New-York tribune., 1905-11-21
HEARST GAINS SLIGHT.
ONLY HOPE IN RECOUNT.
Fraud ReueaIed by Canuass WU
Nevertheless Be Prosecuted.

Interest in the canvass of votes at the city
Hall began to perceptibly yesterday, al
though the comparison of tally sheets with re-
turns and the examination of all void and
protested ballots went on as usual The law
yers representing William r. Hearst have been
unable to find enough errors in the returns thus
far to give room for the belief that the official
canvass will greatly decrease Mayor Mcclellan s
plurality The net gain for Mr.. Hearst in the
first eight Assembly districts. in which the COM
parisons of tally sheets with returns have been
completed is less than 200 votes. and these are
Tammany districts, in which frauds in counting
We're to be expected
Mr Hearst's counsel are beginning TO feel
that the only hope of demonstrating his cleo
ton lies in an application for opening the ballot
boxes for a recount. They may make such an
application to the courts to-day. The lawyers
however, have declared that they viii inform
Attorney General Mayer Of any frauds discov-
cred in the count that can be brought TO the
attention Of the grand jury They say they want
to have violators OF the law punished. even If
votes enough to elect Mayor Mcclellan must be
counted.
Clarence J. Shearn last evening announced
that Mr. Hearst had retained Ex-Governor
Frank s. Black to conduct an investigation OF
frauds discovered in the count of votes Mr.
Black, it is said, will seek to have persons i'm
pnCdtSU III the lIduus piOsSCoICN III LIZ SA-NN
courts
Justice Giegerich. presiding yesterday at the
opening of envelopes containing void" and
protested" ballots, gave decision that bal
lot on which a splash of ink appeared could not
be counted. He said:
The primary object of the election law is to
preserve the secrecy of the ballot, and any mark
that would serve to distinguish ballot, no mat
ter how small. to vitiate it. The ballot is
void and should not be counted unless there is
proof that the marking was accidental
In the comparison OF returns %In d tay ths on
previous days. Some of the errors, while anus
ing, did not change the vote for Mr. Hearst
The return of the vote in the 9th Election Dis
trict of the Sth Assembly District was missing
when the envelope was opened, but II was I0uno @
later in the envelope containing void paiiots. t
On the return of the 1st Election Dlstrlct OF lle
eth Assembly District, the total of ballots cast
was written 81 80, instead of 292 Chairman
Boyhan reading one of the returns from the fth
Assembly District startled the Hearst lawyers
by calling off twenty-five void ballots.
"It amt twenty-five void ballots. SAID a man man
looking over his shoulder 1hem are ui''o
marks
nounced that there were no void ballots;
The Board of CanvasseTs for Queens Borough
found yesterday no errors that would affect the
Mayoralty result. There were many cietlcal a.
errors and errors of judgment shown, ana III
some instances astonishing ignorance on the
part of inspectors was brought out for IL
stance whole batch of spoiled ballots, with
holes pushed by the type during the printing
process were thrown among the void ballots.
There was absolutely no mark on them. & Ine
liet Of void and protested ballots. however. was
found to be much greater than the original
counting The board worked late last night pc
cause many of the mem bers are eHsdsed ouii''s
the day and cannot get off
At the evening session of the board John r.
Cloonan, who represented ex-Juoge tir ne,
MaHor -NcClellan's counsel raised an objection
TO the use of tally sheets for comparison with
| the returns in envelopes Mr. Whitney attorney
| for the Municipal Ownership League, attempt
| ed to use them Justice Giegerch ruled that
the taIly sheets had official right before the
| court but were there for the convenience OF
| the counsel.