History, Winnebago County, Wisconsin: Its cities, towns, resources, people

              638 HISTOEY OF WINNEBAGO' COUNTY.
to say whether the dog was ahead or not. On the 13th and 14th of December, the two days next preceding the canvas, after all the official returns had been in some days, lo and behold a shower of supplements comes ih—a most providential supple¬ mentary shower! We at our homes were in doubt. You and I and this audience here were at our respective homes in doubt. Some were confident that one man Was elected, some the other. Some were "backing up their opinions," as the phrase goes. But there was one of the parties to this contest who know pre¬ cisely how the matter stood. He saw the returns as they came in. He was not in doubt. Was it not most intensely provi¬ dential, or is it not most intensely suspicious, that this showier of supplements came in on the last two days, and changed the entire result?
Gilbert Mills, Dunn County.—The whole vote of the county of Dunn, as returned by the county canvassers, was 27 for Bar¬ stow, 28 for Bashford. Attached to this was a statement made by fictitious persons, purporting to show an election at Gilbert Mills, Dunn county, which gave Barstow 53 votes and Bashford 14 votes. No election was held there, though three families lived there. This was read in connection with a supplemental return from Spring Creek, Polk county. Also attached was a supposed return from Menominee, Dunn county, two miles dis¬ tant from Gilbert Mills, purporting to show Barstow received 41 votes and Bashford 1. The original was filed with the secretary of state November 28, the supplement December 14. This also was a fraudulent return, falsely made.
Spring Creek, Polk County, gave Barstow 107, Bashford 13. It was in the same handwriting as the Gilbert Mills return. The paper on which the two were written was the same kind, a peculiar shiall white cap, stamped "Plymouth," the water mark exactly corresponded, and the peculiar phraseology of the certi¬ ficate w^as identical where it departs from the language of the statute. The two half sheets matched, showing they had orig¬ inally been one sheet and torn apart. All the names on both were fictitious. The original return from Polk county gave Barstow 42, Bashford 7. By this false return Barstow had 149 and Bashford 20, The Spring Creek and Gilbert Mills return, though purporting to be written 100 miles apart, had scratched out the word "inspector" and inserted the word "clerk" in the same handwriting. Thei-e was no such place as Spring Creek, and no election held there.