Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-04-28
VIRGINIA ELECTORS.
N the Old Days The. lind to Vote
or Pm! Eatrn Taxes.

VT f-us
In the clerks uilica ,f Mcckleuburg
find M old copy OF The acts OF the
general assembly of virginia. In 1t an
vet is found passed Ivy the assembly on
Dee. 20. lIS5. which required all per
sons entitled 10 vote To do so. This In
the bill ANY rlccior qualified accord
Ing to this act failing to attend any an
nunl election VI delegate or OF a Sem.
tor AMI IL poll be taken to give or
offer to give his vote shall pny one.
fourth Of his portion of all such IevIes
and tnxes as shall he assessed and
levied In his county the ensuing year
And for discovering such lefaulters the
sheriff or other officer taking the poll
shalt within ten days after the said
election deliver 10 the clerk Of the
county or corporation court as the
case may he. u copy OF The poll by him
taken. to bc kept in his Office who shall
suffer any candidate or elector to take
n copy thereof. nnd the said clerk Is
hereby directed to cause n copy Of the
same TO be delivered To the next grand
Jury. TO he sworn for the county or
corporation. who shall be charged by
the presiding magistrate. to make pre-
sentiment Of all such persons qualified
to vote resulting in The said county or
corporation who shall have failed TO
have given their votes al the snid cleo.
ton agrrenbIe to law. And for the
better Information OF the said Jury the
sheriff Of The county is hereby com
manded. under the pennlty Of GOO. to
be recovered aud appropriated as the
penalties FOR other neglects OF his
duty, to lny before them n list OF all
the lnndlIoIders resident therein"
There are filed In the clerks office
mnny certified excuses to The court for
failure To vote. begging to he excused.
by voters who had been indicted for
failure TO vote. Some OF these excuses
are novel rs well as amusing. One fel.
low writes TINT tho election was held
Oh his fishing day. Another one says
he was working In q meeting house
then another says he was ignorant Of
the day Of the election, Still another
snid he would have had to walk eight
cen miles. as his mare was very lame
aud his plow horse very poor One
says II copy him verbatim) that he
was ready fixed to start to the court
house Of said county to vote when he
was Informed that II certain COW Of his
which had a young calf was missing.
when ! set ont TO look for her and did
not find her ihat day. and several days
after found her drowned in the riv-
err" This excuse satisfied the court, as
tt,l, ,a nm To ,,l,., Il -.
Sir PeytOn Skipwitl. bnronet. OF
PreastwOuld. who settled in this coun-
ty from England in the eighteenth cen.
tury makes his excuse in his own
handwriting, dated June 10, l193 "P
Skipwith's reasons for MOI attending
the Two last elections IN Mecklenbnrg
~ WINS summoned to attend the high
court OF chancery early In March and
did not consider myself legally dis
missed until after the seventeenth day
OF the court. which happened on
Wednesday. tile 10th Of the month. 10
that ~ was not in my power to attend
the election Of a member OF congress-
ana on my way up from Richmond
unfortunately broke one OF my car
ria2e wheels. so that | could not with
any degree Of convenience get repaired
in time 10 attend the election of mem
Der of the general assembly, and in
consequence OF an Injury ! received
some years ago in my back and loins
cannot ride more than three or four
miles at TING and the very short
rides on horseback 1hnt ] sometimes
take about my piantntion. Tor I never
attempt to ride anywhere else. are sue
ceeded by violent pain and sometimes
fever. which was. the Gaze tie last
time attempted to ride TO orr court.
and trust and believe that the wor.
shipful court has more humanity Than
TO desire a man Mt near sixty years NJ
age to do what so certainly Injuries hia
health and feelMgs"-- Richmond Times