Omaha daily bee., 1906-04-21
FULL PROSECUTION IS URGED
Thorough and Vigorous Fight to Punish
Election Frauds Demanded.
CANVAssERs CERTAIN OF ILlEGAuY
Petition County Attorney TO DO His
Best and Latter Already Has
Evidence Involving Ger
tain Persons.

Mayor zimman and County and City
Treasurer Fink, as majority members of
the primary election canvassing board, have
prepared formal report OF the frauds
discovered in tamDered ballots and pre-
scented Il to County Attorney Sabaugh
with request for thorough Investigation
and determined effort to punish the
cuipable persons The report sums UP
the situation as follows:
l. That in nine precincts we discovered
evidence OF gross fraud upon the ballot,
ssld precincts being as follows: First pre-
cinct, Second ward. Third precinct, second
ward, Second pTNclnct, Fourth ward: Third
precinct Fourth ward: First precinct,
seventh ward; Thir0 precinct, Eighth ward:
Fourth precinct, Eighth ward; Fifth pre-
Eleventh ward.
That said fraud consisted mainly I'm care
ful erasures Of the ballots marked for the
candidates for city clerk, Sam h. Green
lear and Mr. Stockham, and the marking
OF the same ballot for William H. Elbourn,
candidate for city clerk. That nearly ali
of said changes were from Greenleaf to
EibOurn. That the canvass Of votes be-
fore the recount in the office Of the city
clerk showed for said Greenleaf by 157 more
ballots than Mr.. Elbourn. That II the
changed ballots had been counted for Mr.,
Elbourn, Mr.. Greenlears plurality would
nave been overcome and Mr.. Elbourn nom
mated by about seventy votes.
That sometimes the fraud appeared by
the filling in of blank ballots for Mr.. Ell
bourn and sometimes by marking of bal
lots cast for Mr.. Greeneat, also for Mr..
StOckham, and said fraud further appeared
at times by the erasure of lead pencil
marks over the vote marked for Greenleaf
1t Is apparent to us that deliberate and
premeditated fraud has been perpetrated
upon the ballot and that a fraudulent at
tempt has been made to defeat Mr., Green
leafs nomination by the change of ballots
cast for him to Mr.. Elbourn.
2. That few ballots were also changed
from the candidates for mayor, Mr.. Hen
nings and Mr.. Benson, to Mr.. Broatch, but
not sufficient to have changed the lead of
Mr.. Hennngs over Mr. Broatch.
That there were no changes of the ballots
of Elbourn to either Greenleaf or Stock
ham.
We, therefore. recommend and request
that the county attorney of Douglas county
best of his ability those who were guilty
of perpetrating these frauds upon the bal
that in the future the sacred right of the
ballot be recognized and enforced and re-
spected by all parties.
Evidence of Ballot Fraud.
Evidence directing suspicion to certain
persons whose names are not disclosed
is said to have been uncovered in the
alleged ballot fraud investigation being
conducted by County Attorney Slabaugh
Witnesses are being examined daily, but
the results of the examination will not
be given out until complaints are issued
or the matter Investigated by the grand
jury.
1T would be unwse for me to say just
what we have found out" said County
Attorney Slabaugh Friday. I'VE have
enough evidence to arouse strong sus-
picions as to at least one suspected party.
We are now trying to get conclusive evil
dence to confirm our suspicious. 1t is a
hard matter to investigate owing to the
nature of the crime, but we are going
clear to the bottom of it."