The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-12-28
FARMERSWHOSOLO
VOTES ANXIOUS
TOCONFESS
Arrive by Wagon Loads at
West Union. O.
YESTERDAYS INDICTMENTS
Many of the Men implicated are
Wealthy and Prominent Socially
and Politically
YESTERDAYS INDICTMENTS

West Union, O., Dec. est was
unusually busy yesterday in the COM
mon pleas court. The grand jury re-
ported to Judge Blair in the morning
124 Indictments for accepting and CIV
ing election brides, and in the after
noon they handed out an even hun
dred more The total number al
ready indicted is S52 and, with 145
more indictments expected today,
Judge Blair said last evening that the
work has only begun and only one
half the county covered
All day wagon loads of farmers and
citizens from other cities were arriv-
| ing in town to attend to "bulness
matters The only business" that
any scally had, however, was TO see
Judge Blair aud Special Prosecutor
w. b. Shoemaker, to plead guilty 70
charges OF bribery, pay their fines, re-
ceive a suspended sentence of six
months in jail, and the ruling of their
names from the yOun5 lists for five
years
Judge Blair said that approximate
ly 300 came and pleaded yesterday,
and Chat since the news of the con
fession by others has sperad to these
Ircople they are putting up no defense
whatever. In The wagons were men
Of high polite Il and social proni-
hence in Adams county, some men OF
whom are worth $4,000, which is an
unusually high rating for this coun.
~. None was in Judge Blair's Office
longer han five minutes. He told
them there was but one thing 10 do,
and that was to plead guilty which
they did.
Frank SALISBURY, a former county
official, who has been very prominent
in copunty politics was one of the few
who objected to being fined. After
he had received the usual sentence
he went inro the hall and threatened
to see that Judg Blair was gotten 10"
when he started for his home in Ports
mouth and that a barn Of one of the
members of the jury would be burned.
The court heard this and Salisbury
was brought back. fined $50 and costs
and told that unless he stopped talk
ing he would be sent to jail for a
year.
More than $50 men we're collected
in the stores of West Union who had
come to town too late to be heard by
the court They will be dealt with
tomorrow. All say they wish to go
before the court. admit their guilt,
and be fined and DISTINGUISHED.
The investigation has gone so far
that two Of the men who had previ-
ously pleaded mot guilty" have. come
into court and pleaded guilty" This
leaves only two or three who profess
innocence. and who say that the court
will have to prove them guilty before
they will pay their fines.
Republican vote buyers who have
come into court to confess complained
very bitterly yesterday afternoon that
a batch of voters who lived at the
county infirmary and whom they had
bought to vote for their ticket, had
been stolen from them by the demo
cratic party The republicans sent
a man to the inhrmary, and he
promised these men 81 apiece Ia
vote their ticket. This was consider
ed a bargain inasmuch as inhrmary
inmates previously had been listed at
| $40 apiece. The men were loaded In
to wagons and started for the polls
but when they discounted they were
kidnapped by the democrats. whC
took them around the corner for q
confidential talk. When the Demo
Gratis were with them, the erstwmlC
! infrmary republicans were lifelong
Democrats. The price was $40 vote
Because he made a mistake in tell
. ing the court how much he received
, for his vote, Sam Howell, a civil wal
veteran. "a years old, today walked
! eighteen miles through the cold e
correct his error and tell Judge Blaii
= that he got $50 instead OF 81. Howell
yesterday was fined So and costs and
|, DISTINGUISHED.
Judge Blair has decided upon a
second investigation. He says there
are hundreds who have escaped the
Grand Jury, and that as soon as L
completes It's survey II will begin
where Il started las week and 20 ovel
e the same ground again that none may
escape.
D.. We have been using a harrow thus
far Judge Blair said, and many cul
|. prits have lodged its teeth. But az
ter we had gone over the county thli
=, FIRST time, We are going back and rak,
- IL with n flne.tooth comb.
- we are working for the best In
torests Of the county In uncoverlnl
these crimes, and we vii continue 4
1 do what we can. There are man.
4 who said that Il Is an effort at self
8 elevation by me. But | am silent a.
0 person, and they know that as
0 court OF law they cannot bride
p Il have been approached with al
/ kinds of propositions, but have turn
ed deaf ear to them and have kep
on doing what I thought was best
. They know, now, that they canno
g bribe either me or any other perso
. connected with the court, and there
d fore they are giving up gracefully
ID The Grand Jury will meet again o
- Jan. 2. It will have covered the ei
g tire county by Thursday says Judg
Blair