Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-06-02
PARTIAL INVESTIGATION.
Reduction I'm the Cost Of Star
Route service-Specimen Ras-
caIiues Unearthed Depart
ment OF Justice Preparing for
Action.
Correspondent N. Y. Horald.l

Correspondent N. Y. Herald.l
WASHINGTON, May 26.-The reduc-
ton in the cost of star route service by
the close of the present week will be
fully 100000. The orders under
which this curtailment has been eff
fected have been issued only where the
increased and expedited service has
been found, upon examination by in
spectors and special agents, to have
been unnecessary. In a word the aim
of the postmaster general il not to
economic but to lop off the extra err
vice, which was contracted for solely
for the benefit of the stage route own
ers and their friends. Up to date the
reports received from special agents
who we're assigned to the task of care
fully examing the star route service
not only confirm the suspicious enter
tanned against the ring contractors but
expose a recklessuess in swindling and
evading contracts begot OF long expe-
rience in this business and carried on
without fear of interference or expo
sure. Take, for illustration, route No.
37,ll0, one of the UNANIMOUSLY celebra-
ted ninety-three expedited routes, the
contractors for which are Patrick and
Brown, and which runs through Wy
oming territory, a distance Of 1863
miles. 1t is perhaps better known as
the Fort Custer and Rock creek route.
The original contract was for $4,000,
but it was increased to 100000, for
which amount service was expected
six times per week and four miles per
hour. 1t is said that the increase OF
service aud compensation for this ex-
pedited route affords the clearest evil
dence Of wholesale stealing that could
be arrayed against the late second
assistant postmaster-general Brady,
and his confederates. To begin with,
the postmaster-genera has such evil
dence before him as justified the i'm
mediate issue of an order cutting
down the service to twi-weekly and
two miles per hour, for which the
compensation is fixed at $4,000, or q
mere saving to the government o.
$780, 900 a year. Along this route are
several important military posts
Fort Mckinney. Fort Custer and'ont
or two others. The evidence of the
officers of these posts is to the effecI
that a tri-weekly service would moi
only be sufficient but is really all they
have had, and in agreeing to the
!, recommendation that a tri-weekly ser,
vice would be ample it is added
provided that the service is rem.
dered three times q week." Yet fol
{ two years the regularity OF the ser,
vice along this route has beer
such that clocks have not been neees
/, sary for the few inhabitants living il
Wyoming. The records of the post
, Office department also show that The
mail came and went in winter anC
summer on schedule time, withou'
variation, and yet the commanding
, officer at Fort Custer tells how il
!. order to get the mail from an inter
secting station it was necessary to senC
his men a long distance and bring il
the accumulated mail at that point
Not only was the service, according Il
!, the reports on which the contractor
were paid, regularly rendered, Blu
i, such was the faith Of honest Ton
!. Brady IN these contractors that tn.
repeated complaints made to the de
,, partment of gross violations of th
/. contract were %pigeonholed and no
|. regarded at all. This is the celebrate,
route over which it took a letter tel
: weeks to reach Washington from For
|. Custer last winter. 10 those VIII
: know the details Of the way in whic.
: this particular contract was increase
sevenfold it locks very much as
somebody had been criminally engage
: 10 a conspiracy to rob the government
: and as if evidence of this is so positiv
:, that a grand jury somewhere in tn
:, United States will have the oppoI
tunity shortly Of making an indici
ment on that charge.
! Meanwhile the attorney general
! busy is ~perfecting his branch Of Ii
work, as it is through the depart
ment of justice that all proceedings
a legal character will proceed, an
while Attorney General Nc Yeagh
disposing of the evidence inplicati1
many Of fraud and conspiracy to re
the government the postmaster gene.
al is engaged in examining the repor
u Of the special agents which come
9 from day to day, and which justify ii
q reduction ofexpenses above mention
u ed. At the close Of the week q stat
e ment will be prepared giving the Iii
, of routes discontinued and where ii
q service has been cut down.