U.S. vs. W. C. Murphy, John L. Gordon, Senna Twist, et al.: Indictment
Indictment in Criminal Case No. 13738: United States vs. W. C. Murphy, John L. Gordon, Senna Twist, Alice Tweedy, Ada Bennett, and Ernest N. Orr, defendants. The defendants were charged with conspiring to impede citizens' right to vote and have that vote truthfully counted in the 10th Precinct of the 12th Ward during the November 3, 1936 election. The indictment states that votes for the Republican presidential candidate were instead counted for other candidates, and that the defendants knew the count as recorded on tally sheets and other statements was "false, fradulent, untrue and corrupt." More than 80 votes were shifted from the Landon/Knox presidential ticket to Roosevelt/Garner, and the same number from Paul R. Byrum to C. Jasper Bell in the 4th District Congressional race. Murphy, Gordon, Tweedy, and Twist were acting as election judges, and Bennett and Ophelia Tennyson served as election clerks.