New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-05-04
FOUR MEN ACCUSED
OF ELECTION FRAUD
Several Poll Officials In
Murphy'S District I'm
der Arrest.
SIX ARE INDICTED
BY THE GRAND JURY
District Attorney to Probe Whole
County for Alleged Biparti-
san Corruption.

Four election officials Of the 18th
Assembly District. the homo district
OF Charles f. Murphy. leader of Tam
many Hall. were arrested yesterday
on a charge Of participation in election
frauds unearthed by District Attorney
Whitman in his investigation into ir-
Irregularities committed in the special
election held on April 7 on the question
Of holding a constitutional convention.
The arrests were the result OF six
indictments returned by the grand
Jury sitting for General Sessions Fri
day. and two more arrests are ex-
pected. The men arrested yesterday
were Daniel W. Brosnan. Democrat;
George Wasen and Joseph Koch, Re-
publicans: all three being inspectors OF
elections. and Louis Boil. Republican.
a poll clerk.
II was said yesterday the other two
men indicted are Democrats There
are eight officials altogether who were
in charge of the polls, but the invesu-
cation has shown that two OF them
took no part in the frauds.
Only One District Investigated.
AS told exclusively in The Tribune
Of April 20, the frauds were called to
Mr.. Whitman's attention by the Hon
est Ballot Association, following a
canvass Of the vote by the Board OF
Aldermen as the County Board of Can
vassers The arrests yesterday were
the result Of the completion Of the in
vestigation In the 9th Election Dis
trict OF the 10Th Assembly District.
hut Mr.. Whitman said that he would
carry on the investigation in every
election district in the county.
He refused 10 express an opinion on
what effect his findings would have on
the validity Of the special election.
saving that his Office was concerned
only with the discovery OF violations
of the elections law or with the COM
mission Of crimes In connection with
the special election. and nothing else.
Our evidence shows" he said, that
the election laws were utterly disre-
garded in the 9th district. and that the
inspectors themselves participated in
the frauds. The praud practised was
evidently the result Of conspiracy
upon the part of certain OF the cleo
ton officials and outsiders to poll the
heaviest possible vote In favor OF the
question of holding a constitutional
convention.
fDc yr'1 under
arrest are charged with having COM
United the crime Of emitting and ne
gecting TO perform an act required OF
them by the election law. Such
crime is a felony. punishable by a max
imum penalty Of three years IL state
prison and $1,000 fine.
BOIL May Aid Whitman
Louis Boil, tho poll clerk under ar
rest, is charged with aiding and abet-
ting another person in illegally voting.
lie was in consultation with District
Attorney Whitman for some time after
his arrest, making a signed statement.
Following this consultation, arrange
by representatives of the District At
torney's office 1t was agreed to accept
the low bail Of $500 in his case, said to
be in consideration for the promises he
made 70 help Mr.. Whitman in the pros
ecution. Bail in s2,50O, 1t was said.
wifi be demanded in the case of the
others.
BOIL was unable to furnish the bail
f1xcd and was locked up in the Tombs.
He expected to be able to arrange his
bail to-day. When asked II ne has
made a confession to Mr. Whitman, he
said:
no. I have not confessed. az 1 did
nothing wrong. I agreed TO tell Mr.
Whitman all 1 knew. The charges he
makes OF fraudulent voting are al
true except as regards myself / viii
help him all can"
The specific charges against Wasen,
Koch and Brosnan is that they know
ingly allowed Eugene Beard, OF 25e
Avenue a, TO vote illegally. This is
only one Of moro than eighty similar
offences which the evidence obtained
by the District Attorney shows were
committed in the 9Th Election District
Of the 18th Assembly District April T.
This evidence upon which the indict-
ments were based was as follows:
That the poll books showed that SOC
persons voted i'm the district, and that
every one OF the votes was cast ir
favor OF holding the convention;
That Of the 800 votes cast not over
thirty were cast legally.
That the votes were fraudulently
cast 10y the forging OF voters names
in the signature copy Of the poll book
and the casting Of ballots under the
names so forged:
That numbers Of these forgeries
were committed by the same person,
being written in the same handwriting
one person having forged from ten 20
twelve signatures and another from
twelve TO twenty. This phase OF the
evidence is being developed by hand
writing experts.
The evidence further showed that
certain election inspectors voted from
ten to twenty times themselves. the