The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1906-06-06
SPECIAL ELECTION
Held to Choose Between
Rivals for the Hand of
Kentucky Girl.

A special election, held for the pur- |
pose of determining which of two young
Kentucky lovers was entitled to the !
hand of Kentucky girl, called the
men folks" of the surrounding coun-
try to Maloneton one day this week.
To-day the successful man and his bride
left for the East to spend their honey
moon in Old Virginia with relatives
of the bride.
The men were rivals, not only for a
girl, but for their partys nomination
for Sheriff of Greenup county as well.
The contestants, Tom Witherow and
Fred Warnock, agreed to leave the
award of both prizes to the people Of the |
township wherein both had been raised |
They held special election to settle the !
question. The best man was to take
both bride and a clear field for the NOM
ination. The young lady most interest
ed presided over the ballot box as both
clerk and judge.
The township is not densely populat-
ed but few over a hundred voters live
within its borders.
WItherow is the son Of the richest !
landowner in the township. With his
father he controls most of the fertile !
valley land and much Of the broken
AfHs Warnees rs a-country Teacher: p.
Both have been active in politics, and
the two have been able, by working to-
gether, to control the delegations of
the county conventions for several
years
Warnock and the young girl, Miss
Ada Greigton, have been friends for
some years. He grew mp with her and
they had attended school together.
Their friendship was from childhood,
and their neighbors had never consid-
cred them in a matrimonial light.
Some weeks ago Witherow asked Miss
Greigton for her hand. She told War
mock about it, and he grew bold, and
revealed his own secret love. Neither
man received a decided answer, and
Warnock found that he could not hope,
as country school teacher, to outstrip
the landowner, admittedly the best
catch in the township.
Then the thought came to him that he
might be nominated for Sheriff So he
ambled off to the county-seat and con-
fided to the boss" Judge Leonard, his
ambition to win that nomination.
Sorry Fred, but Tom Witherow was
here yesterday, and l told him II he
could get his delegation he would have
my support. But then, you and Tom
have always worked together. Sup.
pose you two fix it up as to which will
rum"
Sad at heart the young school teacher
returned home. At church Sunday
he saw Ada Greigton sitting in the
Witherow seat beside his rival, and his
blood boiled. That night he called at
the Greigton home, and asked the girl
if she would marry him il he won the
nomination for Sheriff, and she replied
that she would. but added that there
were others who were confident OF win
ming the Office. 1t should be stated
here that to secure the Msloneton dele.
cation at the primary lie equivalent
to the nomination at the convention.
The county committee was slow about
calling the primary. So an agree
ment was entered into for a special
election. 1t was agreed that Miss
Greigson should preside at the ballot
box as judge and clerk. When election
day rolled around, the rivals were on
hand with their printed ballots. Withe-
rows tickets were printed on tinted
paper; Warnock's on plain white.
Withehow cast the first ballot of the
day. 1t was for himself.
Waruock worked hard, and at noon
was in hailing distance of his wealthy
rival, though soon after the pink tickets
seemed TO come in punches, and it look
I'd as though the school teacher was
doomed
Miss Greigson kept close mental tab
and noticed each shift 10 the position.
Her brother, Jack, aged 10, also kept
count of the tickets as they came in.
The boy loved his schoolmaster, and he
wanted the white ballots to come
fast. The polls were to close at o'clock.
At o'clock p. m. the rivals were five
votes apart, and there were only few
more outstanding.
At $3.50 the Wilson boys from the up
per part of the township, came in and
cast three votes-all white. Time drag
ged, and ii seemed that the Ave minutes
that now remained would pass before
any others would come. But across the
fields came party Of three in tow Of
Warnock. They cast two white votes
and one pink one. One more white vote
would tie the score. What thenf The
judge of the election must decide the
, winner. That was the agreement.
, Must she, after all, choose between the
two? While she puzzled herself with
the question, another manlgalloped mp.
He cast white bollot.
With blanched face she took the bal.
lot and placed it in the box. Then she
remembered. The schoolmaster had
, not voted. Should she tell him and
break the tie? After all, that would be
another way of making choice. Maybe
he did not want to vote. Maybe he was
just-no. that was not fair to him. He
did love her. 1t was wrong to doubt