Year: 1876

The House Committee to day exposed
another glaring fraud, Manatee County
was solid Democratic county, and was
thrown out because there was no Clerk,
consequently no registry list. The wit
ness before the Committe, Judge Graham
was armed with a trunk full of original
papers, and head full Of evidence. He
swore the Clerk resigned his Office one
month before the election, and his place
was not filled, That the Democrats
tried to make the Deputy Clerk open
the registry list and though performing
the other duties of the Clerk he refused
to do this, The County Commissioners
who are Republicans, met nd,determin
ed to have the election any how. They
appointed Inspectors for every precinct,
and organized the election machinery,
A registry list and book was prepared,
having in it the following oath. 81 So
lemnly swear that | am a regularly quail
fed voter of this county and precinct,
under the laws Of Florida, and that my
name appears on the registry list of last
year" One of those books was placed
at every precinct, and no person was al
lowed to vote until he had taken this oath
and signed his name, These lists of
sworn voters were sent to The County
Board with the precinct returns. The
County Board, composed oftwo Repub-
licans and one Democrat, met and le-
gally canvassed their returns, certifying
to the result, They threw out a few votes
that were not found on the registry list
of 1875. The State Board threw the
whole county out. There was not a
single witness before the Board from
this county. Every thing was done on
ca batte afidavits.


The disclosures made by this witness
before the Committee to day, backed by
the documents, produced great effect
General Barlow, of New York, protested
against the throwing out of the county
even under et Parte evidence.


The exposure of the fraud at Richard
son Precinct, in this county, is getting tc
be ludicrous, Day before yesterday the
Committee determined to find the own
ers of the seventy two names that were
put in the poll list Of that precinct tc
cover the seventy two illegal votes that
were stuffed therein. II will be remem.
bered that three witnesses swore that
none of these parties lived in the precinct
so that Sergeant at Arms procured seven
local Marshals, and putting them on
horseback, ordered them to scour the
country and find the seventy two voters,
On yesterday eighteen of these colored
men were brought in. Each Of them
swore thathe did not vote at Richardson's.
To day fourteen more were brought in
and swore to the same effect.


1t is discovered that six of the names
are the names of dead men. Thus thirty
eight of the alleged voters at Richardson S
are proven by their own evidence to
have voted elsewhere or were dead at the
time the election came off Mr., Hop
kins this morning arose and complained
that these witnesses were stopped on the
steps as they were coming before the
Committee, and were threatened with
all sorts of punshments if they gave in
their testimony. Two or three witnesses
were frightened. Inotice that the As
sociated Press sends out a statement of
the correspondent of the N Y, Times
to the effect that some repeating was
proved at the precinct, but it was done
by Democrats. This is untrue. There
were twenty repeater fixed on the Re.
publicans 10 one of the Democrats.
There were just three Democratic voters
proved to be repeaters. But | don't
blame the correspondent of the New
York Times for trying to defend this
proven fraud for the simple reason that
this correspondent is local politician
named Bowes, and is the very man that
is proved to have done the job under
consideration; that he was to have charge
of the precincts as Inspector, and he was
summoned before the Committee to testi.
fy He tangled himself up inextricably,
and denied the fraud which has since
been proved, stating that it was all fair
and honest. He is the Times corresond-
ent at this point, and, of course, defends
the fraud. He will be, probably, indict-
ed and carried before the Courts and
tried for ballot box stuffing in few days
in which event he will, doubtless furnish
his paper with fine account of the pro-
ceedings.


The House Committee will leave this
evening for Hamilton County to investi-
gaze the case Jasper Precinct which was
thrown out for trihing irregularity.


The Senate Committee still holds its
session with closed doors. 1t commen-
ced an investigation ofMonroeCounty to
day. The Sub Committee Of the House
is expected to return to morrow from
Jefferson County


The Supreme Court is still in session.
Judge Emmons concluded his argumen Mt
to day. Mr.. Hilton follows him, and
closes the argument. The Court will de.
eide to morrow evening, possibly. There
was very sharp city election in Talla-
hassee to day, in which the Democrats
triumphed for the first time since the
war. The Republicans are fully two to
one Of the Democrats in the city, The
negroes went up, and peacefully voted
the Democratic ticket in large numbers.
The case is beyond the reach Of Return
ing Boards. ua


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