New-York tribune., 1910-12-29
VOTE SELLERS IN A PANIC
,hio County Guilty Confess
When No Man AccuSeth.
FINES TO BUILD COURTHOUSE
nenutv Sheriffs Reap a Harvest
Judge Calls Culprits by
First Names.
rRy telegraph to The Tribune-1 ]

TRy telegraph 10 Inc tficCnej
west Union, Ohio Dec. &.-The bought
.rs eold' voters OF Adams County are in
,snic The crush has become so great
.,at Judge Blair cannot find time to hear
80 confessions. To-day more shan a hum
go men. who had not been indicted and
hose names had not been mentioned In
.o,,ection with the buying and selling OF
,o,ss focked into the courtroom and con-
so.se,s 70 having sold their franchises.
The deputy sheriffs are reapins a harvest.
=. casts from 81 to SIS 10 arrest men. ac-
,,nsing 10 the expenses OF the deputies,
mn have been instructed to set their men
,sesraless of outlay The expenses OF the
-,sade viii be about IS per cent OF the
money collected
The county commissioners have power to
.-snsfer the funds, and a movement has
,ssn started TO use the money toward
huilding s new courthouse.
The grand jury reported 1o6 additional
,-ls to-day against citizens accused OF SELL
nc their votes at the November election.
-bi. make. a total of a9S indictments al
ready returned.
The professions Of peniteats who are
f.o,,;nE TO court daily TO plead guilty still
keen Up 1t has become somewhat OF point
~ nride with the indicted citizens to beat
deputy DS etibaiAS ~ NSoA~ ~
fore warrants can be served
Judge Blair's methods in listening TO the
MEAS of guilty are extremely Informal de
.,ou-s g large proportion Of the voters of
,be county by their first names. and when
.+sx, come into court the scene is rather a
.orial one The Judge sits on one side Oh
g nlsiu table the indicted man on the other
How about it, John, are you guilty!
asked the judge
II reckon L am judge Is the usual reply.
"Au right John. I'll have to fine you &lo
md Won can't vote any more for five years.
Ard III lust put six months workhouse
sentence on top of that. but wont ENFORCE
. Z, as long as You behave"
An right. judge, you've got the goods
OF me-.
And. say. John. you've been keeping
uo,Ior in your house and inviting your
friends in. haven't your" the Judge viii
sometimes ask. Adams County is dry
That's right judge says the accused
man
Well. You'll have TO cut that out, Jchn'
s-,e,,7her there is workhouse sentence
hanging over you if you don't Walk
straight
All rtght. Judge, good bye" and the
-.arit41lt goes over TO the clerk and pays
his fine.
Most OF the people Of Adams County
haze nov become reconciled TO regarding
he whole proceeding as q proper one
neither TO be regarded BE a joke as IL was
n MANY instances when 1t first began, nor
20 be resented as Slur on the county
good name. a feeling that was prevalent
when the first indictments were returned
There are q few recalcitrants, however
x no stiH look upon the whole affair as an
-i7,,varranted fnfrfngement of the right OF
al individual TO do what he pleases with
lis vote. Whenever one Of these persons
.oices his sentiments in public Judge Blair
purposes TO hale him up on contempt
charges
Two new features in the line of vote
-rafficEins developed at this afternoons
session Of the special grand jury One was
that of a wonan's sale Of her sons vote
and the other concerned a voter who was
bought three times at one election
The woman is a widow living a. PEBBLES
Sic is accused of having accepted $ for
er sons franchise. Both mother and son
we're indicted, but neither has been ar
rested.
4 farmer in Jacksonville Precinct, who
came in from Meigs Township. told the
9u-v to-day he was bought three times on
Election Day. For his premise TO vote
-he straight Republican ticket he said he
received 81 30, on a contract to vote the
straight Democratic ticket he got SO and
the price for agreeing to vote for a GER
! tain Democratic candidate was s.. He
pleaded guilty when arraigned, and was
disfranchised for five years, fined s. and
costs end sentenced to six months In the
workhouse, with the prison sentence sus-