The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-06-22
CUve and Stolen Returns.
Helped to Election by the Devotion of His
Sweetheart
rv rr Hcnrichscn In Chicago Int
w. ITrHu

I'VE ocean,
atysu father?" said Laura BTiIburn.
.e-Hc opened the door for her father az
O'Clock m the morning.
-What is it?' he asked. pulling of
rs. coat and throwing it across "a chair.
-UH0 fs clccted?' she asked, half im-
.aH. Jim Martin. Con Mcclure.
tfarnr HareI and Joe Miller" She
forueI slightly and muttered an im-
rHeut eErlamatIpn
ag- course T know they were elected,
r.- fHey had no opposition. but who
Mas elected sheriff?
n. sill take The official count 20 de-
p.fa.~ Doe replied. and added malicious
rr. with the chances in favor Of Hiram
Folsom
.r don't believe it," said Laura. de-
.Iady. and walked off to her room.
.sHa dome believe &C.. hey2' said Mr.
Wwrn ass ne crept quietly into his
rrr bed TO- avoid waking his wife.
.-HsU see iu the morning"
Benjamin Milburn was the county
clerk of Lacy county, and Laura his
daughter acted as his deputy. as Is
sometimes the custom I'm small cOun-
t.- Uer position I'm "A public office
and o. disposition naturally wiliful gave
r.. au air of independence not COM
m.u with girls OF 20 and she had long
since come to believe that her way was
OBJ. hCet if not the right way
-Hr had shown her independence by
falling iu love with Chris MaplptOn "a
rom- mechanic and although her fa-
thor did not ike Chris. and told her so.
she laughed at parental objections and
declared her intention OF marrying
H.w.
An election for county officers had
taken place in Lacy county that day
ami ut her solicitation Chris had been
q candidate Cor sheriff. The contest
had not been political one, for Sc so
happened that Lacy county was so
usnrvheImiugly Republican that the
Democrats never nominated. a ticket
In making up their slate. as usual.
the Republican managers had succeed
rd I'm selecting FOR all positions. except
that of sheriff men who were able TO
keep down all opposition so that when
chris announced his candidacy for that
position the only contest in The county
came to De that between him and Hi
ram Folsom the regular nominee.
10 had been q spirited contest. Fol-
som was q comfortable farmer OF mid
dIe age. q respectable citizen well
qualified for the position. Besides he
was Che regular nominee of the party.
chris Mapletou lacked several years
of being 80. a great drawback in those
days. but he was active, handsome and
q good mixer and he made a house-tO-
house canvass and was i'm the habit of
saying that If he could vote the prom
Uses he received he would be elected by
q large majority.
Benjamin Milburn. as became the
county clerk. was regular party man.
and his dislike for MapletOn was in
creased by what ne called his bolt. He
used his influence to defeat him. while
Laura, his daughter. never allowed a
man TO leave the clerks Office without
am attempt 90 secure his vote
She had left her fathers office at the
usual closing hour on election day and
the first news OF consequence which
she had received was that which he
brought her on his return home at
O'Clock I'M the morning. While she left
him pretending 60 doubt the accuracy
OF the Information. yet she was by no
means confident OF her sweethearts
election. She thought as she went to
bed.
'f believe Chris IS elected. for If he
been quick enough 10 tell me. 1t may
bc close. but ST the chances were in
favor of Folsom. father would have
claimed his election fat" With this
comforting conclusion she went to
s.eon
Before o'clock next morning the
court house was filed with people anX-
t0us t1 learn the result of the election
for sheriff Various rumOrs were afiOat
as to the cIoseuess Of the contest and
tho friends of each candidate were
claiming q victory But by TO o'clock
the real state of the case became well
understood The unofficial returns
THAI u.s. the reports brought in from
each precinct by volunteer messengers,
and generally admitted to be substan-
tally correct-gave Maplet0n a major
Ity of twenty but there was a
complication. The official returns from
Abingdon precinct. i'm the extreme
northeast corner of The county, had
disappeared. and as this precinct had
ENen Mapieton q majority of fifty-one,
The absence of these returns might de-
fost him.
Tho law provided that one OF The
election judges should convey the re-
turns, juc'nscd ion the ballot box, To the
county clerk. and an attempt had beer
made t1 do this. Jacob Brewer, one OF
the Judges had started for the county
scat after the vote had been canvassed
having I'm charge the box containing
tua returns. He arrived In town about
daylight so drunk ne could hardly sit
h.s horse. and ne had lost the box. He
could not tell when or where he had
lost it and although men had beer
4. B, ri
he had come they had found nothing
and the feeling that the returns hat
been destroyed became general
Nha. effect win the loss OF tht
Abingdon returns h8ve2' was the Ques
iuu fn nearly every mouth, and wher
30 wss told that 10 was 90 be settled hy
inH .auyaSsiur board the friends 81
N70.0t0u were dcspoudcnt and tl'
friends of Folsom were corresponding
.y fgHdaut
'h" rauv1ssing board consisted o
i0" county clerk and two justices O.
i.. peace selected by him. and as the.
Won. #' friends of the regular nom
"'" The result of their action i'm th
case n. the missing returns could no
Do" doubted.
Formal announcement was mad
from tH" court house steps that at
O'Clock the canvass of the vote woul,
begin i0 the court room. and MspIetol
.". bis friends held a hasty meeting
i' determine upon their course.
What DO YOU suppose has become @
.'' abingdon roturus?" asked Charli
leach. bright young lawyer. who hat
.1 retained by Mapleton to represen
.'l before the canvassing board.
DON'T know" said Chris. IL
brewer dropped them on tho road som
ono would have found them am
drought them iH, unless If was ono o
10y enemies, iu which case the box wa
'.l aa.od or destroyed I am OF IN
-.mo0. however that some one way
.i Brewer got him drunk and stol
". box. I'm either event the return