The La Jara chronicle. (La Jara, Conejos County, Colo.) 1896-19??, 1904-11-25
ELECTION FRAUD
PUNISHED BY SUPREME COURT
Denver Election Officials Sentenced to
Imprisonment and Heavy Fines
Found Guilty Of Contempt of Court.

Denver. Nov. 20.-The Colorado Su-
preme Court yesterday decreed Jail
sentences and heavy fines for three
Denver election officers for violations
of the injunction OF the court in regard
to the recent election.
Michael Dowd acted as Democratic
constable on election day in Ward Z.
Precinct s. He was convicted of yio-
lating the Supreme Courts injunction
with respect to the appointment of an
election clerk. His sentence was sixty
days in the Denver county Jail and he
was fined in addition $3.50. to stand
committed until the fine Is paid.
Thomas Shepardson and Peter Miller
clerk and judge of election in the same
ward and precinct, respectively, were
sentenced to one year in the Denver
county Jail and fined 81 1000 each, to
stand committed until the fine is paid.
Following is the report of the case as
given in the Denver Post:
THE frauds for which three men
were sentenced yesterday were commit
ted in the polling place in the Seventh
ward of precinct eight at 433O Jose
phine street. 1t was testified at the
trial that the trouble had begun before
the polls opened on election day in
mix-up over the swearing in of the
clerks of the election. Before o'clock
the Republican judge, Frank Newton.
appeared with Samuel Lucas. whom he
offered as his candidate for the posi-
tion of clerk, as provided by the stat
ute. Peter Miller and his brother.
William, who were the Democratic
judges, did not pay any attention to
him except to say that he was too late.
They announced that Republican
clerk had already appeared and intro
duced Thomas Shepardson, one of the
defendants, who was to serve as the
Republican clerk. Miller swore in
Shepardson and Patrick Pitt as the
clerks, although Lucas was standing
inside the guard rail when the oath
was administered and had his hand
raised Michael Doud, the constable,
then took hold of Lucas by the shoul-
ders and hustled him from the polling
place.
When the polls were closed election
night the judges proceeded to take the
ballots out of the box. When they
were all Strengthened out on the table,
Shepardson and another man placed
their hands on the ballots, as If to
keep them from blowing away. Sud
denly the light was turned out and
scramble ensued, in which the ballots
were taken from the table and spirited
away. From a pile of several hundred
Republican ballots they dwindled to
only nineteen when the final count was
made.
While the light was out the Supreme
court watchers, Childers and Hegwer,
attempted to light matches to see what
was being done with the ballots. The
matches were blown out as soon as
they were struck. Childers rushed out
of the front door to head off man
whom he saw going out of rear door
with ballots in his hands. He was un-
able to catch him.
At the trial of the case the Republic
can attorneys offered affidavits OF more
than sixty persons who had voted the
Republican ticket in the precinct. The
affidavits were not admitted in evi-
dence. The Republicans also called for
the production of the ballot box. to
which the attorneys for the accused
objected.
There are three other men who were
accused with Miller, Dowd and Shep-
ardson. They are William Miller.
Frank Atkins and Patrick Pitt. Neither
of these men have been arrested in con-
nection with the contempt cases, be-
cause Attorney Belford promised to
have them in court when they were
wanted. They failed to answer and
have not been seen since.