The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1915-06-17
BALLOT BOXES
IN OPEN ROOM
WITNESSES IN .aLTHEN-FOWLER
CONTEST so IFCJARE.-AL-
THEN MAKES BIG GAIN IN
SECOND WARD.

tiIO CiCSliOil SClltCoS lsSLlLQlSu ny
John Anthem, Jr., against Charles
Fowler, the winner Of the race for
county treasurer in the general cleo
ton on Novemer 3 last, has develop
ed a number of surprises for the
scattering of spectators in attend
|ance.
The first surprise developed when
the ballot box Of the First ward of
the city of Mitchell was opened. No
ballots, but a few unused blanks and
election supplies came to light when
the seal was broken and the box
opened in court by order OF Judge
Frank B. Smith. 1t is possible that
the ballots cast in this precinct may
be in the Third and Fourth ward
boxes, which had not been opened
up to noon today.
Vote is Changed.
The original vote III the Second
ward, upon which the major portion
of the contest is developing, gave
Mr.. Fowler 229 votes, Mr.. Anthem rs,
l.. e. Stair, the socialist candidate, IA
votes and % ballots were blank. This
was the return made by the election
officials Of that ward and by the can
wasting of the county board. The re-
count of the wards vote in court has
shown 1911 votes for Mr.. Fowler, III
for Mr.. Anthem, 10 for Mr.. Stair and
|23 blank.
Following this showing counsel for
Mr.. Fowler started in court this
morning to show that the ballots and
boxes had not been kept in a secure
place from the time they were can-
,yncrAl hNy t1N ~, l@o.l ,$nx: 49,
election contest was instituted by Mr.,
Anthem.
Sheriff is Witness.
Sheriff e. e. Owens was the first
Importance witness called by the de-
Tense this morning. Mr.. Owens tes-
titled that at II O'Clock on the night
of Sunday, November 10 last, the
then County Auditor r. A. HauGle
had come to the sheriff's office in
the court house and had been given
the key to the committee room, in
which the ballot boxes had been kept,
by the sheriff.
About 1880 o'clock the same
night, Mr.. Owens testified, he had
been Weakened by a noise in the hall
and looking out, had seen Mr.. Fan
gle standing at the door to the COM
mittce room, which is at the left
Of the front entrance to the court
house. Upon seeing Mr.. Zangle,
Mr.. Owens then stated he had return
ed to bed and gone to sleep. He
swore he always made it a practice
o investigate noises about the court
house at night.
Door Was Kept Open
A. j.. Curtis, former county COM
missioner and bailiff at the November
term OF circuit court, testified that
the door to the committee room had
been left unlocked for eight or ten
days at that time. Part of the time,
he testified, the door was either ajar
Dr. open. 1t could have been easy,
he said, for any one to have gone in
the room where the ballot boxes were
Kept. He also stated that he had seen
Mr.. Zangle working in the room
an adding machine.
j. F. Berry, former sheriff, stated
that he held that office during the
month of November, 1914, and knew
that the ballot boxes had been put
n the committee room after the
~canyassing board had completed it's
work and that the door had been
open for about ten days that month.
de stated that he had been in the
DOM with +. G. Drake at one time,
md that he had been in it. with men
working on the electric lights. On
,ross-exaniination, Mr.. Berry stated
that he was chairman of the Demo-
cratic county central committee. last
all and had worked for the election
If Mr.. Fowler.
Commissioners On Stand.
\ ]. G. Lehman and Nels Jensen,
members of the board of county
commissioners, both testified that the
bnllot boxes had been placed In the
committee oon on November z and
AIKEN out on November 20. The
boxes were locked when placed in,
he county auditor having the key.
h boxes were sealed when the cleo
lion contest was started.
That he had seen the door to the
committee room open at various
lines while the boxes were inside
a testimony given by +. c.. Drake.
Mr.. Drake declared that as an alb
stractor he had occasion to visit the
;ourt house several times a day and
occasionally in the evening. He stat
I'd that he had not seen Mr.. Zangle
working in the room at night.
Official Ballots Scattered.
w. o. Champion, deputy county
auditor under Mr.. Zangle from June
!, 1911, and now in that position UNI
Ter his brother, John NJ. Champion,
testified that 200 or more unused Of
acial allots had cen left loose in the
auditors Office after the election and
that some still to 9 found there.
Many of them had been used for
scratch paper and were gone he
stated.
At n time soon after election, he
testified, he heard Mr.. Anthem and
Mr.. zangle discussing the narrow
margin OF, election In the county
t~reasurer's office and the word re
count" vas mentioned. He stated
hat he had not heard Mr.. zangle
say he would be benefited should
Mr.. Althen be elected, and the only
comment he had heard from him was
that the election did not Ego his
way
I