A Frontier Political Vendetta Over Voting Rights

The Grand Jury of the present term of the State Circuit Court, which completed its labors yesterday afternoon, on presenting the Court its final report, also among other indictments returned one against W. H. Watkinds, of this city, in which he is charged with illegal voting at the late June election, at Madison precinct, in this city. The finding of this indictment is the result of a long-standing political quarrel existing between Mr. Watkinds and others. Eleven years ago he and S. A. Clarke, of the Willamette Farmer, had an altercation at Salem, during which Clarke was shot by Watkinds. The Grand Jury of Marion county found an indictment against Watkinds shortly after, but the Prosecuting Attorney, after examining into the testimony of the case, stated his fear to the Court that a conviction could not be secured under the indictment found, and Watkinds afterwards plead guilty to assault, was fined $350, the case settled, and has not been brought into public notice since until the present time. On the organization of the Grand Jury for the present term of Court, Watkinds endeavored to procure an indictment against the writer and publisher of a slanderous attack upon him which appeared in the Oregonian. It is stated that Stanley has been indicted for writing the libel, and in retaliation the charge was preferred against Watkinds before the Grand Jury that he being found guilty, by his own plea, of shooting Clarke he is placed in the unpleasant position of losing the right of suffrage. At the election after the settlement of the case against Watkinds, in the Marion county Courts, when he presented his ballot at the polls his right to a vote was then challenged on the same grounds, but the judges of election decided that he had the right to cast the ballot which he did, and has exercised the right ever since without interruption until the present time.