The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1921-04-22
ELECTION RECOUNT SHOWS BAD STATE
OF AFFAIRS in One SALMON PRECINCT

WHERE VEL GAINS ENOUGH TO
GIVE HIM CLEAR MAJORITY
OVER SUMMERS-TECHNICAL
DIRECTIONS MARK PROGRESS
OF HEARING.
DR.. w. B. Hart was originally ap-
pointed to fill the place on the cleo
ton board for Depot precinct in which
the name of Percy Anderson was q
has figured in court Anderson was
counting Judge, with two ladies
serving with him. DR.. Hart resign
ed or declined to serve and Anderson
took his place. Before and afters that
time Anderson was employed atsthe
Shenon hotel as clerk. On the stand
Anderson Swore that he had counted
the votes rs marked and in this state
ment he was corroborated by Mrs.
Ralph Edwards and Mrs Marion Null
key, who were counting judges with
him and who made corrections as the
count proceeded Miss Dering Greene,
an election clerk in Depot precinct,
gave corroboratiye testimony. In re-
buttal Mr.. Viel, W. c. Smith and DR..
o. L. Stratton were called and Viel
and Smith testified that Mrs. Mulkey
had said to them that Viel would gain
at least eight votes on the recount.
Miss Greene said to DIR. Stratton that
Viel would gain by correct report
of the result. The editor of the Re-
corder testified that when he was
present toward the end of the count
for a space of perhaps twenty min
utes altogether, he observed errors
made by Anderson, one of them COM
ing near getting by the two other
Judges sitting with Anderson, when a
bystander called attention to the mis-
take. The circumstance that origin
ally cast doubt upon the honesty of
the count was the fact that the demo-
cratic watcher, Gregor Anderson, had
been excluded from the counting
room early in the day. Gregor, who
Is a brother of Percy, found himself
barred out when he had absented
himself from the room only for a lit
tie while.
Line Of Defense
As indicated by the line OF defense
the purpose was to show the possi-
bllity that some democrat might have
had access to the ballot boxes after
the election and improved his oppor-
tunity to stuff them. jim Kirtley,
since the first of the year on the pay
roll as deputy sheriff, swore that
the boxes had been kept in the vault
of the sheriff's office but unprotected
to the extent that the doors not only
OF the vault itself but the office as
well were unlocked, at times not him
self nor the sheriff being present in
the office to guard them. On this
point the testimony of Kirtley was
somewhat stronger than that of Sher-
iff Stroud. 1t was, however, not CON
sidered strong enough to throw out
the vote of Depot precinct from a
recount, as was the case with juno
tion, where the boxes passed entirely
out of the custody of the sheriff's Of
fice and also out of the care and Gus
tody of any election officer. Under
these circumstances the court seemed
to be of the opinion that ballots so
kept did not furnish the best sort of
evidence in the pending action.
But the recount of Depot precinct
shameful tale unfolded, for that
precinct alone, saying nothing about
any irregularities at Junction or at
Baker, where there were evidences of
Denmark rottenness, served to re-
verse the majority of % for Summers
over piel as il stood, but gave a clear
majority OF 29 for Well instead.
Mr.. Summers was sitting in the
board Of county commissioners when
the news came down the stairs from
the court room. Right here. fell
lows, he said to his associates on the
board, is where | quit. | move this
board do now adjourn until we know
more about this thing" Commission
er Snyder seconded the motion and it
was carried. In explaining the Incl
dent afterward Mr.. Summers said it
appeared to him the right thing TO do.
for the board was at the time about
to buy lot of corrugated culverts.
something that might be put Off
and no county interest would suffer
thereby. II should be said that the
defense at no stage of the contest felt
1t necessary to consult Mr. Summers,
so far as outward evidences would 90
to show. With him the office not ON
ly had no strings on it in the hands
of anybody but evidently he did not
care to holdW If its title be question
ed.
Never before in the history of the
county has there been such a shock
to the moral sense OF the community
as the revelations made in this case
have produced. The unfolding of the
story came along in the orderly pro-
cesses of the Law. II there were ef-
forts to smother the proceedings in
technical quibbles and the like, the
judge promptly brushed them aside
and showed Enthusiastically he was for
getting at the bottom OF the thing.
The court proceeded slowly and eau
tiously. After the Iron creek ballot
box was opened and its story found
TO tally with the election report there
We're Uurmurs of disapproval of the
wholav business and faces Of Mr..
Boomer and his associates wore
smiles only TO give way to gloom by
the revelations made By the count OF
Depot precinct Then stories were
started that the democrats had put
up job to injure the reputation of
Percy Anderson. A miscropic inves-
sfuastap ~ .ha halia.s Tuslad - 49,.