The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-10
OFEICERSMAKE CLAIMS
ELECTION FOR coLoaJEL OF SEC oND INFANTRY.
Emphatic Statements from Officers of Prattville Company-Colonel | Wiley Claims Votes from
 Tuskegee and Luverne.

The returns from the different nili- tsry companies, touching the election for Colonel, will not be canvassed until next Wednesday.
 In reference to the complication over the vote for Colonel by the officers of the Prattville company it is claimed by Colonel Wiley's friends that Major Graves went to Prattville Wednesday, and that while he was personally pres ent the three officers of the company met and agreed to cast two votes for him and one for Colonel Wiley. The friends of Colonel Wiley further claim that after Major Graves left Prattville and returned to Montgomery the off cers of the company, on the same day and dn- obedience to the wishes of the members of the company. met together and in due and legal form, held meeting and cast thedr three votes for Colonel Wiley for Colonel, and that regular returns to that effect were promptly forwarded to the Adjutant- Generals office. If these ballots are counted for Colonel Wiley, his advo- cates claim his election by one major ity. Without these Prattville votes they insist that the vote will be tie, in which event the AuJuldnt-denerdi will determine the contest.
 The officers of the Prattville company do not agree with the friends of Col onel Wiley. Captain Ward and Lieu tenants Archibald and MCCord were in Montgomery yesterday. Captain Ward voted for Colonel Wiley and Lieuten- ants Archibald and McCord voted for Major Graves. They announced last night most positively that the vote of the Prattv.lle company would stand this way. This, they said had been the original official vote sent to the Ad- jutant- General, and they had no desire or right to change it.
 In reference to the telegram which was received in Montgomery ng that Archibald and MeCord would change their votes to Colonel Wiley, Lieutenant Archibald in the presence of Lieutenant McCord, said last night:
 The statement in The Advertiser of yesterday morning that I had charac- terized a telegram sent to Montgom- cry by Lieutenant McCord as forgery does Lieutenant McCord an injustice. I neither wrote nor telegraphed any thing to Montgomery that would in dicate that my name had been signed to a telegram without authority. l simply stated that I knew nothing of lnS ltltS dl ulitlI lhC ii1AI hoS' 'iS signing of the telegram by Lieutenant McCord was caused by lnisunder- standing between us"
 It developed yesterday that although the votes of the officers of the 'Slske- gee Company were mailed Wednesday they had not reached the office of the Adjutant General. It is claimed that the original vote gave Major Graves two and Colonel Wiley one. Colonel Wiley says that
 Lieutenants Outright and Royd of Tuskegee have sent i'll suppplemenra! returns to the effect that they voted for Wiley, which made his vote two and Graves one, but that owing to some sleight-of- hand performance the result was reversed. He says the same state of affairs exists as to the Luperne company and adds that First Lieutenant R. H. Adams has wired the Adjutant General that he voted for Colonel Wiley and protests against his ballot being counted for Major Graves.
 To representative of The Adver- tiser yesterday Colonel Wiley said:
 II regret that any newspaper public ity should have been given 10 these all legged irregularities or questionable practices on the part of any of tho of ficers of the 2nd Regiment in the mat ter or the election or Colonel. particu- larly in advance of the official count which will not take place until next Wednesday. I prefer not to try the case in the newspapers. If have been fairly elected Colonel of tho regiment (and I have every assurance that 1 have been), I most assuredlv expect to be commissioned Colonel. If 1 have not been fairly elected I do not want the office and would not accept the com mission if rendered me Manifestly there are more queer things connected with the contest, which arc to be rep robated, but do not care to discuss them. I regret that the newspapers did not wal until the returns were made public before going into the case. There is, for the present. hound to be more or less guess work as to the correct Status'