Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-01-23

closed. He understood that there had
been 1896 votes cast as Quimby made
a count at $50 and said there were
! 395 ballots voted. One man voted
! later. Morrison was present when
| Quimby made the count
OConnor scattered the votes on the
table and the count showed 456 bal
lots but he said nothing about it.
The check list used by the DEM
ocratic checker. not an official list.
was produced. proved and it was
shown to have been in the hands of
the Auburn city marshal since lhe
election. Coombs said he had count
ed the number Of names checked and
there was S9l.
| On cross-examination the location
OF the ward room. ballot boxes and
election officials was shown.
! Did Dyer act as checker? Ans.
yes.
+ Did Everett Gilman take his place?
! Ans. no.
| Did you know what became Of This
! check list after the election Yes. it
! was in the Auburn police station.
| He testified that lie could not ell
whether any changes had been made
| on the check list since the election.
! TIL ballot box was in plain sight of
| everything and the election was con-
Quoted just as it had been for :,ic
past 20 years His name had been
checked OH ingoing list but his sons
f, name was checked on outgoing list.
/ The contestant rested at this time
| I1k &I1
| ballots be counted Counsel for con-
testee demurred and suggested that
! this be deferred until the oral testi-
mony was in. After n lengthy dis
cussion the committee decided that
the examination would wait. The
: Contestants then offered the following
record of the vote of Ward four i'll
the past four years for governor,
showing this result: 1912. total vote.
/, 429. Haines, PA, Plaisted l25; 1914.
total 426, Haines 1903, Curtis IT,,
Gardner 149: 1916. total vote AS. Mil
liken $50, Curtis 1877; 1918, total vote
! 446. Milliken29l, McIntire 1916. The
total vote of Auburn in 1916 was 2S95
and in 1918 PAS. 4 falling off Of $50.
Judge Manser
F.! Opening the case for Mr. Parent.
Judge Manser said that they claimed
the other side had failed to make cut
q case. 1t appeared from the evidence
offered that no ward officer had COM
riittcd any fraud and that only the
proper persons had had opportunity to
touch the ballots.
He declared that the check list had
RI int
show that through carelcssness it had
been possible for some person to
have handled this list vino did not
have the authority. They would show
that man who was vitality interested
in the election had possession of this
list for some time.
I'VE will show" decla red Judge
Manser, that Mr.. clifford had pos
session Of the ward three and four
checklists for about fifteen minutes:
that he was alone ant lat he was
seen working over then with his
pencil, either marking or erasins
them. This. We shall claim. shows
that no force can he attached to this
check list"
He said that while Martin S. OCnn-
nor had not previously been called in
hearings in the cases growing out of
the election, because Of his peculiar
post ion, it rad been decided in this
I instance 70 PIT him on the stand and
let him tel his story.
O'connor's Story
Martin s. O'Connor was called. He
had lived in Auburn seven years and
was elected to this position withou.
opposition at the request OF the cit
liens committee consisting Of three
Democrats and Ike number Of Re
pub!icans.
He had served for l3 or IA months
under 4 Democratic administration
in Lewiston and a recommended ion
was presented as evidence written
for him by Mayor Frank A. Mercy
He afterwards was in business for
himself and had worked for the Cen
eral Electric Co. For time h. was
q member of the Auburn police force
and had been a deputy sheriff for the
purpose of protecting and keeping
order at some dances which We're UNI
der his management. but had served
no We'll processes or made any ar
rests.
He arrived at about $50 in ward
room and went 10 work preparing to
open the polls. Mr.. OConnor then
went on to describe the work done
/! in opening the polls and those pres
ent at the time. The ballot box was
/ found locked and the key in the lock
which was a paddock. The box was
/ in the view of all the room. He said
/ that he acted as warden and also
checked off the names on the list. He
had been in the custom of doing.
After that he described his move
ments for the day and two trips away
/ from the polls which he made one in
! the forenoon and one in the after
| noon. He saw the name of one man.
/ Mr.. Coomb's son. checked. and knew
he was out of the city. Mr.. Coombs
explained that he had voted and his
name had been checked on ingoing
| list but through mistake his sons
name was checked on outgoing list
| O'Connor told Of the men who were
The arrangement of the rooms was
the same as always. A list Of names
was read but he claimed not to have
i-checked any of them off the list. The
work OF counting and announcing re-
suit was described and the manner
of fixing the ballots in the boxes was
| related. Afterwards he told Of what