Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-08-12
ELECTION OFFICERS INVOLVED
Some of the Men Presented Have APP
pointmcnts From Electoral Board
Jury Recommends Their Dismissal
Effort to File Minority Report
squcIched by Judge Witt.
(sprclal to the Daily prcss.)

work Of the grand jury cmpanclicd 10
inquire into The recent Democratic
primary here was completed today.
when the jury handed in indictments
against seven additional men.
Tho indictments returned, today
make the following charges:
J.. X. Culbcrsum, jackson Wise and
Robert Lee Syrclc. The first for I'M
lawful voting and the latter two for
aiding and nhctting voter not on
titled to vote to exercise that right.
Chris Manning, Jr., for paying the
pcll tax of Joseph Edwards, who was
not entitled to vote, not having paid
himself.
The Indictment against pcrciHal,
DevcrldEc and Krug contains ten
counts, rs follows; l. Allowing per-
sons to vote who were not entitled "a
vote. ,. Allowing persons to vote
more than once. 3. Altering ballots
after they had boon cast j. Remov-
ing ballots and substituting other bal
''N' tiNt'i'h- -. NiitllSTllS btlIpl
boxes containing fraudulent ballots
6. Allowing other persons, names nm
known, TO change ballots and subSti-
tute spurious ballots therefor 4.
Falsely certifying that Smith received
more votes for city sergeant than
were really cast for him. s. Falsely
certifying that Folkes received more
votes than We're actually cast for him.
y. Falsely certifying that Epps recciv-
cd fewer votes than were actually
cast for him. 10 Cheating ana de.
framding by means unknown.
The second Indictment returned To.
day against Wise and Culbcrson are
identical in every particular with that
returned against Percival, Krug and
]cvcridgc.
Labors Concluded.
| The final report was made TO the
court at Loo O'Clock this afternoon.
when Foreman Taylor came in and
said the laliors OF the body had been
concluded.
! The jury was pollcd and then Fore
man Taylor read his report, in which
he cNcoriatcd the city committee, the
clerk of the committee and condemned
the election laws.
There were perhaps fifty persons IA
the court room at the time, and the
most complete silence fell over the
body. Captain Taylor consumed ten
minutes in reading the report, and
then handed batch OF indictments
against the persons named
In its report the grand jury says
among other things:
We find that one of the most i'm
portant provisions of the primary plan
was violated by the secretary of the
city Democratic committee, who was
also the printer and contractor foi
tho printing of the ballots, in that he
failed to take the oath as prescribed
by section 4 OF said plan.
I'VE find that the City Central com
mittcc is responsible for the appoint.
mcnt of the primary election officers
and we believe that in the selection
of some of these they were not suill
GENTLY cautious.
Election Officers Involved.
I'VE do find that all of the election
officers whom we have indicted Tex
cept Culberson) have been appointed
by and are now holding Office under
the appointment of the electoral
hoard for the general election. and we
think that these election officers
should be removed at once.
I'VE desire to call the attention of
the court to tho condition of affairs
in Second Lee and Third Monroe pre-
cincts. We believe they were cor
rupted and that the election in those
two precincts was fraudulent.
$50 far as we have been able to as,
certain from the vote polled before
: the grand jury. we believe that tho
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