Omaha daily bee., 1906-06-21
SCHEME TO HURT ELBOURN.
Such is oOnnslrs Version Of Primary Ballot
Tsmpering Job. ID
On THIS LINE THE DEFENSE is MADE
County Attorney Oners TO show
Ballots I'm Custody of city
clerk when They Were
Altered.

That the ballots used in the primary
election April we're tempered with for
the purpose OF throwing discredit upon
City Clerk w. IL Elbourn, who had them
In custody. is the theory upon which the
defense In Elbourn's case now being heard
before Judge Sutton will proceed This
was the declaration of w. j. Connell. Eli
bourn's attorney. in his opening statement
to the Jury.
Mr.. Connell said he would admit the
formal matters relating to the election and
that the ballots had, been changed. lie
said the defendant is just as anxious as
anybody to see the real culprit punished.
In his opening statement County Attor-
ney slabaugh offered to show the ballots
were in the custody OF Elbourn when they
we're changed and that only he and s. X
Greenleaf should have had access TO them.
He declared Mr.. Greenleat would not have
made the changes, as he was the loser by
them. He also said he would introduce
conversations by Mr.. Elbourn bearing ON
the case.
The first witness was Miss schenck, a
clerk In tho city clerks once She de-
scribed the Office of the clerk and the
vaults. She said Mr.. Elbourn, Mr.. Green
leaf and Mr.. simonson, a former employe
I'm the Office were the only ones who knew
ballots were stored. simonsop has not been
employed in the Office since March.
stored I'm the vault.
She said the ballot boxes were delivered
to the clerks office Tuesday evening and
Wednesday and were stored in the vault
Thursday night she said Mr.. Elbourn left
the Office with her about Z o'clock That
night the ballot boxes were in the ONCE
and not In the vault, as they had been
taken out for the inspection Of the can
vassing board. Friday they were returned
to the vault and that night Elbourn told
her he was going back to the office to do
some work. Saturday morning he said he
had been at the office about an hour the
night before. Saturday Mr.. Greenleaf and
n janitor carried the ballot boxes up into
the Office again until the recount began
the following week
Dan Butler, present city clerk, was called
to identify the ballot boxes for the pre-
cincts in the vote of which the changes
were made. 1t came out in his evidence
that the key to one OF the boxes in ques-
ton is missing. Mr.. Butler said he might
find the key on the floor of the vault and
he would make another careful search for
it. This was the box for the First district
Of the Second ward
Tho jury which was secured late in the
afternoon is as follows:
w. r. Wall Florence; c. j. Passlck, 1S3S
Ninton; G. F. Belman, 1886 Dodge; J. A.
Conlin, 1922 Dodge; ]. p. Daily, 1876 Martha
II. f. Davidson ZOOS Harvey; Charles Rupp
1901 South Ninth; +. ID. MONT. 511 North
Eighteenth; W. +. Stoetzel, 1929 Davenport
Charles /. Sanders, TOj North Eighteenth
August Hedgreen, 251 South Twenty-fourth
w. A. Bell, 1917 Boulevard avenue.
What the Bill Charges.
The Indictment charges that Elbourn or
April s., five days after the primary but
before the board had recanvassed the votes
altered and changed the markings on q
number of ballots so as to increase his
vote. at the expense of Sam X. Greenleat
and w. z. stockham his opponents. The
crosses on the ballots made by the voters
had been-erased and new marks placed IN
the squares opposite Mr. Elbourns name
The changes were discovered when the
canvassing board began the recount of tho
ballots on demand of Elbourn. Later tn,
eraser which had been used In defacing thu
ballots was found in one Of the ballo
boxes. The ballot boxes were in Elbourni
custody, as city clerk, at the time thu
erasures are alleged to have been made.
Alterations also were found in the vot,
for mayor. Several thousand dollars haC
been wagered that w. J. Broatch would
receive more votes than A. II. Hennings
1t was discovered that erasures had beef
made In squares opposite Mr.. Hennings
name and crosses inserted for Broatch
These changes are not alleged in the indict
ment however