The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-27
Hailed BEFORE HIS
OWN GRAND JURY
Judge KimbroughAsked
About Vote Buying
Scandal.
ADMITS TAKING
MONEY TO POLLS
Says Funds With Which Auto
mobile Was Loaded Were
Used in Paying OFF Ward
Workers and Not for Cor
rupting Voters-Makes
Frank Statement.

Danville, Ill. January a6.--Judge L.
r. y. kimbrough, Mayor Louis Plat
ana half score OF Democrats went
before the Vernitlion county grand
Jury to-day and told what they knew
OF vcsc traffic in elections during the
last year and q half
Mayor Plat was inside the guarded
door about three minutes. He followed
Judge kimbrough on the witness seat,
the jurist having been questioned for
an hour and seventeen minutes
NPrcvious TO entering his own grand
jury room Judge kimbrough said that
he was prepared to tell everything the
jury asked He admitted that he and
Mayor Plat drove about the city 1t the
-atters election, nearly two years ago,
with sacks OF money, which they car
ried to the polls. lie said. however,
That this was in accordance with the
usual custom OF paying the regular
Ward workers on election day and tina,
inunlaticns that they bought votes
with the money were unwarranted c.
l.. English, president, of the First Ma
tional Bank. of which Judge X imbrough
is VICE president. appeared to tell about
withdrawals of money from the bank
at election time.
Admits the story.
Judge Kinbrough. who was instiga-
Tor Of the grand jury Investigate ton OF
alleged vote traffic, frankly discussed
the story being told that he and Mayor
Plat. at the lattcr's election, went
around to the precincts with an auto
mobile, CARRYING money TO the workers
Why, yes" said Judge Ilimbrough,
when told OF the story being circ,i-
lated about his automobile ride, II
went around with Mayor Plat There
isn't anything wrong about that And
II Is true that our automobile ca rried
money to the precincts. But why?
Any one who has lived in Danville
long knows that candidates pay. on
their organization men-ward work
.ers, etc.--on the day Of the election.
That's what the money Mayor Plat
and carried was used for-to pay
on the workers.
Any statement to the contrary is
2 lie, absolutely and unequivocally a
Judge Fimbrough gave his interpre-
tation Of the law relating to vote
ira ffic
Outside of Danvlle." he said, vote
buying is not crime. In Danville
1t Is not crime after eighteen months
have passed. Therefore the buyers
arc now immune for offenses more
than eighteen months back, regard
less of me; do not make the law.
Likewise, since conspiracy is to do
an unlawful act there can be no
conspiracy when there is no unlawful
act
And now as to the eighteen months
period. That provision in the law
clearly is class legislation and viola
ton OF the fourteenth amendment to
the Federal Constitution, which grants
to all equal rights under tile law
Big Event of Day.
The big event Of the day was the
appearance of Judge Kimbrough be-
fore the grand jury. Second in i'm
portance only to the judges testi-
mony was that of Mayor Plat and
Earl Chambers, owner of garage.
Chambers said he was prepared to
tell the grand jury that he drove the
judge in an automobile In several
trips from the First National Bank
to various precincts of the city, carry
ing money to the workers al the polls.
Several other witnesses were sum
moned to tell what truth there Is to
the stories they have told of having
seen, when the automobile ran into an
electric pole. tarpa disarranged
in the bottom of the tonneau and be-
meath 1t gold and silver coins and
paper money in small denomna lions
scattered in profusion on the floor