, 1922-09-06
PROMINENT CANDIDATES
FLIP COIN WHEN TUR
SHOW RACE WAS A TIE

The last act in Washable county's
sensational primary election was
staged at Worland Friday, when the
~canvassing board, consisting of Jus
tees of the Peace w. A. Curtice and
H. l.. Bonnie and County Clerk E.
M. Conant met and counted the
returns from the various voting pre-
cincts.
The interest conferred around the
race for the nomination for the office
of state senator on the Republican
ticket. The unofficial returns had
given the citizens a real thrill, for
the two leading candidates in a three
cornered race were tied with 1T votes
each, while tn third man was ten votes
behind, with 1877
After a long days work. marked
by the greatest care. the poll books
were checked and the ballots checked
against the poll books, and the tie
announced by the unofficial count
was made official.
Turns on Flip off Dollar
In such cases the statute provides
that the canvassing board shall cast
lots to decide the tie. No particular
method is prescribed by the laws, that
detail being left to the wisdom of the
board. In this particular instance
the method chosen was the flip of
the dollar, the victor to be the winner
of three, losses out of five In order
TO give no advantage in the side of
the coin to either one. the side was
alternated on each toss.
TIL parties to the strange election
were George B. Mcclellan, one time
state senator from Big Horn County
and better known ovr the state as
Bear George" .nd william Gorst,
a citizen who ha been identified for
several years by mis- activity in irri- !
cation and drainage work as a part
off the management of local communi-
ty-owned projects.
Ceremony In Street
After the rules were decided upon.
the board and many watchers ad-
%journed to the street, where the cere-
designated that for the first toss Nc
Clellan would have heads" and Gorst
tails" Justice Curtice tossed the
dollar into the air and it spun and
glistened in the sun, turned and fell
to the ground with the ACE off the
lady against the earth. County clerk
Conant announced that Gorst had won
the first toss As per agreement
Mcclellan then tool tails" and again
the dollar went spinning into the air
and fell to the earth with the head
side up n smiling on the victor,
Gorst had won the second toss.
Everything was now at a tension. |
The steady hand of the justice sent
the coin N the blue sky for tho
third time, Mcclellan being represent
ed by the eagle and Gorst the heads"
1t rose and fell and as it bounded up !
on the ground while the judges and
spectators gothered round, the social |
ed American god settled down, tails
up. Mcclellan was announced as the
winner of the third heat.
ear George Loses
Fol the next toss Mcclellan would
have heads" and Gorst tails" and
Justice Curtice continued to spin the
dollar and as it came toa rest on the
smooth, hardstreet, those who watch
ed gazed into the face Of that wonder
full woman that people have seer so
little of during the past two, "The
Bear" had won again. -Four of the
five agreed flips of the coin had been
Tipped and the issu was still where
they had startd. The score was tied.
Here the future of a man and possib-
the future of the state hinged on the
last n toss of the coin. Unshakn
by the the importance of the act, the
aged Justice stepped forward and pro-
jected the shining bit of silver above
the crowd.
To the candidates standing breath
lessly by, it seemed ages before it fell
at last it circled down INT came to
rest with the big world. Gorst was
declared nominated on the Republi-
can ticket for tn office of state senator
from Washable county, while Bear
George. true sport that he is, extend
ed congratulations and added that
it had ben a real fight to the finish
the kind a real he-man likes.