Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 June 1915 — TAGGART AND 127 OTHERS INDICTED. [ARTICLE]

TAGGART AND 127 OTHERS INDICTED.

Wholesale Arrests at Indianapolis on Election Fraud ('barges. Indianapolis, June 22.—Not half oi the 128 jnen indicted by the .Marion county grand jury here today on charges of conspiracy to commit felonies such as are defined by the election laws of the state and the laws against bribery and blackmail bad surrendered to Sheriff George V. Coffin and given bond tonight. Thomas Taggart, Democratic national—committeeman for I Indiana, - Joseph E. Bell, mayor of Indianapolis; Samuel V. Perrott, chief of police, and Robert M. Metzger, Republican member of the board of public safety, however, were among those to acknowledge service in the case and give surety. The bonds of those who surrendered today ranged from $2,500 to SIO,OOO. It was estimated that if all the 128 were to give bond, the total will be run to more than $300,000. No date for the arraignment has been announced and Judge James A. Collins of the criminal court said late today that none would be ser until next week. Mr. Taggart and Mayor Bell tonight proclaimed their innocence and asserted they had committed no crimes for which they should be indicted. “I have not been able to find out what I have been indicted for,” said Mr. Taggart. “I have not seen the indictment and when our attorneys asked for copies they were told the

indictment was not ready to spread upon tße record. UntTt TAtnOw with what I am charged, obviously there is little for me to say.” Mr. Taggart added that he would remain in Indianapolis until bonds were provided for all those who were indicted. / • “I shall remain here until the boys are taken care of,” he said. . Mayor Bell declared that he was ready for trial now. “1 have violated no law,” said the. mayor, “and the story in the newspapers today was the first intimation that I had of the indictment. After our attorneys have had an opportunity to examine the indictment 1 may have something to say/' All the men—Democrats, Republicans and Progressives—are named in a single indictment, which contains forty-eight counts and covers 175 typewritten pages. The main -charge U conspiracy to commit felonies by corrupting the election, by violation of the primary law, the registration laws, by bribery and blackmail. Included among those indicted are said to be a number of primary, registration and election officials. Conviction of the charge of conspiring to commit a felony or felonies carries with it-a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $5,0 00 and imprisonment of not less than two years or more than fourteen years. At the time of the Terre Haute indictments there was talk of an investigation of election conspiracies extending to Indianapolis, Evansville and other Indiana cities. The Indiana statute under which the indictments were returned differs from the federal provisions, which permitted the trial of all the Terre Haute defendants at one time. Attorneys for Mayor Beil said tonight that the 128 indicted men have the right to demand separate trials.