The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-11-07
ELECTION FRAUD
PUNISHMENT IS
CERTAIN TOCOME
Wholesale Stealing Was Plan
ned and Three Ballot Boxes
Were Taken From Booths
by Williams Officers.
BARRED PAINE
WATCHERS FROM ROOM
Second Ward Box Taken to
Joe Williams 0ffiCeThere
Ten Minutes With Williams
Officer Alone.

There Is every indication that the
frauds and attempted frauds in Thurs
Gay's election win be investigated by
the grand jury.
j, R. Paine, mayor elect, and his as
E0ciates met Thursday afternoon when
i became apparent that fraud was be-
ing .perpetrated, and agreed that rer
Eardiess of the result the persons guilty
~ fraud would be prosecuted 10 the ex-
tent of the law.
Assurance of cooperation was given
by w. 7. McLain, assistant states at
lorney upon the authority Of S. o.
Rates, states attorney and there Is
every indication that Judge Richards
Slon. ' 'on '''eS
The grand jury visited the polling
polling places In their individual ca
nacity Thursday and whatever came TO
their attention will be threshed out Of
Sticialiy in the grand jury room.
Several persons held in jail for re-
peating will be forced to divulge the
person responsible for their conduct, but
the innocent victims themselves will be
the principal sufferers.
There was every indication of fraud
sl only few Of the Uptown wards.
mt It is assured that there will be a
lIin~ity. i
Here are few facts which, together
win a number OF others bearing upor
charges of attempts by partisans OF
the Williams ticket to steal Thursday g
election In such Of the wards as they
controlled. These and other facts win
be the basis for q grand jury investl.
The polling place for the Second
ward. second precinct, was in the lower
corridor Of the courthouse. The voting
was closed at 7 o'clock and an official
II the election Immediately had the
lights turned out and carried the box
right from that corridor, There two
representatives OF the Citizens league
sax, the box remained In the custody Of
elslseF Ed or dan Shea for 10 mlnutes
" 0r sfaGre.
Hy that time Tom Foley arrived with
four policemen, carrying the box fron,
the first previnct Of the same ward
Witnesses say neither box was locked
when 1t was carried away from the poll
ing places, The boxes were then taken
TO the basement of the courthouse and
the doorway at tho top of the stairs
was guarded by four policemen. No one
was permitted to enter.
Thirty minutes later, after a crowd OF
50 Paine workers had gathered In
Sheriff Perry's office and In the cor
ridor. Judge ]. Ed Richards arrived and
pughed past the police on guard at the
stairway. He ordered that the boxes
be Immediately locked and that was
done,
\ A few minutes later the box from the
first precinct of the Nineteenth ward
was brought In under similar circum-
stances, the box unlocked and the votes
amounted.
Fred Goldsmith was the sole official
representative of the Citizens league
In that precinct. He protested when the
officer and the other judges called the
ballots. as they were being counted, and
refused to allow him as judge to see
them The count was summarily
stopped and the box was carried away
from the polling place by the officer Of
election. Pope.
John B. Edgar swore out petition
asking temporary injunction against
The election commissioners and to have
the three boxes and any others which
had been similarly spirited away from
the polling places taken In charge by
the court.
Before the application had been filed
before Judge Pittman, who was wait
ing at the courthouse, it was learned
that Paine and his entire ticket had
:lsk for injunction. The election COM
ruigsioners pledged him that the ballots
should be guarded and would be count
I'D by the regularly appointed election
officers some time Friday
y n Is CHARGED that switching Of the
ballot box was done at one of the Elev-
enth ward precincts.
II is known that in dozen wards
the officer Of election, contrary TO law.
marked ballots for negroes and others
N Is known that certainly scores o.
men and women voted on fraudulen,
papers.
There will be a reckoning as to all
these things with the grand Jury and
Ahe criminal courts. The foreman of the
grand jury and each of the 12 other
members spent Thursday visiting the
polls and saw some things for thep-
lalvss