Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-10-06
ELECTION BOARD
FACES ARREST FOR
VIOLATING LAWS
Startling Discrepancies Are
Revealed in Sixth Ward
Ballot Box

Arrest of the entire election board
OF the Second precinct of the Sixth
ward for violation of the election laws
may result from the startling situation
revealed to-day by the County Com
missioners when thew opened the bal
lot box and officially counted the Re-
publican primary vote cast for con-
stable.
The official count developed the
fact that fifty-nIne more votes had
been counted in the returns of the
election board than had actually been
cast.
Criminal proceedings may be in
stituted, according to District Attor-
ney Michael e. Stroup this afternoon,
although he said he will wait until the
matter has been officially presented to
the court before acting.
up to this time ! do not know of
any violations of the election law Off
oially," said he. and 1 expect that
the matter as found by the County
Commissioners will be presented to
the court by Colonel f. NJ. OFT, the
county solicitor. If, after the matter
has been officially presented, there is
believed to be any evidence of fraud
why, most certainly ! shall begin
prosecution"
Box Ordered Opened
The box was opened by the commits
sloners upon order of the Dauphin
| County Court. Constable Bertron A.
Wells. who ran for denomination on
the Republican ticket, was defeated
by one vote, according to the returns.
asked for the opening of the box and
the official accounting.
The returns showed Wells to have
heen defeated in the ward by 263 to
2oE. The precinct in question was the
second. On its registration lists 242
Republicans were registered. The rec
ords OF the board showed that 221 Re-
publican ballots had been issued The
returns. however. showed that Benja-
min Smith, Wells opponent, received
lSO votes and that Wells got II, a
total of 25T
One Voted for Both
Ihe official count to-day showed
that 22O ballots were cast. OF these
| smith received 107 and Wells 81
Iwenty-one tickets were found in the
box without any choice for consta Bile
indicated and one ticket showed the
voter to have been truly neutral: he
voted for both.
The opening of the box and the
oIncial count naturally show a revision
or the figures on the constable's re-
turns for the Sixth Ward. In the three
precincts Smith polled 100 votes and
Wellis 2t6, the present incumbent
winning by eishty-six
Trouble Finding Box
The commissioners and the group
OF anxious friends of the two OBJ
ponents and some other onlookers got
weary almost to peevishness this
morning while awaiting the opening
| OF the box. In the first place the
janitors and Chief Clerk Lebo had to
go down into the basement and nav
round for the box. They found a
box that bore the certificate of the sec
ond precinct. Sixth ward election
| board. So the box was lugged up-
stairs. the hinges We're pried off-af1d
! the discovery was made that It con-
! tanned returns for United States
! Senator Penrose and Governor Martin
G. Rrumhaugh, May 1914.
The searchers went down into the
debris filled basement again. poked
around in the dirt and dust and
! brought up another box This. too.
| bore a certificate of the second nre-
cinct of the Sixth ward. And when
the commissioners opened it they dis
covered that they had poked into n
box of the second precinct of the
! Fourth Ward. The certificate had
! slipped from the prorer box. The
second precinct of the Sixth ward was
hnallN found by fitting the certificate
into the waXen casts.
The election board consists of Will
| liam Jones, judge, George Moore and
| w n. Young. Democratic and Re
publican inspectors respectively. and
I James Reed and L. T. Jones, clerks.
all hut the Judge being negro electors
| of the precinct. The night prior TO
the primaries Constable Wells had to
arrest Jones. the judge. on n charge
| OF assault and battery preferred nv
| his wife. hut the Judge was relea sed
on bail Friday evening.