Evening star., 1927-11-24
County Citizens, in Sensa.
tional Petition, Ask Court
to Order New Vote.
SERIOUS IRREGULARITIES
ARE LAID TO OFFICIALS
Returns of November s Called H.
legal-Papers Served on Sheriff
Howard B. Fields.

Gross irregularities in the Airing.
ton County election of November z.
including the use OF liquor and money
10 lnnuence voters in favor of one
OF the successful candidates. Sheriff
Howard B. Fields, are charged bv
group of II county citizens in a sen.
sational court petition for a new elec.
ton.
While the charges are directly spe.
cifcally against Sheriff Fields and his
friends and adherents,'' number Of
the allegations are so broad that they
involve all other county officers voted
upon the recent elections.
For this reason, the petitioners tell
the court that substantiation of the
charges may render necessary an en-.
urely new election of all county Off
GERS. An investigation of the whole
election is asked.
New Election Asked.
The petition. filed just Is minutes
before the expiration Of the 15.day
time limit fixed by State law for such
election of November was illegal
and undue" and the returns therein
false. and the court is requested to de-
clare the election null and void"
The papers were filed at Ais o'clock
yesterday afternoon in the Office of
the clerk of the Circuit Court of
Arlington County, at the county
courthouse, and they were served on
Sheriff Fields shortly thereafter by
County Coroner B. H. Swain. Bernard
Miller of Culpeper and Thomas F.
Dolan, jr., appeared as counsel for
the complainants.
Petition Is Attacked.
Sheriff Fields today characterized
the petition as "a pack of lies" con-
cocted by his political enemies"
There isn't word of truth in this
whole document Fields declared.
Its just a cheap political trick by q
bunch of soreheads who don't know
when their own candidate Is defeated.
never made any campaign promise
not to arrest bootleggers, as charged,
and l think my record of arrests. the
highest in the State, answers that
charge. l never paid any money or
gave ary liquor to voters, nor did l
pay their poll taxes. will answer all
the charges fully when my day In
court comes"
The signers of the petition follow:
Patrick r. Burke, L. C. Lloyd. W. w.
Locke, G. B. McKeown. Leary Il.
McKeown, Cora L. Kines, c. II.
Louden, William d. Rotheri, s. L.
Baker. Myrtle Hawley. E. c. Johnson.
Don H. Hager. L. w. King. j. p.
Hayms, j. Eustace Crux, Stephen 4.
Childs and L. o. Kines. The first and
last named petitioners swore to the
affidavit, which was executed before
George d. Kicker, notary public.
Disqualified, Is Claim.
The papers charge, among other
things, that three of the election
judges were disqualified by reason Of
their being Federal employees. The
judges in question are James w.
Head of the Arlington election pre-
cinct. E. ]. Skidmore. the Virginia
Highlands precinct, and E. w. Cush.
ing of the Carne precinct.
Other charges follow:
That persons not qualified to vote
entered the Carne' precinct, at Halls
Hill, and sought to influence voters in
favor of Field and against his nearest
rival, A. G. Clements.
That these unqualified voters assist
ed IN marking ballots and that they
furnished sample marked ballots.
That money was paid to voters at
this and other precincts "to induce
and influence them" to vote for Fields.
That ballots were delivered to vo-
ters, already marked in favor Of
Fields.
That many voters were induced to
vote for the sheriff by the use Of in
toxicating liquor"
That certain State taxes of some
of the voters at several of the pre-
cincts were paid by friends and ad-
herents" of the accused officer.
Violation Is Charged.
That at practically every precinct
in Arlington County" large crowds
were permitted to congregate within
100 feet of the polls, in violation of
the State election laws.
The petitions had the effect OF
bomb explosion at the county court
house. The group of citizens spon.
soring the charges had been working
with great secrecy for the past two
weeks, and no hint of their activity
was received in official quarters. it is
understood.
The group, it was learned by The
Star. said they became suspicious"
over the outcome of the election, par.
ticularly with regard to the returns
from the Carne precinct, made up
largely Of colored voters, and care.
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