The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-05-12
NOBODY BLAMED
BY GRAND JURORS
wHJTEw AsHING REPORr sua-
MIrTED TO COURT FOLLOW
ISG PRIMARY PROBE.
ELECTION WAS HONEST
CONTEST TOTALLY FREE rRoM
CROOKEDNESg, ACCORDING TO
FINDINGS OF OFFICIAL
INQUIsIToRs
ELECTION WAS HONEST

Freeing OF blame. all parues un-
der suspicion. the May grand jury
submitted irs report yesterday to
Judge Southall In Hastings Court, fol-
lowing the Investigation into the al
legged irregularities into the recent
councilmanic primary which was be-
gun last Monday. The jurors were
relieved of further duties and prompt
~ discharged.
Among other things the report
says:
The jury can find no illegal act
that has been wilfuily committed by
any candidates or their friends.
I'VE have used our best efforts to
ors which have reached US through
the press and otherwise.
The Jury believe that the election
was conducted with a fairness com
mensurate with the conditions, that
surrounded the officers OF the cleo
tioB.' ---.4==-s =-=-----
The personnel OF the jury was as
follows:
Charles y. Taylor, foreman: James
T. RyIand. Robert Whtttet. Jr.. John
Mann, Jr. Austin Brockenborough,
r. n. Elicit. Edward =. Rose
Three OF the seven members Of this
body was ayowed candidates for tho
Administrative Board
All Were Eager.
The report is somewhat lengthy. 1t
goes on to say:
The jury found the officers and
clerks eager to assist them in the
examination, and were impressed
with the Idea that they shared equal
" In rheir desires to solve any ques-
ton propounded by the grand Jury.
The evidence shows that the bal
lots which were outside Of the polls
were taken from rhe ONCE OF the
printer. to be used as guides with APP
parently no Illegal intent, but Il was
clearly In violation of the Law. and
1t was expressly prohibited by the
primary pan. and proved that suf-
ffcient safeguards are not thrown
around the ballot. and the plan de-
claring that the printing should be
scrupicusiy guarded was not strtcti!
adhered to.
We cannot attribute this ncglct. .
IN the officers conducting the cleo
ton. nor do we find that any of these
stray ballots found their way into
the ballot boxes, nor have we any
evidence to show that an attempt was
an unia wful act 10 use baItot er copy
Of ballot, save for its prescri byj
purpose, and 1t can be handled only
by the voter after he enters the poll
ing precinct. II is manifestiy unjust
TO attribute the miscarriage of an
election 10 persons who are not in
| position 10 thwart evil designs of
those who may have siirreptitiously
in their possession Instruments where
by their schemes may he consunl-
mated"
FoIkes Denies Talking.
A remarkable feature of the grand
jury's findings Is that r w. FoIkes.
who did considerable talking in re-
gard to what he knew relative to the
| alleged crookedness at Second pre-
cinct, Jefferson ward denied most of
the statements attributed TO him when
he faced the grand jurors behind
closed doors.
In regard to this man. the report
says:
whilst our examination of all wit
nezse was exhaustive, particularly was
1t so in the examination of 7. W.
Folkes. in view of the published In
terviews attributed to him. The clip
pings of the newspapers were care
fully read to him, and he was .Ques.
toned sAeHt each and every paftsca-
lar He positively swore that the
Interviews were erroneous in a great
many particulars and that he did not
know OF any irreguiRrity, nor did he
say anything about the higher ups
or that anything occurred to impress
him with the idea that anything was
wrong, but on the contrary h. be-
lieved that the elections was honestly
conducted.
Got II From Friend
He did not see any of the candi-
dates in the polls, nor did he see any
one OF them doing anything contrary
to law. The stray ticket was handed
to him by a friend about a block and
a half from the polls. accidentally.
He tore of the top and bottom OF 1t
50 as to prevent Its use other than a
suiI r. ticket. ana. onlxs naAJ IL anee. ..
TIE Jury found four . efySrsen .sa~a
ballots and three or four ballots of
ether wards OF the city. Every tai
lot WAS traced. and II was proved con-
cluetvely that none OF them were
voted and that the Jefferson war; bel-
voted and that ths Jefferson wal ID
ballots were used only az nrsmoran-
dums. The ballots from the nthnr
wards were not used and CAM into
the possession OF the jury In torn
condition" .set
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