The Oskaloosa herald., 1915-04-08
TERRE HAUTE men
ARE FOUND GUILTY
Mayor Roberts and 26 Aids
Convicted.
TO HEAR PENALTY MONDAY
Defendants in Indiana Trial Convicted
Of Gross Corruption at Polls
Government Wins Vote
Buying Case. ,

Indianapolis, April IAN OF the . !
defendants, including Mayor Dom M.
Roberts, in the Terre Haute election
fraud cases were found guilty by a
Jury. The case has been on trial in
the federal court here since March 8.
Judge Anderson announced that
sentence would be passed on the ~
who we're found guilty and the 80
who have pleaded guilty next Mon
day morning at ten o'clock. In the
meantime he permitted all the defend
ants with the exception of Alexander
Aczel, alias Steel. TO remain at lib
erty under their previous bonds.
Steel has been in jail for some time,
unable to give bond of $1,000 for al
legged attempt to influence govern
ment witnesses %
All of the defendants took the YER
dict calmly and there was no demon
stration of any sort. a.. ....
Liot of Men Convicted.
s Those found guilty are: g.
Dom NJ Roberts, mayor Of Terre
Haute and candidate for the Demo
cratic nomination for governor: Ell
H. Redman, declared elected Vigo cir
cult Judge by ten votes; Elmer e. Tai
bolt, comptroller of Terre Haute I'M
til his resignation because of the trial
here: Dennis Shea. sheriff of Vigo
county; Maurice Walsh, county seal
er of weights and measures anF treas
urer of campaign funds: Harry s,
Montgomery, John Masselink. Thorn
as C. Smith, city Judge; George Ehren-
hardt. Edward r. Driscoll, Hilton
Redman, Charles Houghton, Lewis
Nunley, Joseph OMeara. William s.
Crockett, Richard Knuckey, Alexan-
der Aczel. alias Steel, a foreigner;
Arthur ellis. John +. Greene. Will
liam Doyle, Pearley Mckay, George
Severn, Timothy (Bully) Conway, An
drew O'Brien. Joseph Strauss, George
Woodall, William P. O'Donnell. Eigh-
ty-nine others have pleaded guilty.
First Prosecution of Kind.
The federal government based its
claim to jurisdiction on the fact that
a United States senator and a mem,
Der of congress were being voted for
in the election. 1t 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.
Daley. United States district attorney
for Indiana
The indictment charged that quail
fed voters were prevented froSl exer-
cisinG that right, that qualified per
sons were prevented from serving on
election boards, and that persons who
had committed no offense were de-
prived of their liberty without due
process of law.
Scheme to Defraud.
The final count charges scheme
10 defraud the gamblers and saloon
keepers OF Terre Haute, and in fur
therapce of this scheme letter was
placed in the mails. This count is
based on section 2t5 Of the pen al
code of the United States.
The federal grand jury began its
investigation under the direction of
District Attorney Daley about two
weeks after the election of November
3, 1914, and returned the indictment
on December "a, naming 1876 men.
United States Marshal Mark Storen
and his deputies began making ar
rests Christmas night, and took into
ouutoJy t1C ~ tho M nm Indicted The
remaining ten have not been appre-
hended.
Eight OF the men arrested pleaded
guilty on January IL. 1915. which was
arraignment day; eight more had en-
tered the same plea before the trial
was begun, and another when the trial
was almost over pleaded guilty. May
or Roberts and 20 others elected to
stand trial.