New-York tribune., 1906-11-02
HEARST GALLERY PLAY.
Making Big Shoe Of Trying to Find
Petition Thieves.

The hands of the Hearst managers were shown
yesterday in attempts to cause the arrest of the
members OF the Board Of Elections and throw upon
them the responsibility for the mutilation of
mating petitions by which the deal TO knock out
certain labor candidates of the Independence
League in the interest of Tammany candidates
carried out. AS the result Of charges made at
the Criminal Courts Building, Commissioners
Voortis. Page. Dady and Mcclure were summoned
to appear before Magistrate Whitman at 10 a. m.
to-day TO explain why they did prevent the
theft" of portions of nominating petitions which
were in their custody.
Macdonald De Witt sent from the office of
Clarence J. Shearn, Mr.. Hearsts personal counsel
morning to ask for warrants for the election COM
missoners He accompanied by Franklin
Quinby Benjamin Berger and Thomas F. Long,
knocked-out candidates, and several witnesses who
had made long afidavits. The story told in the
af1davits was that the candidates had filed with
the Board of Elections their nominating petitions
signed by the required number of voters in their
respective districts; that the signatures
separate sheets Of paper. which were tied to-
gether: that clerks the Office of the Board of
Elections permitted examination Of the petitions
on file without keeping close watch Of them, and
that subsequent to the filing Of the petitions the
candidates found that of the sheets of sigma
lures had been stolen. thus leaving the petitions
without the lawful number OF signatures
At a conference in Mr. Jerome's the aff1-
davts were examined: Mr.. Jerome said soon after
Evidence Of larceny has been presented, but
the name OF the culprit has been established" ="
Magistrate Whitman joined the conference about
p. Mr.. De Witt was eager TO get warrants for
the arrest of the whole Board OF Elections. it
said, but Magistrate Whitman thought it would be
sufficient 10 issue summonses for the commissioners
appear and answer the charge that they had
been crminally negligent in permitting mutilatIon
Of documents in their custody
The hearing VIII take place this morning in the
special courtroom the top floor Of the Criminal
Courts Building. Mr.. Jerome viii conduct the
animation of the commissioners in person. He de-
clined last evening 10 talk on the subject
Commissioners koorhis and Page, who at
the offices of the Board of Elections until late
IN the afternoon, declined 10 talk about the
charges saying they would have testify in court
to-day Some Of the clerks the office said it
evident that the Hearst managers We're in des-
didates had been kept off the official ballot in the
interest Of Tammany candidates.
pages of signatures abstracted secretly by
Tampany agents, working in connection with In
dependence League agents. in furtherance Of the
deal by which the labor candidates petitions were
be thrown 1t is ridiculous TO suppose that
any of the commissioners or clerks here had any
knowledge OF the trick that was worked.
THE petitions which were mutilated were dumped
here at the last minute before the expiration of the
time allowed by law for filing them, and it would
anime them then, to whether not they
tained the required number of signatures. All we
could do TO receive them.
We had the usual Instructions from the COM
missoners to permit the inspection of the petitions
& required by law. and 10 guard them. we
QuiTed q signed Application IN each case where "A
petition asked for for examination, and the
where a clerK was on watch Whoever did the
tain petitions must have been slick the job. for
nothing OF the kind was detected
md out who did the trick If they were sincere in
the hunt They don't want TO catch the thief
They merely want to fool the labor by raising
the cry and laying the blame on the Board Of Elec-