Evening star., 1915-03-09
Charges Made by U. S. Dis
trict Attorney Against Terre
Haute "Conspirators." !.
MAYOR ROBERTS A CAR,
THE PROSECUTOR ASSERTS
Insists Courts Were Defied and Vot-
ers Terrorized When They
Went to the Polls.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, March -
United States District Attorney Frank
c. Daley, in his opening statement to-
day at the trial of Mayor Dom NJ
Roberts of Terre Haute. and tho TWEEN
ty-seven other defendants who are
charged with conspiracy to corrupt
the election of November ;. 1914. in
Terre Haute, outlined the facts the
government expects to prove, and de-
clared that Roberts was the head OF
the conspiracy and that he ruled as a
car"
He told how the government con-
tends the false registrations wers
made. of the alleged slugging and
rough work at the polls, Of the manner
of collecting and the amount of the So
called "slush fund.- and spent much
time discussing the law and the gov
ernments right to interfere in tho
election.
obeyed by Henchmen.
Roberts gave orders and his hench-
men obeyed without question" asserted
the district attorney.
He had had long experience in the
larceny Of elections and he knew not only
how it could be done, but upon whom he
could rely to do II. He made his appoint
ments Of city employees largely upon their
qualifications as election manipulators.
| About 1000 false registrations were
prepared at Terre Haute police headquar-
ters by Chief of Police Edward Holler.
who pleaded guilty at the direction of
Roberts. Mr.. Daley told the jury. He
said Roberts and Holler decided on the
number of false registrations to make in
each precinct and then set about manu-
featuring names for the fictitious voters.
About 5000 false registrations were made
in Terre Haute. Mr.. Daley declared.
The district attorney told of the
means employed by the defendants to
get men whom they could control on
the election boards. He said they de-
fed fnjunctions and drove away spe-
cial deputy sheriffs with revolvers in
order to place the men they desired
on the boards.
Table of ''Slush Fund"
In dealing with the 'slush fund" Mr..
Daley produced a table to show how
much money Roberts assessed from
saloon men and resort keepers for
registration and election purposes. As
sistant Chief Of Police John Nugent,
who has pleaded guilty, was Roberts
collector. Mr.. Daley told the Jurors
Chief Holler and Eli H. Redman, a de-
fendant who was declared elected cir
tion. also collected part of the fund,
which the district attorney said
| totaled about $4,000.
Mayor Roberts the governments
counsel asserted. called a meeting OF
his hand-picked election inspectors and
told them that no one had u right to
touch the voting machines except the
inspectors, and that when man
entered for voting the inspectors
should do the work"
Roberts also demonstrated on a vot-
ing machine the manner in which a
vote would not be registered. he de-
clared. Oftentimes, Mr.. Daley said, the
inspectors would pull down the demo-
cratic lever. forcing the voter to vote
that ticket: IL the voter protested Wig
orously the inspector would permit him
to vote again. thus pairing the votes
and leaving both uncounted.
Watched How They Voted.
The Roberts inspectors" Mr.. Daley
asserted. always stood in a position
to see how a person voted. and if the
voter voted right communicated with
the money"
AS an example of the methods used
by repeaters Mr.. Daley gave the fol-
lowing:
One of the fellows who was busy re-
peating in precinct A, sixth ward, was
a one-legged colored man, who voted
eight times in the precinct. one time he
came with a peg leg: another time he
wore a cork leg: the third time without
anything strapped to his legt; the
fourth time, an iron extension leg; an
for the purpose of deception he wore
pla $685.