The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-04-14
MANY ARE FOUND GUILTY
MAYOR AND OTHERS OF TERRE
HAUTE CONVICTED.
q. 8. Government Wins Case of Con-
spiracy to Corrupt the Election
Last November.

Last November.
! The 27 men of Terre Haute, Ind.
including Mayor Dom NJ. Roberts,
| charged in the federal court with
conspiring to corrupt the election OF
last November, were found guilty by
a jury Tuesday. The case has been
on trial since March 8.
Judge Anderson announced he
would sentence the convicted men,
together with SO who were indicted
jointly with them and have pleaded
guilty, next Monday.
ALI the defendants except Alexan-
der Aczel were permitted by the court
to remain at liberty under previous
bonds. Aczel, alias Steel, has been
in jail for several weeks unable to
give bond Of $4,000 for alleged at
tempts to influence government wit
neSses.
The federal government placed its
claim to jurisdiction in the fact that
United States senator and a mem
Der of congress were being voted for
in the election. It is said that this
was the first time the federal govern
ment had ever interfered In an cleo
ton on this contention and that the
idea was original with Frank c. Dai-
ley, United States district attorney
for Indiana.
The indictment on which the men
were tried is in four counts. The
first count is based on section 19 OF
the United States criminal code, the
subject matter Of which is conspiracy
to injure persons in the exercise Of
their civil rights. The Indictment
charges that qualified voters were
prevented from exercising that right.
Conspiracy to. defraud the United
States by corrupting the election is
charged in the second count, which is
based on section 81 of the criminal
code, which was used in the dynamite
conspiracy case here two years ago.
In brief, the third count alleges
that, in furtherance Of the scheme to
defraud the United States, the de-
PENDANTS placed letters in the mails,
and it Is also based on section 81.
The final count charges a scheme
to defraud the gamblers and saloon
keepers OF Terre Haute, and in fur
therance of this scheme letter was
placed in the mails. This count is
based on section 215 OF the penal
code Of the United States.
The federal grand jury began its
investigation about two weeks after
the election Of November 8, 1914, and
returned the indictment on December
"a, naming 1875 men. United States
Marshal Mark Storen and his depu-
ties began making arrests Christmas
night and took into custody 116 OF
the men indicted. The remaining 10
have not been apprehended.
Eighty of the men arrested plead
ed guilty when arranged on January
12, 1915, eight more entered the
same plea before the trial was begun,
and another pleaded guilty when the
trial was almost over.
Former Mayor Roberts and &c 9TH
ers, A. o. Stanley, former congress-
man from Henderson, KY, filed de-
murrer which was overruled by
Judge Anderson on February l. The
trial was delayed until March s, after
the adjournment of congress, to &C
commodate Mr. Stanley.
The taking of evidence was begun
March 10 and the government rested
March 27 after having examined 297
witnesses, 81 Of whom were recalled
to the stand, bringing the number up
to 31S. The defense used rs wit
nesses, including only II Of the 2S
defendants, and brought its case to
an abrupt end on March 81. On re-
buttal, the government introduced %
witnesses, completing that phase Of
the case in half day. The defense
had no surrebuttal and afte- motions
to instruct the jury to acquit seven
Of the defendants had been overruled
the arguments were begun last
Thursday. Each side was allowed 10
hours for arguments.