Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 August 1879 — THU CINCINNATI INVESTIGATION. [ARTICLE]

THU CINCINNATI INVESTIGATION.

Colonel A. E. Jones testified on the Ith that ho was a candidate on the National ticket for Congress in the First District last fall; had no help from Mr. Bayler. James O’Conner testified-that he met Mr. Butterworth at his office before the election, but received no money from him, nor from anybody else, for his services at the election. Francis Johnson testified that he never saw Butterworth pay money to any person. John Ambrose testified that he waa a Democrat. but not an active politician -, was at the First Precinct polls in the First Ward on election day; he knew that fifty dollars was left with Mr. Richards; witness gotten dollars, and three others got the same amount; had a talk with Pat Dooley, who also got ten dollars for working for Butterworth; before election. Mr. Hofer'told witness fifty dollars bad been sent to his precinct for Mr. Buttorworth, and witness answered, "All right;” witness voted for Bayler, and Dooley did, too; witness also received money from Bayler and his friends—twenty-five dollars altogether; got the same amount from Butterworth; the first money he received was from Butterworth; then got twenty-five dollars from Bayler, and ten dollars from Buttorworth after tbe election; witness knew of fifty dollars bting distributed in his ward for the Democratic ticket; saw a man named Wallace with fifty dollars, who gave a few quarters to a man named Taylor, and Taylor gave witness and one Murphy four quarters; Wallace was working for Butterworth. . .-<•»

Charles F. Hayman testified that he was now a member of the City Republican Executive Committee, and was a Deputy Marshal last fall; received five dollars for such service; went over to Covington to talk with Francis about repeaters; saw Francis and Edwards and Jerry Reed about persons coming over here to testify before the committee; found no one over there who had voted illegally on thia side of the river. At the meeting of the committee on the sth, it was resolved that the evidence for the memorialists should clcsa with that day's testimony. Charles T. Hayman, being cross-examined, ■ Slid he did not say that Hoffman agreed to furnish them money for frauds that they might discover: Tim Edwards toid witness that he could furnish the uames of thirteen repeaters for 1g'O; be had a talk with Edwards afterward in a Covington saloon: Francis and Reed were present; may have tola Edwards and Francis that he was getting ten dollars per day; witness said to Edwards that he didn't care whether the thirteen names were legitimate or not, so that they got their evidence. Bam McNamara (Democrat) testified that he met Butterworth two or three times; he told him that he wauted forty dollars for the Eighth Ward independent Club, the officers of the club were all Democrats; be told witness to call at his office the next day; found Dr. Ayres and O'Connell there; they told Butterworth that the officers of the club would be satisfied with five dollars each, but they had better not be paid till after the election; Butterworth gave witness three dollars to spend with the boys; got three dollars from hnn on two other occaions; saw him at the Gibson House, before Jie election, about the money that he had promised; he put twenty-five dollars in the bands of Sam Bailey, who promised to give it to them after the election if they worked as they promised; the second day after the election witness received the money; would not have voted for Butterworth if he bad received no money; witness had been in the workhouse twice; was let out last March; never heard about the investigation till within a week; ne4«r was paid for holding tickets at an election before.

Parker Dixon, Assistant District Attorney, testified on the 6th that Hayman had told him that the Democrats employed him (Hayman) to work in evidence against Butterworth; that he was a Republican, but expected to make money out of this jpb. Jonn Critchell testified that be was a member of the Republican Campaign Committee of 1878; the committee employed Francis and four other men to watch for four days before and on election day for “ repeaters," and authorizea Francis to employ thirty additional watchers on election day; witness understood the character of Francis and the four men to be good, and, as far as he knew, thev performed their duty faithfcffiy; witness raid nothing to Butterworth about employing these men until after election. James T. Francis testified that rtayman told witness on tbe 22d of July that he was making ten dollars a day and expenses, and wauted witness to go in with him and f urnisu the names of fifteen men who would swear tnat they had voted illegally; he said he could get SIOO fur them; he didn't care what ticket they voted, so he could make a showing to his employers; neitifer Butterworth nor Young had anything to do with witness' employment to watch the polls; Hayman agreed to divide $l5O with witness if they could get affidavits about repeaters; agreed to the proposition in order to get information from Hayman. ■ ~ ~ District Attorney Channing Richards was sworn, and raid Hayman bad come to him and told him he bad been offered employment by the Democrats to hunt up the evidence of illegal voting, to be used as evidence in this investigation. General Thomas L. Young testified that be bad run for office in the county four or five times; a candidate cannot get along without spending money, and spending it in a legitimate manner; tbe Republican party assesses candidates a certain amount determined upon by the Campaign Committee; it was customary to employ men of tbe opposite party to work for a candidate if they expressed an intention to support that candidate; witness paid SI,OOO assessment to the committee and spent about $2,400 himself; did not pay any man a dollar for any illegal purpose. Thomas Edwards stated to the committee that Hayman told him be had a sure thing, and wanted witness to get tbe names of parties who bad voted illegally, and:told him to aak Hoffmanfor*3oo for tbe informatics) concerning the illegal voters; afterward Hayman told witness he could not get SSOO, but could get *300; when be came for witness to give him tbe names asked him for his share of the mcney, but he couldn’t give it to witneca, and he did not get any names; Hayman told witness first that he did not care whether the names were legitimate or not, so he got them. On cross-examination, witness said

