West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1916-10-05
PROSECUTION Of Election Frauds

and others. charged with election
frauds in Mingo county. which is now
being tried at Huntington before
Judge G. A. Woods OF the United
States Circuit Court OF Appeals.
The case OF Creenway Hatfield and
others, indicted on a similar charge,
Will be tried as soon as the present
case Is ended. Evidence has been
produced by the government to show.
That w. S. Hatfield, Berman Hat,
field. Grant Gibson, Il. L. Simpkins.
Harrison Copley, Noah Lester, George.
Kelly. Tony Gaujot, Tom Maynard
and Blaine York were present at a
meeting at the house OF Tom May
nard i'm War Eagle, the night before
the 1914 election there.
That II was agreed upon at this
meeting that the polls should open
before the regular hour prescribed by
law. that election officers other than.
those named by the county court for
the Democratic party should be in
stalled I'm the absence OF the regular
ly appointed Democrats, and that the
Democrats should receive but eleven
votes at War Eagle precinct
That the polls were opened between
three and four o'clock in the morn
ing, long before the hour set by law.
and that Tony Gaujot said that ut was
sun-up in Washington" and hence all
right.
That the regularly appointed Dem
ocratic election officers who arrived
before sun-up, were not permitted to
serve.
THAT a part at least of the alleged
conspirators were armed when they
went to the polling place, and that the
weapons were given them by Tom
Maynard and Bob Simpkins.
That during the day the ballot box
was kept open and the ballots remov-
ed from time to time. Democratic bal
lots and many OF the mixed ballots be-
ing destroyed. That only eleven
Democratic ballots were allowed to
remain in the ballot box
That sixty-odd voters appeared at
the polling place and voted during the
day, but that practically the full reg
istration of some 157 were voted
That the names OF many men who
did not vote that day appear upon
| the poll books as having voted.
That Tom Maynard, who was not an
1 nInRtinn off tn
ton of the day in the polling place,
and that he filled out ballots when no
voters were present and that they
were placed in the ballot box.
That Noah Lester and Linko Blank
enship were threatened with prosecu-
lDtions % themselves. their relatives
and others. in case they should refuse
to serve as election officers in &C
| cordance with the wishes OF Simpkins
and Maynard; and that they were
promised immunity and reward in
case they should serve.
That the alleged conspirators
sought TO prevent Willard Browning,
| Democrat whom they could not han
| die, from serving as an election. Off
| Ger, by Offering him fifty dollars and
promising immunity from prosecution
for certain alleged offenses against
| the law, and finally when these meas
ures failed, by seeking to trumpsup a
pistol carrying case against him that
would keep him I'm Jail over election
day.
That the home of Nick Biankenship
was guarded the night before election
in order to prevent any possible sur
prise on the part of the Democrats
which might result in the regularly
| appointed election officers getting to
the polling place ahead of the alleged
conspirators.
That after the polls closed I'm the
evening additional ballots were pre-
pared by Tom Maynard and that Linko
Blankenship placed them in the box.
That Tom Maynard and Bob Simp-
kins said they would Just as soon
| man would not come and vote, and
they would vote him anyway.
That Harrison Toler, an alleged
bootlegger, was released from Jail on
bond furnished by Tom Hatfield at
the instance of Greenway Hatfield,
and Greenway Hatfield asked him to
help In the election, that he promised
| 70 do so, that he was told to report
to Tom Maynard, that Maynard had
him try to influence Willard Brown
ing, a Democrat, not to serve as an
election officer by Offering money and
! immunity from prosecution for Harri-
| son Toler and others and by having a
pistol carrying warrant sworn out
against him, that Toler was re-arrest-
ed two days before the election, his
bondsmen having given him up "be-
cause he was giving away secrets"
that he was kept Jail over election
day, but was released afterwards when
his wife had threatened to tell the
authorities what she knew about the
War Eagle election.
That Mrs. Bob Slmpklns and Tom
Maynard offered Mate Walker five
dollars II he would serve as a Demo
cratic election officer. but that he re-
fused
That after the government agents
began an investigation Noah Lester
and Llnko Blankenship were told that
they had better 20 before John T.. stat
ford at Williamson and deny the
/ oaths" they had made I'm connection
with the election, or that they would
get themselves into trouble, and that
six men could swear better than
two"
That young men who kept a count