Tulsa Tribune
Saturday August 13, 1983
Woman not sure Draper Saw ‘fraud’
By Jim Gipson
Tribune State Writer
MUSKOGEE – A woman testified Friday she does not recall House Speaker Dan Draper watching her fake the validity of absentee ballots cast in a September 1982 legislative race, but said he later paid her $40.
Notary Faye Newton said Draper was in the back room of a tiny store at Bunch, but she didn’t notice he was there until about an hour after she had notarized about 25 ballots.
Draper, D-Stillwater, and House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon, D-Miami, are on trial for vote fraud and conspiracy in a runoff election in which the speaker’s father was defeated.
Mrs. Newton was indicted by a federal grand jury in the vote fraud, but the charges later were dismissed in exchange for her testimony.
Mrs. Newton, a deputy court clerk from Sequoyah County, was the 46the government witness to testify in the highly publicized federal court trial.
Mrs. Newton’s testimony conflicted with a previous witness who testified Friday. She and John Girdner differed on whether Draper saw election documents marked and about what times people were present.
The woman was considered a crucial witness because she is believed to be the only person not related to the Girdner family who was at the Girdner Grocery on Sept. 14, 1982.
The primary government witnesses against Fitzgibbon have not testified.
Defense attorneys have been questioning the veracity of the Girdners and are claiming Fitzgibbon, the speaker and Dan Draper II did knot know of improprieties in the fraud – marred Adair County voting.
Girdner’s son, John, said names on absentee ballots used in the primary election to benefit his father also were used in the runoff.
At least two other people, Barney Girdner’s mother and sister, also purportedly were in the room that evening but have not testified.
Friday, scores of curious onlookers lined a hallway waiting for seats to become available inside the courtroom to hear Mrs. Newton, John Girdner and former legislator Bob Parris testify.
Mrs. Newton testified Parris telephoned her about 4 p.m. saying he “needed a favor for a friend” and wanted her to go to the grocery to notarize absentee ballots.
State law requires a notary to witness signatures before attesting they are valid.
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