Omaha daily bee., 1906-05-29
ELBOURN AND TEN OTHERS
Former City Clerk and Election ofiCsn
Indicted by Grand Jury.
TAMPtRlNG WITH THE PRIMARY RETURNS
Charge Laid Against ElbOurn, while
Judges and Clerks Arc Held for
Corruption at the Polls
May 1.
May L,

Indictments against former city Clerk
| William H. Elbourn, charging that he tam
! pered with the ballots cast at the primary
election this spring. and against the ten
members OF the election boards in the
| Second and Third precincts of the Third
ward for "willful and corrupt neglect Ut
| duty" at the city election were returned
yesterday at noon, by the county grand
| jury. Warrants at once were placed in
the hands of Sherin Mcdonald and three
! deputies detailed to serve them
At 2 o'clock Mr.. Elbourn appeared and
! gave himself up. He was taken before
Judge Sutton and released on $1,000 bond
| given by the American Bonding company
of which Mr.. Elbourn is an agent The
ten election officials we're taken before
! the court at o'clock and all gave bonds
in the sum OF $3.50 each.
/ The indictment against Mr.. Elbodrn con-
sists of five counts, all based on the same
alleged offense. They charge on about
April s, lie altered and changed the marks
on fourteen ballots cast at the primary
election April 3. by erasing the cross in
the square opposite the name Of S. *.
Greenleaf and putting a cross in the
square opposite his own name
Broatch Boosted by Changes.
The erasures were discovered at the re-
count of the vote by the canvassing board
and they were sufficient to give Elbourn
a majority over Greenleaf. who won out
| for the city clerk nomination by small
margin according to the returns Of the
judges Other erasures made gave W. 7.
Broatch, for mayor, a larger number of
votes than A. H. Hennings, several hum
dred dollars being wagered on the relative
positions of these two candidates.
These are the men who served as election
~ lrol
work is said to have been done. several Of
them beng colored; Second precinct. b ].
Callahan, Moses Milder, d. A. Ruben, Lou
Carter, W. Runkles; Third precinct, Robert
Wisdom, Charles Risemsn, Jerry Mcmahon,
James Shea Frank Williams
The number OF indictments was some-
thing of surprise, though action against
EIbourn and members OF election boards
had been forecasted owing to the nature
of the testimony II is known was taken
before the jury.
Charges of wholesale manipulation of
voting machines were made Immediately
after the city election, mostly in Third
ward precincts. The grand jury has ex-
amined a large number of witnesses and
the investigation is said to have been
thorough 1t is charged that members of
the election board manipulated the levers
for the voters contrary to the law.
After ms king the report the grand jury
adjourned until Thursday morning, owing
to the death OF Mrs. Susan Anthony,
mother OF A. T. Anthony. one of the mem
bers of the jury
: EIbOurn Not Afraid.
Until make sure and see the terms OF
3 the indictment cannot discuss 1t fully"
said Elbourn. II win say. however. that
IL indicted. the charge must rest on the
1 fact that / was the custodian Of the bal
! lot boxes. 1t could not be anything else,
t because no evidence could be procured to
a show that 1 tampered with the ballots or
{ had any hand in such a transaction.
= know that no such evidence is procurable,
e because 1 know of my own acts. 1 have
$ not the least doubt in the world that II /
n am indicted the charge will be shattered
e all to pieces at a trial. The indictment
itself would not worry me, but
e should dislike very much the cloud :t
v will put me under until / am cleared"
Details of other Bills.
), One of the indictments against the cleo
tion officials charges Jerry Mcmahon will
: unlawfully entering the cur tained en-
closure in front of the voting machine
with one John Doe. Another that Jerry
Mcmahon and Robert Wisdom went into
n the booth with John Gilbough. On another
Moses Milder Lou Carter and William
. Runkles are accused of allowing DaviC
Z Ruben and E. ]. Callahan, other members
a OF the board. to go behind the curtain
!, with Simon Kattelman. Callahan and RubeI
- are Indicted on a separate bill on th'
charge of going into the enclosure will
. Kattelman. David Ruben is charged II
= another indictment with going into tn
= booth with one John Doe, and Charlie
| t,nNo
= booth with William r. Sheppard.
= Jerry Mcmahon, Robert Wisdom. Jane
;, Shea, Frank Williams and Charles Rise
= man are charged on the same bill witt
allowing George Crow to go into tn
- booth with Richard Roe and with allow
:, ing T. J. Fluray to go into the boot
with John Doe. Jerry Mcmahon an
Charles Riseman are also charged with en-
!, tering the booth with William A. Gil
n bsugh.
MiIder FOrEets HE Coat.
,s While the indicted members were givin
,e bonds an amusing incident happened
a Jacob Milder appeared in the court roor
"A TO sign the bond for his son and one o
~ two others. He came hurriedly from hi
" work and forgot TO put on his coat. Judg
Al Sutton told him he could not appear be
10 fore the court in his shirt sleeves, 5
an Mider went out to hnd a coat. The frs
al man he struck was Bailin Fields. VIII
"a started to take or his coat TO give TO Mi
der when the thought struck him that II,
too would be eensured by the court II h
p appeared without that garment Mlde
! tried on a number of coats belonging
men who were about the hall before h
10 found one that would ht him. He the
went back TO the court room and tram
acted his business.