Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-10-22


ly prays that the return record and
votes In the aforesaid towns cast for
Sheriff on the 18th day of September,
A. D., 1926, may be declared wholly
invalidated and of no force or value.
Witnesses Heard
After the opening by both attor-
neys, a recess was taken in order that
some sort of agreement be arrived at
to expedite the bearing Of the case.
After recess, Attorney Dubord
stated that his main contention
would be the validity Of ballots in the
City of Augusta and would offer wit
nesSes in support of the claim that
there was Illegal balloting.
Harold Metcalf, ward clerk In
ward three, Augusta, was the first
witness called and after questioned
by Attorney Dubord as to the returns
made he was sharply cross examined
by Attorney Maher as to the method
of checking up on the ward.
Other witnesses heard were Joseph
Cote, Marshall Pomerleau and Ar
thur ]. La Cass, officials of ward
four, Augusta. The general trend of
the questioning dealt with the way
ballots We're checked, counted and
tied up. Recess 7.30 in the evening
was taken at this point.
Charles +. Flynt, principal owner
End general manager Of the Kenne-
1ac Journal was the first to be ques-
toned at the opening of the evening
session. He stated that the ballots
are printed at the Kennebec Journal
office and told briefly of the way in
which they are handled. He declar-
ed that it would be extremely difficult
If not impossible for extra ballots to
get out Of the office. There is a very
small percentage of extra ballots
printed, ne said, to insure that the
full number will be received by the
secretary of State. The ballots are
checked by the amount of paper
stock used, by automatic counters
on the printing presses and again
when they are folded In the book
bindery.
City Marshal William ]. Skehan of
Augusta testified that on the night of
the election he waited until midnight
and at that time they We're still
counting in Ward seven. The next
morning when he entered the police
station the chest in which the ballots
are placed after an election by the
ward officers and which was sent in
by the officials of Ward seven, was
in the ward room of the police sta
ton. On cross examination he de-
clared that the members of his force
are Democratic and that there is al
ways an officer on duty at the sta
ton,
Daniel w. Cony. City Clerk of Au-
susta and chairman of the Demo-
cratic State Committee was then
called. He stated that all ballot
chests with the exception Of Ward
seven were placed in the vault in his
office that night and that they were
always under the eye Of himself or
his deputies.
On cross examination he was asked
IL he was present at an inspection of
the check lists of wards four. three
and one of Augusta. Upon admitting
, it, he was asked if he remembered the
total which was arrived at by the
representatives of Mr.. Jewett. This
he gave as S93 for Ward four. He
testified that he had personally
checked up these lists and had found
% names on one page which were.
not counted and In addition eight
certificates of election which are is
sued by the board of registration to
enable voter to cast a ballot when
through some error his name does
not appear on the check list. He had
notified both parties of this fact,
A careful questioning on the re-
turns from Ward three, in which thu
vote for sheriff was compared with
that for other offices was then taken
up.
Again on cross examination he tes-
tliled that he had gone to Ward four
several times that day and noted
considerable interest. At $50 or 40
ne had checked up with the ballot
clerk, as he usually does to deter
mine how many ballots had been Civ
en- out by him. At that time thew
We're on the sixteenth bundle which
would be $50 votes when all out.
Alfred j. Lacasse of Augusta, stat
ed that he had kept an unofficial
check on the French-speaking resi-
dents of Ward four but he had not
checked those who do not speak
! French. He testified that he Thought
there were about HOO voters in the
ward.
Napoleon Pelletier, a ianitor at the
CITY Building stated that he had
worked in Ward four at intervals
qpring the day and that they had set
goal or 9O0 voters. Asked If he
mad Know that night that they had
attained the goal he said Not that
L Know of, that night"
~ VI O'oS- ne ma q. VIII n
the aid of two other men, as he was
not at the Ward four polls all the
time, kept check on those who ma
voted and he had rounded I'D the de-
linquents. He has not since seen that
list nor does he know of il being
counted.
In answer to a question by one of
the councillors he stated that he had
gone into the Ward four polls short
~ AFTER O'Clock and Mayor Ernest
Mclean had asked him why it was
that Ward four could not poll more
IMAM 9oO votes. To this he had an
swered that he didn't know. He
said that each time he went into the
room he had asked the ballot clerk
how many had been used.
David Vigue of Waterville, an in
surance man who had assisted At
torney f. Harold Dubord in the in
spection of ballots went over his re-
suits with Attorney Dubord. He gave
the total votes cast in Ward three as
5lS and the change in Ward one as
six more for Cummings and Ii less
for Jewett.
With regard to the ballot of Ward
four he said that 1t was done up In
two small bundles and a large one.
Lhc seal oH tIio idTSe one ndu Deen
different from the others and the bal
lots could be removed without break
| ing the seal.
On cross-examination he admitted
that although this seal was of such a
kind that caught his attention but
that he had mixed these ballots with
| others and had counted the entire
ward.
Here considerable time was taken
up with a check of the first figures
of the recount and the figures which
| were made out after City Clerk Dan
Cony had discovered that one page
had not been counted on the check