAN w. MARTIN, Attorney for H. T. Ragland.. HI. l.. DUDLEY. 'C. o. MARTIN.
 IF. M DANIEL"