New-York tribune., 1910-12-28
MAY D|SFRANCH|SE 5000
Ohio Voters Flock to Court and
Take Their Medicine.
JUDGE THREATENER FINED
Veteran of "a Walks 18 Miles to
Correct Previous Statement
of Amount of Bribe.
TBy Telegraph to The Tribune. ]


West Union, Ohio. Dec. 27-A total OF
s52 indictments has been returned in West
Union by the special grand jury charging
either the acceptance OF the g1ng OF
bribes in the recent election. To-day 224
indictments were returned and at least
1000 more are coming. according to the
statement to-day of Judge a. u. Blair. OF
the Common Pleas Court.
OF the So men who have been indicted
more than half have already come into
court and confessed their guilt Just two
have denied that they are guilty. These
men will be tried after the grand jury is
through.
The first case of threats against Judge
Blair and the jury came to the ears OF
Judge Blair this afternoon. Frank Sails
bury, a well known politician Of Franklin
township, and who formerly was connect
ed with the county Offices here, was before
the judge Later when he left the court
room and talked with men in the corridors
he is said to have threa tened to see that
Judge Blair would be gotten when he
returned to his home in Portsmouth. II
was alleged that he tntimated the barn OF
one Of the jurymen might be burned"
Salisbury was summoned back to court
room by deputy sheriff and fined $50 and
costs for what he had said. He was also
sentenced to ten days In jail, but this was
suspended.
Drive in the Cold to Confess.
Wagon loads of indicted men arrived at
the courthouse to-day. Blue with the cold.
some having driven fourteen miles, the
men hurried before Judge Blair to plead
guilty, to receive suspended jail sentences,
be disfranchised for five years and pay
fines of from S. to s25 and costs.
Fully one-half of those who have been
before the court seem to favor the inves-
tigation and openly declare that it Is
proper.
Because he had made mistake in telling
the court yesterday how much he received
for selling his vote Samuel Howell, 4 Civil
War veteran, eighty-four years old, walked
eighteen miles through the cold to-day to
correct his error and to tell Judge Blair
that he had figured UP, and. instead OF Sll
as the purchase price, he had received Sl5.
Howell was fined S. and costs and disfran-
chised yesterday.
We've been using a harrow thus far.
and good many culprits have slipped be-
tween the teeth, but when we have gone
over the county we shall go back over the
same ground and use a fine tooth comb.
Nobody will get away who has been con-
cerned with the purchase and sale of
votes''
This statement by Special Prosecutor
Stephenson, in charge of the presentation
of the cases, has caused CONSERVATION
among hundreds of citizens who thought
that because they had not been caught in
the first drag net their cases had been over
looked. They did not realize the thorough
and systematic plan which Judge Blair had
adopted in this investigation, the farreach-
ing extent of which is only just now begin
ming to be fully understood.
Parties Evenly Affected.
Before the work nf the grand jury IS
concluded the expectation is that at least
500 and nossibly 1900 Adams County vot-
ers will be ,disfranchised. That this will
mean a loss of pluralities to either of the
dominant parties is not expected, Thus
far Republicans and Democrats have been
affected alike, and the proportion IS expect
ed to be preserved TO the end.
One of the circumstances that are making
il easy for the court is the fact that Judge
Blair "has the goods on a large proper
ton of the indicted men, and they know
IL In the temperance and antf-gambing
of which Judge Blair has been
the head, there have been scores OF de-
tectives engaged in getting evidence, and
the fudge has in his possession lists OF
names of persons who have been involved
in Illicit liquor selling and running gam
hing houses which include large num-
,er from every part of the county. He has
let II be known that this information Will
be used against any indicted man who at
ternpts to evade the processes Of the law.
which accounts for the eagerness with |
which they are f1ocking to court to 'fess
up'