The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-01-17

Inasmuch as Mr.. Charles H. Knox and J, nj
of the Peace Joseph A. Neumayer have -
certain false and misleading statements DO
gard to the contest held under the auspic
the Volunteer Fire Company of Hamilton
timore county, to determine who was the -
popular gentleman IN the vicinity or Hamhton,S
merous false and misleading statements abut
the hearing of the suit brought by Mr.. Klox
for the value of the umbrella which was award-
ed to Major Catch as the winner of the conest
we deem it a duty which we owe to Ourselves
the public, and to Major Catch, and the gfntle7
men of the committee who canvassed thesotes,
to make statement of the actual facs sur
rounding the whole transaction.
1t is with great regret that we feel compelled
70 make TINS statement, but Il mas oeenrenaer5,
ed necessary by the unprecedented actions and
statements of Mr.. Knox, who brought the suit,
and of Justice Neumayer, who heard tae case.
AT the conclusion of the contest the COM
mittee in charge proposed to Mr.. Kncx and Mr..
Catch that they select judges to coun, the votes,
but each agreed to leave it to the committee,
Messrs. James II. Mitchell and Johl M. Ram
ming, both of whom were friends O Mr.. Knox,
and neither of whom knew Major Catch until
the beginning of the contest, and who there,
upon counted the votes fairly and correctly and
found that Major Catch was the winner by a de-
cided majority. To show that the committee
was absolutely fair and just in its canvass of the
vote one of Mr.. Knox's friends stated that by
mistake he had voted twenty Totes for Major
Catch, instead of Mr.. Knox, 1pon which the
committee Immediately gave Mr.. Knox the
benefit of said twenty votes, still leaving Major
Catch winner. The vote w9s then announced
to the public then in attendance.
At no time prior to the counting OF the vote,
or during or after the counting thereof, did Mr..
Knox or his friends make any protest against
the action of the committee, Or any objection
to the result as announced.
After the canvass of the vote and announce
ment of the result one of Mr.. Knox's friends,
VINO VINO was county employees ana wn9 81 mas s sIhee
policeman, took charge of the ballot-box by
order of Mr.. Knox, and took it from the rooms
where the bazar and supper were being held,
custody control
mittee.
The committee saw nothing of the box until
next evening, when Mr.. Knox came up and de-
manded a recount, when it was found that some
of Major Gatch's votes were missing from the
box.
All of these facts were disclosed at the hear
ing of Mr.. Knox's suit by the testimony of the
witnesses produced by him, among whom were
Mr.. Knox himself and Mr.. Mitchell, one of the
members of the committee who counted the
votes. Further positive testimony to the same
effect would have been given by Mr. Ramming,
Knox also summoned but whom he did not place
upon the witness stand, although processing to
want fair and complete Investigation.
The Fire Company did not produce any wit
ness on its behalf because the witnesses pro-
duced by Mr.. Knox fully established the facts
hereinbefore stated and there was no necessity
for producing any witnesses, and because the
committee did not consider Justice Neumayer
fair, competent and impartial tribunal.
After the recount which disclosed the fact
that considerable number of Major Gatch's
votes were missing, the committee who counted
the votes prepared the following statement:
ITO whom it may oonern We, the undersign-
ed, a committee satisfactory to and chosen by
Mr.. Charles H. Knox and Mr. Thomas Benton
Catch, to count the ballots cast at the oyster
supper and bazar given by the Hamilton Volun-
teer Fire Company for the aforesaid Messrs.
Charles III, Knox and Thomas Benton Catch, to
decide who was the more popular Of the two
county. do hereby certify that the result of the
ballots as counted and announced on the night0f
Thursday, November 6, 1902 was as follows:
Charles II. Knox, l,6l4 Thomas Benton Catch,
1857"
This statement the committee took to Justice
Neumayer and requested him to swear them as
to the truth thereof. This he declined to do and
gave as his reason that he was compelled to sub
nit bills to the County Commissioners, of whom
Mr.. Knox was member, and he did not wish to
be involved in the matter. Whereupon, as it
was not then convenient to go before another
magistrate, it was published without an affidavit.
The prize contest was fairly conducted and the
action of the committee in charge of the ballot
box and the counting of the votes was absolute
-ly fair, correct and regular from beginning to
the end, and they were ordered by the Fire Com
pary to give the prize to the winner, which they
did, and the Company's action in that respect is
fully sustained by the unanimous public opinion
in the neighborhood The case was argued and
submitted to Justice Neumayer on the plain
tiff s evidence and Justice Neumayer himself
stated publicly that he would withhold his de-
csion and decide it in a few days. His duty was
to decide it for the plaintiff or for the defend
ant, and he certainly had no right to enter
Judgment upon the instructions of anyone. If
his absurd decision has been ridiculed by the
lawyers and the newspapers it is his own fault,
and it i'll becomes him to vent his apparent irri-
tation upon the Fire Company or its committee,
much less does it become Mr. Knox or Justice
Neumayer to attempt to reflect upon the fair
ness and integrity of the committee. We can
safely leave that question to the public of our
neghborhood.
The Company desires to state that the conduct
of Major Catch and his friends throughout the
contest has been honest, manly and beyond re-
proach.
On the other hand this Company cannot re-
frain from expressing the opinion. shared by
Knox in bringing suit against US for the value
of the umbrella and in agitating the matter has
been as silly and childish as the decision of the
magistrate was ridiculous.
We heartily thank the public for its kind in
terest in our supper and baZar. and for the gen
erous support accorded to us, and we feel that
in the eyes of the public we need no further
vndication.
THE HAMILTON VOLUNTEER
FIRE COMPANY,