This is one of the recollections written by Wallace A. McKay and published in The Pioneer-News. Follow the "Recollections" link above to find others of his writings.
The Pioneer-News, February 10, 1933, pages 1-2
Before the adoption of the New Constitution about the year 1890 or 1891, all regular elections were held on the first Monday in August each year, and the voting was viva voce. The candidates' names were all printed or written at the top of a column on the sheet of a large book and the officers of election when a voter appeared, called out the names of each of the candidates for the respective offices and asked him his choice among the several candidates, and the voter declared openly, in usually loud voice, the name of the candidate for whom he voted, and the clerk of the election wrote it down in the column just under the candidate's name. Frequently there were thirty or forty candidates where a State and County and District election occurred at the sine time, and the names of the various candidates usually stretched across the top of two columns in the Election Book. It often took a slow thinking voter some time to cast his ballot.
The two Judges of the election watched the Clerk closely to see that he put the choice of the voter in the right column and the consequence was that there was little chance for fraud or cheating in the actual voting or in the counting, as the friends of the leading candidates were permitted to tally each sheet of the Election Books as the voting progressed, and long before the polls closed these astute watchers knew, almost exactly, just how the vote was going in the different races.
In close races like the famous sheriff race between Warren Smith and James H. Hays, the interest and excitement was at fever heat from the opening until the closing of the polls. When the voting was neck and neck between the candidates in some hard fought race, great inducements were offered to the later voters to vote for a particular candidate and not infrequently the highest bidder corralled the voter. The worker would go into the polls with the voter and see how he voted before paying him. Sometimes the workers of one candidate would bring a "floater" to the polls at a considerable distance, only to have him taken away from them just before the voter went into the Court House to vote. This usually caused a "fist and skull" fight between the workers, which before it ended, would be participated in by as many as 20 or 30 men. These fights were interesting and dramatic affairs and sometimes they actually stopped the election The noise and clamor during the heat of the various fights was terrific.
In those days it was the custom for the managers of the leading candidates to buy a barrel of whiskey about two weeks before the election to use throughout the County and at every Barbecue or Picnic a few jugs would be concealed around in the thickets nearby. It was the rule to save five gallons to use on election day and it was this last five gallons which caused so many fist fights on Election day. This was before the Prohibition Era and it was not considered a disgrace to take a drink. Some of our very best citizens those days were accustomed to send about once a month to Samuels Depot in Nelson County or Chapeze Station in Bullitt County for a jug of real, pure, well-aged old Bourbon and the week before Christmas it was usually a two gallon jug.
Not all the fights on election day, however, grew out of the voting. In those days if a dispute occurred at a saw-mill, dance, or picnic or any other social gathering resulting in a fight, if not settled satisfactorily, it was understood that it would be renewed and fought out on Election day.
Be it said to the everlasting credit of the men and boys of those days, that they very rarely carried pistols and very seldom used knives, and all the fights were square cut "fist and skull" resulting only in black eyes, bloody noses, and torn up clothes. It was considered cowardly to carry a pistol.
Late one evening on an August election, a young Irishman working as a section hand on the Rail Road under Foreman James Millet of the Gap-in-the-Knob, was brought in to vote just a few minutes before the polls closed. Just before he entered the Old County House where the voting was done the workers on the other side grabbed the voter and a real, sure enough fight took place. In the melee the Irishman was stripped of his clothes from head to foot and never did get to vote. The Irishman's name was Jack Flannegan who had only come over from Ireland a short time and he seemed to be greatly disturbed and perplexed as to "what it was all about."
On the day after the Election the successful candidates bought Jack a new suit of clothes and by the next Election rolled around Jack found out "what it was all about."
W. A. M.
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The Bullitt County History Museum, a service of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is located in the county courthouse at 300 South Buckman Street (Highway 61) in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. The museum, along with its research room, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday appointments are available by calling 502-921-0161 during our regular weekday hours. Admission is free. The museum, as part of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization and is classified as a 509(a)2 public charity. Contributions and bequests are deductible under section 2055, 2106, or 2522 of the Internal Revenue Code. Page last modified: 15 Jun 2026 . Page URL: bullittcountyhistory.org/bchistory/wallace-pn-8.html
