Sistersville daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1902-1905, 1904-12-20
Wins Out

New hlartlnSVllle, w. d., Iioo'
2O.-The contest for the office OF
Sheriff of Wetzel county, be-
tween D. H. Cox, Democrat, and
ingram Myers, Republican, can
didatesavoted at the late election,
for this office came to sudden
ending about 2 o'clock yesterday.
bv counsel withdrawing from the
contest and allowing the canvass
ING board to declare Mr.. Myers
elected.
The history of this controversy
is as follows: D. H. Cox, Demo
crat and Ingram Myers, RePubll-
can, were the nominees OF their
respective party for the, office OF
Sheriff of Wetzel county at the
last November election. On the
face of the returns Ingram Myers
had a majority of 65' votes, not
withstanding the fact that Mr..
Cox is one of the most respected
and popular men in Wetzel coun-
ty, and had once served the people
of the county as their Sheriff hon
estly and well, and notwithstand-
inc, the further fact that this
county gave Parker for President
$50 majority, and elected every
county officer ON the Democratic
ticket, except Sheriff. Mr.. My
ers had 65 majority on the face
of the returns. Mr.. Cox made a
protest. After the election returns
had all been returned to the office
of the clerk of the County court,
and deposited in the vault in the
County clerks office and the re-
turns properly sealed andfocked,
Mr.. Myers placed a strong guard
over the County clerk Ks office,
composed of twelve men, headed
by Mr.. Vandine, the father-in-law
of Mr.. Myers, who guarded night
and day, and as the evidence
showed, as high as three men were
on duty at the same time, and
there never was a time but what
one man was on guard, gas
lights at all times were left burn
ing in the vault where the ;elec-
ton returns were deposited, and
the blinds at the windows were
always raised and any person on
the street passing the vault could
at all times see at least major
ity of the boxes in the vault which
contained the election returns.
Mr.. Cox demanded Z recount and
at the conclusion Of the recount
Mr.. Cox had 2 majority of q
votes, and then the cry Of .frand
went IN and Myers and his
friends de~''%rc rat the ballots
had been tempered with and that
they had been changed after they
were returned to the County
clerks office. Upon investigation
it was found that in Grant dis
trict alone. where Myers received
his heavy vote, there was potled
400 more votes than the number
of names on the personal property
books for that district for the
year 1904, and 400 more votes
than was found upon the list OF
voters as returned by the asses.
sor. AT Smithfield precinct in the
Grant district, scores of persons
were seen voting whom the oldest
residents Of that .neighborhood
never saw before nor have not
seen since. A voter was given the
necessary instructions on the out
side Of the election room and il
was understood that he should
vote for Myers, for Sheriff. and
in order to prove that he did so
he was given a small blank card
which he took into the election
room with him and he called upon
either of the clerks to assist him
in making out his ticket. The
poll clerk would see that the tick
ct was voted for Myers, and he
would then bite off a certain cor
ner of the blank card. and return
it to the voter and the voter
would return it to his employer
and then receive So and quart
of whiskey. j. W. McIntire, one
Of the counsel for Mr.. Myers,
stated that he did not care what
the recount showed or what the
board of canvassers did, that they