A Candidate’s Dark Financial History
Court records and a mother's affidavit allege that Democratic candidate H.J. Snively misappropriated insurance money intended for a family of orphans.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Henry J. Snively, the Democratic candidate for governor, stands accused of defrauding the Fallon orphans. Records from the circuit court of Taylor County, West Virginia, indicate that Snively, acting as guardian in 1891, received insurance money from the Catholic Knights of America for the five Fallon children. The affidavit of Mary E. Fallon states that Snively refused to pay the funds and fled the state. Judgments totaling $1,759.28 were rendered against him in 1886. The Post-Intelligencer challenges Snively to explain his actions to the public tonight at the Armory.
“A man who would deliberately betray a trust of this kind is deserving of no sympathy, and should receive none.”
This is a classic 'opposition research' hit piece. The accusation of a candidate betraying a 'sacred trust' regarding vulnerable populations mirrors the intensity of modern election-cycle character attacks.
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