Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 December 1896 — CATHERING THE RETURNS. [ARTICLE]

CATHERING THE RETURNS.

Scenes About New York Police Headquarters on Election Night. The election bureau of the Police Hoard is the official recipient of the returns from the voting precincts. This bureau furnishes each |kill with blanks for the’ official record and also with four sets of small blanks for each office. As soon as the count for any if.ie is finished rlie four i list vectors sign all four blanks, and a policeman takes them to Police Headquarters, and quickly returns for others. Thus the count goes on until it Is eoiiipieled—sometimes not before midnight. Meantime there have gathered in a large room at Police Headquarters all the commissioners, the superintendent, «ml a great number of newspaper reporters with pencils sharpened at Ixilh ends, while the walls are lined with messenger and telephone Iveys. As soon as a re|vorl is brought it is rend out by the superintendent, taken down Ivy the newspaper men and forwarded to their editors as rapidly as possible. Ity 8 o’clock the returns come thick and fast, and nothing is heard but the scratching of pencils and the footsteps of racing messengers. The commissioners soon go to their private offices. for they know that anxious candidates will speedily lie calling to learn 'their fate, although a very fair Idea has spread abroad by 1i or 10 o’clock as to bow the slate and city have "gone” on the principal Issue, lu the ease of tin election of Nov cm 1 tor, 18!)4, everybody knew flint Tammany was beaten long before that hour. Bill the fun of the street, which Is now beginning, Is not for that band of reporters at Headquarters, nor for those other bands of writers lit the newspaper offees down-town, who, with almost superb union diligence and endurance, are tubulating and putting Into typo and commenting tqvon these returns for tile delectation of the public next moifjilng. The tem-ment-house districts have been alive with people since sundown, dancing about the fires. They have learned long ago the outlines of the result, and those oil the successful side are rejoicing in their tumultuous way, sure of the support of all the boys. As the evening advances the excitement spreads to Broadway and up-town. The newspapers wiH issue extras every hour or so from 11 p. m. to !? lu the morning, lint they do not hesitate to give nil the news away upon their bulletins as fast as they get It.—Century.