The San Francisco call., 1908-11-04
TWO OLD MEN ARE
CHIEF ATTRACTION
Thomas Mahoney, Aged So, and
Cuthbert White, Aged IS,
Take HOnOrs
Thirty=ninth and Fortieth Dis.
tricts Quiet and Heavy Vot.
ing Is Reported

Two old men, one who voted and the
other who cid not were the most i'm
portant personages in the Sunset wing
of the thirty ninth assembly district
yesterday. Taft and Bryan were spoken
of incidentally. merely as lay figures
about which TO pivot the election drama
Of Thomas Mahoney, aged SS. and Cuth-
bert White. aged S5. Mahoney took the
honors OF the day. White the pathos. for
Mahoney voted.
Out at the almshouse Frank Schmidt.
aged so, cast q more venerable vote
than Mahoney's. but possibly not with
such eclat.
Mahoney. who lives at Fifteenth ave-
nue. and street with his FIVE sons, ap-
peared at the polling place of the TWEEN
/ ty-eighth precinct at l street and
Twelfth avenue at the head of his
sturdy family. Erect and alert, his
gray beard cleaning in the sun, the
patriarch walked into the booth.
Hiram Cook, the old time prizefght
referee and sporting man, who now fol-
lows the exciting pastime of raising
the booth and went into the voting sec
ton TO assist the old man in marking
his ticket
Find out how he'll vote" one OF the
inspectors said jokingly
l vote the straight democratic ticket
and I've voted ii ever since l voted for
Buchanan" the old man shouted back
through the curtain.
PIONEER OF SUNSET
Mahoney is the real pioneer of Sunset.
I He was out here when the Indians
We're" said an archaeological policeman.
In the early days OF California Ma
| honey squatted in Sunset and has been
watching the sun setting there and the
price of lots rising ever since.
Cuthbert White was the most cha
srined man in Sunset. He lives at 1888
Nineteenth avenue, and during the SIS
years of his life has missed but two
opportunities of voting, and the first
time he was serving his country with
/ bullets instead of ballots. being a sol
dier in the Mexican war He lost his
vote for Taylor then. Before that he
voted for Polk
With the exception of a highway rob-
berry that occurred about the time the
polls were opened, the thirty-ninth dis
trict was unruffied. 1t was different
! from what it used to be when Frank
Maestretti worked ii for Abe Ruef and
the machine. One year three convic-
tions followed the Maestretti policy and
| since then crookedness has been unpop-
! uler. There was a good fight on fol-
the assembly between E. ]. Cullan. the
republican. and Harry c. Bocchio, the
democratic nominee, but both men were
| rated safe and good citizens.
MAYOR TAYLOR CONSPICUOUS
Mayor Edward Robson Taylor wa.
! the most conspicuous citizen to vote ir
the fortieth district. He appeared al
! the polls at Webster and Sacramento
| streets about 10 o'clock and cast his
| ballot. AT the same time Judge Hunt
was voting at the corner of Octavis
I and Pine streets, in the fourth of the
fortieth. Milton Schmitt. the republi.
can candidate for the assembly, was the
I busiest man in the district. He fol.
| lowed Judge Hunt in the voting anC
| spent the day electioneering. Schmitt'.
democratic opponent. Marius ]. Kast
| voted at Suffer- and Octavia streets 4
large. early and decidedly republican
vote was polled in the first precinct Of
the fortieth. The polling place was al,
most in the shadow of the Union league
club.
Few challenges or sworn votes were
made in either the thirty-ninth or for
tieth. The only ones recorded were
following clerical errors made by ths
registrars office in marking removals
One citizen In the fourth of the forfeit
wanted TO take his ballot home ans
mark it in the studious seclusion of hi.
library. but the suggestion was discour
aged by the election officials