Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-10-14
ARREST SEVEN
FOR ALLEGED
VOTING FRAUD
Four Election Officials of Third
District, Fourth Ward, Taken
Into Custody.
ACTION is RESULT OF
THE LEHLBACH RECOUNT
Probe by Prosecutor Follows
Revelation of Gross Vio-
Iations of Law.

Seven arrests for violations of the
election laws in the recent primaries
were made last night and today by
detectives from the prosecutors office.
Four of the prisoners were members
of the election board of the Third
district of the Fourth ward and the
other three were voters, one of them
IN the district in which the election
officials were arrested and the other
two in the Fourth district of the Sec
ond ward.
Judge William P. Martin, of the
Court of Common Pleas, sitting as a
committing magistrate, late last night
fixed bail at $4,000 in the election Off
GERS cases and at $1,000 in the case
of the voters. Only one voter was
able to obtain bail and the others and
three of the officials we're committed
to the county jail in default. The
fourth member of the board was
arrested early today, and he also was
committed in default of bail.
An effort by Jerome T. Congleton,
counsel Tor the two Republican MEM.
bers of the board. and George w.
Anderson, counsel for the two Demo-
cratic members, to have the amount
of the bail reduced today by Judge
Martin was unsuccessful They then
set about procuring bail. The ar
rested officials are Joseph Beckert, of
123 Commerce street, and Nicholas
Pariso. of 1913 South Canal street, Re-
publicans, and John Mclaughlin and
John Davidson, both of 81 Clinton
street, Democrats. All but Davidson
were arrested at their homes between
and 8 o'clock last night. Davidson
was taken into custody at the new
East Orange market in Halstead
street today
Pariso was later released on bail
furnished by Nepola Fernicola, of las
Monroe street.
Voters Arrested.
The voters taken into custody were
Louis Grossman, of 81 Commerce
street, and Walter Thompson and
Loney Moore. The last two are
negroes, and have furnished rooms in
Arlington street and vote in the
Fourth district of the Second ward.
All three are charged with a mis-
demeanor. The complaint sworn out
by Alfred ]. Hargan, of the prose-
cutor's detective staff, states that
they voted in the Democratic primary
election IN 1913 and in the Republican
primary this year, in violation of the
election laws.
Permitting voters TO vote Illegally
is the charge against the members of
the Fourth ward board. Grossman
Is one of the voters that are said to
have been allowed to vote in the Re-
publican box when he was Demo-
crat last year
When Mr.. Congleton and Mr.. An
derson made their plea for the bail
reduction today Judge Martin, in de-
clining 1t, said:
Last year fifteen voters in the
third district of the Fourth ward
voted In the Democratic primary box;
this year those fifteen voters voted
in the Republican box. The election
laws were passed for safeguarding
and assuring honest elections. If we
are not going to hold these defend
ants in heavy bail and assure their
appearance in court, we may as we'll
parole them and others will think
that nothing is to be done about It."
Need a Lesson.
ST think it is high time that cleo
ton officers were taught a lesson,
and | think these officers will be
taught that lesson, that is, if they
are guilty"
Directly after the primaries the
prosecutor began an investigation in
several districts in which the results
showed something wrong on their
Continued ON Page II. Column 3D.