Identified By Carlson

Masón, June 7.- The first of the leven G-ogebic eounty witnesses for the state, County Clerk Carlson, went upon the stand when courtconvened Wedneslay morning, and related how the three sets of returns on the amendment vote were mailed to Lansing froin bis office, as the law required. and how each of them showed 319 votes for the amendment instead of 1,318, as they now show. The original was signed by himself as secretary of the county canvassing board, and in that way he recognized it. Carlson explained that it had been custoinary to file the original return sheet in his office, but the secretary of state only sent hiin three blanks. The 'return sheet had been copied into a book, and this book he deemeda sufficient record of the vote for preservation. The cros3-examination of the witness occnpied all the forenoon and was conducted with the special view of showing that the law had not been strictly complied with, either in the original canvass of the votes on the amendment or in makinK the returns. Carlson admitted that he had made au affldavit and hiid also svvorn before the grand jury that the alterations in all three sets of the returns were in the hand writing of Postma9ter Healey. He entertained no doubt about it until a few days ago, when Prosecutor Gardner toltl hiui that Clerk Wood of the state board of auditors was going to swear that he made some of the alterations hirnseif. It was also brought out on the crossexaniination of Clerk Carlson that the cerfci Beate on the three return sheets had not been copied into the record book in his office. In the afternoon Deputy Clerk Strom of Gogebic was placed upon the stand and swore that the returns of that county -were flnished up by him and mailed to Lansing and were not returned for corree tion. Howard Hovey, who was executive clerk in the governor's office in 1891, swore that the returns in that office were borrowed by the attorney general and returued by him after a day or two; that he did not examine them to see if any changes had been made and there was no conversatiou in regard to it. Aubrey Gardner, deputy state treasurer in 1891, testified practically to the same and although he was not quite sure who did the borrowing, he was confident that they were returned by the attorney general's clerk.