The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-10-30
Paper Finds Washington
Jaunt Had Bearing on
Evansville Situation.
MAYOR, KLANSMAN WENT
Also Helped Build Up Ma
chine to Back Watson.
BU Times SDecioI

CIliIle III bdCk WdlSUH.
BB Times Special
EVANSVILLE. Ind, Oct. 30.-The
trip to Washington which Joseph
Huntington. Khan leader, and Mayor
Herbert Males made to Washington
about December, 1925. shortly after
Males was elected, had direct bear
ing on the fraudulent absent voter
ballots cast in the 1925 primary, ac-
cording to information in the hands
of the Evansville Press today.
The trip figured in the testimony
before Senator Reed at st. Louis
Thursday.
The trip had not a little to do
with building up the Klan political
machine in Indiana for support of
Senator Watson in his race for re-
election this year, The trip also had
a great deal to do with squelching
the investigation of the fraudulent
absent votes cast in the 1925 pri-
mary in Evansville by the United
States postal authorities, after they
had come here and obtained convinc-
ing evidence that hundreds of alb
sent voter ballots went through the
registry division of the local post
office several days before election.
The postal investigation of the alb
sent vote fraud was initiated by the
Citizens Clean Election Committee
shortly after primary and members
of the Citizens Committee put the
matter up to the post office at Wash
ington as shown by letters IN pos
session of the Evansville Press.
Evidence Presented
Attorney Albert J. Veneman. lie.
tanned by the committee to get evil
dence, obtained a mass of convicting
evidence and presented it to the
authorities at Washington. AS re-
suit of this preliminary presentation,
Post Office Inspector Birdseye of the
Cincinnati office came to Evansville
to investigate.
Birdseye left Evansville satisfied
that Attorney Veneman had assem-
bled facts for a strong case for the
Federal Government. In the mean
time, the office of the solicitor gen.
.eral Of the post office department, no.
titled the citizens committee that
the evidence presented If proven, con-
stituted criminal conspiracy
against the postal laws. The letter
cited the Dom Roberts case at Terre
Haute in this connection.
Nothing further was done about
the matter until Veneman, fearing
the ballots would be destroyed under
the statute of limitations applying
to election evidence, again called at
tention Of authorities to the matter.
Inspectors A. c. Garrigus, Kokomo,
Ind, and Griswa1d of Cincinnati,
then were detailed on the Evansville
case and obtained an order from Cir
cult Judge Charles P. Book, segrega-
ting the ballot evidence.
Check by Inspectors
The inspectors checked 264 of the
suspected fraudulent ballots with the
stubs Of the registry division of the
local post office for several days be-
fore election. In every case the
stubs and the ballots that could be
proven fraudulent dovetailed The
inspectors declared the evidence as
founding. They presented their re-
port to District Attorney Albert
Ward at Indianapolis.
Neither Veneman nor the citizens
Committee heard of the matter again
until August. 1926, when Inspector
Walter Lytel Of the Evansville post
office informed Veneman that Dis
trict Attorney Ward had notified
Chief Inspector Birdseye the case
was a matter for the State Court
In all, 1900 absent voter ballots
believed to be fraudulent were cast
for Herbert Males for mayor in the
1925 primary. The evidence in 264
Of these cases was presented to the
Vanderburg County grand jury
through Prosecutor Henry Hardin
but 70 indictments Of moment were
returned. Hardin, elected as a DEM
ocrat, came out for Males for mayor
just before the November election in
1925. Hardin was appointed city at
torney by Males and now holds that
office.
News of the presence of the in
spectors in Evansville leaked out
during the fall and Males and Hut
ftjngton made trip to Washington,
where It was reported they saw Sen
ator Watson and were introduced
by him to President Coolidge On
their return to Evansville, Males and
Huntington informed confidential
friends that they had discussed the
Evansville postal fraud investigation
with him. According to remarks
later attributed to Watson by Males
and Huntingdon. the Senator asked
concerning the likelihood of the To-
cal courts taking the mattel up.