Your Vote Counts
 

I found this doing genealogy research:

From the "History of Henry County, Illinois":

Election No. 1

The first election was held at Brandenburg's Tavern on June 19, 1837, to
elect three county commissioners, sheriff, coroner, surveyor and
recorder. Judges of election were ...blah, blah, blah.

Voters were few. In contemplating this first election, I am reminded of
the Colorado judge who lost his temper with a poor fellow who was on
trial for having slain and eaten a comrade when starving in the wilderness.

"It isn't so much the crime of killing the man," fumed the judge; "but
what I look at is that you went and ate up one-third of the voting
strength of the entire county! Here, there were only three voters in
the county, and you had to go and eat up one of them! What'll the
county do if there's a tie? What will relieve such an embarrassing
situation? Hanging is too good for you. You ought to be kicked out of
the precinct by a blind mule. I've a good mind to do it myself!"

The prisoner promised to fetch in a fresh voter within a few days, and
the judge let him go.