The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1923-01-18

ACROSS Cne nap OF edcn sack Nat
been paisted election judges "offi
cial SEALS" that is to say, blanks in
tended for the use of election judges
as official seals On these seals had
been written the names of some half
dozen business men of Poplar, and
the date, Dec. 80, 1922, the same
names it is understood, on every one
of the 81 bags. These names were
not those of county officials or elec-
ton officials and were hence no guar
antee that the contents of the bags
were intact. So the clerk and re-
corder unlocked the bags marked as
from precincts %, "a and 81 and
examined the ballot envelopes. The
envelopes from % and "a, two Wolf
Point wards, had been torn so that
the ballots could easily be removed,
large openings had been ripped in
the extra thick and stout MANILA pa
per. On the envelope from 81 (Wolf
Point outlying) the official seal, sign
ed by the election judges had been
broken so as to allow access to the
ballots and the dans of the envelope
reglued. But in the operation the
two parts of the cut or torn seal
failed to join each other by about
half an inch.
Mr. Hardie nor none of those
present touched the ballots or remov-
ed them from their containers, but
\ IL, tho+
these bags and ballot envelopes had
been opened after being sealed by
the election officials. This being
sufficient proof that the election re-
turns had been tampered with be-
fore Mr.. Hardie took charge of them
the other bags were not unlocked,
but all bore the same outward ap-
pearance.
The public will draw its own con-
clusions, but there appears to be
abundent justification for the COM
mon comment that the people of
Roosevelt county will be fortunate
when they finally get the county's
affairs free from the clutches of this
desperate and daring Poplar khan.
The names of some of those pres
ent when the bags were unlocked and
the contents examined by the clerk
and recorder are: L. A. Brown |
county attorney; w. L. Tidland, coun-
ty treasurer; Mr. Tidland's deputy
DR.. Harris, of the Poplar county seat
w. L. Young, county com
F. E. Rathert and H. B.
Mason of Wolf Point.
Later
Word comes from the former tenn
oorary county seat that the populace
IS wildly exercised over the discovery
If the condition of the ballot en-
yelopes and that big delegation of
Doplar's most eminent citizens storm
I'd the old red school house as soon
IS the alarm was sounded over the
lown town precincts. They demand
ID guards to protect the ballot bags
rom further investigation. They in
listed the commissioners provide
such guards, feeling that the highly
JalndDI6 Walls VI IiiS SeAoAS DSiAA-N>N
he county treasurer's office could
lot be depended on.
They gave Clerk Hardie to under
tand that if he displayed any more
uriositv as to the condition of the
lies and records for which he had
,ecome responsible he would be IN
Dutch wild de gang. He must, ac-
ept things as they are handed him,
md maintain sublime faith that
verything was as it should be- They
eemed to feel that too much had
een seen already. A sort of nervous
nessimism enveloped them and gave s
hem haunting fear that their pro- c
ram had blown up, been knocked IN S
he head, and otherwise made mess i
f.
Now some are asking why the ]
'oplarites did not think of the idea q
f guarding the ballots Immediately q
fter election and while they we're |
ying around the front part of the
Jerks office, and down town places. '