he did not intend to fiipibffi names dr take money, but accompanied llajmitn -over the river to find out what be knew; he had a party write out a list of fictitious names to give to Hayman; con Id nt remember who the mao .was who wrote the names for him. Benjamin Eggleston testified that he was Judge at the First Precinct of the Second Ward polliS the election pawed off quietly; VKw no Deputy Marshals handling tiokete; the want is liepnblii an; candidates generally lure men of "influence on the other side to hold tickets for them and secure votes. J. J. Desmond, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney under L. W. Irwin, testified that, at an investigation of elections, the im of money by Mr. Butterworth and any other candidate waa ■rider consideiation; witness concluded there waa evidence sufficient to warrant finding indictment*. and submitted the matter to the Grand Jury, but they found no bills: was interested in the result of the October election, as Mr. Irwin was a candidate for re-election. George W. Jones testified that he was Buperviaor at Precinct B. Nineteenth Ward; it is a heavy Dcmocmtid ward; the election was as auiet as witness ever remembered: din not panic tickets, but took a position where he could see tickets handled by the Judges, and was satisfied it waa a fair election. V - * - ' On the 7th, a large number of witnesses testified: James T. Francis, who swore he never made the remark that he hail got his work in and made (2)0 on election day;" John W. For I. who swore that he was employed to watch Kentuckians coming over to vote, but didn’t vote himself, and tliat the election was quiet and orderly; William Ellis, who neVersaw a more quiet election, and was paid (3 to watoh the Covington men, but didn t vote himself: John Niehaus, Samuel Killsiurn, John Farrel and others, who swore that they were employed to watch Covington men. and saw no illegal voting;John Johnson.of Covington, who saw three Covington men come to the )>olls as it to vote, and when they were prevented, rail! they were watching for illegal voters; J. T. Francis (recalled) who said he saw a man who was holding Democratic tickets drag a man who waa holding Republican tickets away from the polls and strike him; Matt Reed, who said he was in Cincihnati four days lie fore election to find out if anybody had moved from Covington; Chas. Kugg. who said he had a few tickets in his hand, bnt distributed none; Francis told him that he had pointed him out to the Marshals and Supervisors, who would see that he was all right if he get into trouble; he was not certain that he used the terms Marshals or Supervisors, but that was the inference witness drew; Thomas Fay, a member of the Republican Committee, who knew nothing about illegal voting; C. W. Meyers, who said that on election day a man told him he had eight or nine men who would vote for the Republican ticket if they were paid for it. but witness declined to negotiate; Ricbmxi 11. Hatch, who said tbe election was a qniet one, though the colored voters were many of them compelled to swear in their votes, and many refused to vote; J. H. Kelly, who said the election was the fairest ever held in his precinct, and bad no personal knowledge of buying voters; Michael _ lawrence, Charles Danna, T. A. Blinn and others, each of whom declared the election to have been a quiet and orderly one,and fairly conducted; E. A. laggin, who testified that he never belonged to any political club that did not receive money; tielonged to r tbe colored Democratic Club in 1875; was a friend of Milton Bayler, although not a Democrat; received money from him and voted for him; did not believe any member of tbe club supported Bayler in 1878; when witness published his card refusing to support Bayler in 1878, on account of his soft-money principles none of the club supported him; when witness published the card Bayler came to him, and offered him 0 to support him, and reorganize the club before election day; Butterworth paid him five or six dollars, which he distributed among the boys; after Bayler was nominated in 1878 tbe club received fifty dollars from the Democratic campaign committee; the club disbanded two days before the election; witness thought it was ulxiut a week liefore the last eketion that he met Bayler, and he promised (lOOjif he wonld work for him and secure the club for him; he also told him to come over to his office the next day and he would give him S2OO.

General Banning was examined on the Bth, and testified to having been assessed (500, (800 and $1,(00 for campaign expenses wh n running for Congress against Hayes, Steve Mon and Matthews, respectively: spent money beside among the saloons, f< * bands for political meetings, for men to hold tickets for the polls, and in various waj s; had paid the expenses of Republicans working for him. ’Theodore Cook, a former member of the Democratic Committee, said he hail employed persons of opposing political parties to hold tickets; regarded it as a legitimate use of money; his expenses as a Congressional candidate, in 186 G, were (3 (XX); the election of 1878 passed off without trouble; it is customary to pay laboring men from two to five dollars to hold tickets aud importune voters; if he were a candidate, and a Republican should come to him and say that ho would not support his opponent, witness would pay him if he were a man of influence; would not buy a man’s vote. Vivian Fsgin testified that James Eagm told him that he was sorry he had testified against Butterworth; had been tricked into making the affidavit, and had no intention of signing sdeh documeut. that the statements in the affidavit were untrue. . . . Mr. Butterworth was called, and said that McNamara. of the Eighth Ward Independent Club, had said that the club was comi><>scd of independent voters, and that their ticket had his name on: his (Butterworth s) friends recommended him to pay the club twenty-five dollars to work for the club ticket, which he did; McNamara never met him at the Gibson House, as stated; witness never employed a Democrat to work unless recommended by some one in whom he ha<l confidence. A discussion occurred on the subject of calling all the memorialists, which finally terminated with an agreement upon the rollowing ' entry, which waa ordered made: “it being conceded by counsel representing both sides of this controversy that the memorialists, who’ signed the memorial upon the representations made to them, upon the truth of which they replied, have no personal knowledge of the sac b; the Committee, therefore, unanimously agree that it is unnecessary to involve the Government in the expense of bringing said memorialisto before the Committee; that this be put upon record.” . It was also agreed thatjhe affidavits should not form A part of the testimony before the Committee, and the stenographer was Ao instructed. William H. Pugh, one of the memorial’ets, testified that personally he had no information of his own, but acted upon information of j ergons who were brought into the committee-room.