The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-04-28
THE STOLEN MILLIONS.

Route Mail Swindles-Outline OF the Modus
Operandi of the Shrewd and Grasping Fra
ternity.
Washin 5ton Special Dispatch.
THE SYSTEM
by which the ring kept the fat contracts within
their grasp is very readily explained. 1t will
be observed that the original cor
tract in all instances is very low
A member of tho ring would
bid to carry the mails on certain route for an
almost infinitely small sum, in no case sufficient
to pay the expenses of the service. Az matter
of course the honest bidder would propose
fair price for the work. The law requires
the bid of the lowest responsible
bidder to be accepted. The contract
would be awarded, as a matter Of course, tc
the dngster who bid lowest, he knowing full
well that the second assistant would grant him
increases of pay for additional trips and ex-
petition of schedules 1t may be imagined
that persons outside the ring would soon under
stand the game and putin what may not be i'm
properly termed fictitious bids, relying for profit
upon an increase OF services The outsider
soon learned, however, that he could not OBJ
tain the increases granted the more favored
crew, and holding his contracts at a loss, he
was compelled to abandon them, when they
would fall into the hands of members Of the
ring and be duly expedited.
THE FIGURES REPEATED
WASHINGTON, April 24.-Ofticial figures
show that the annual pay Of ninety-three star
routes out of 1925 was raised between the
lettings of November %, 1879 and January !,
1880, from $1,271 1870 to So, 8O2,2l4. The
regular appropriation for the star route service
for the year ending June ~ aSso, was
absorbed by the ninety-three routes noted.
leaving $3,O97, 73G for the remaining 9, 1872
routes.
NOT HALF TOLD.
New YORK, April 24.-The Times, this morn
ing, has the following from special Washing
ton correspondents: Those who claim to know
all the points in the investigation being made
into the methods of the star route ring,
say that half has not been made public, and
will not until measures are taken to bring
Brady to justice. and the penitentiary If pos
sible The whole steal is divided between
what is known as the Dorsey gang and
Gilmer and Salisbury party, the latter being
by far the most extensive operators in the
swindle. The Dorsey gang is composed OF j.
W. Dorsey, j. NJ. Peck and J. R. Miner, who
have acted az blinds for Stephen W Dorsey
ex-senator from Arkansas and secretary of the
Republican national committee, bidding far and
receiving contracts J. w. Dorsey is partner.
Only little over three years ago he was
farmer in Virginia, an ignorant, stupid speci-
that his more brilliant brother could not use
him as his paw to pull gold for him from the
public treasury, and he was brought on to
Washington for this purpose. J. M. Peck,
THE SECOND WORTHY OF THE TRIO,
is a brother-in-law of S; ". Dorsey, having
Miner is partner of the great original Dorsey
himself. He was brought from Sandusky, o.,
expressly to go into the star route bust
ness. The amount known to have been
pocketed by the s; "; Darsey gang. in excess
is not less in ound numbers than $412,-
was transferred to Brady as his share OF
spoil only s. W. Dorsey and his partners can
tel The firm Of Gilman, Salisbury 4 Co.,
ShSh in even swndlss 5sn the s5'9 por
sey crowd, is composed Of J. T.
a younger brother Of Monroe. J. T: Gilmer
was formerly stage driver over the Holiday
overland route from st. Joseph to Sacramento,
scarcely write his own name, but he had
A sHREwD EYE RoR BUSINESS.
In 1868 he formed a partnership with two
Salisburys, and brought out the stage line of
mail in the interior was at that time carried
Since then the firm has been engaged in the
star route business, and made large fortune.
Among the agents who have made straw bids
in the interest of these firms are V. w. Parker,
7. A. McDevitt, A. s. Patrick, Luke Voorhees,,
& Brown, A. H. Brown, G: V. Messerale, G. A.
F. ". Gilman, brother Of j. f. Gilman, ". B.
Hill, Hugh White, Salisbury & Nichols. VIM
Hamilton, W. " Nichols and VIM H; Force
Ghs s Of Pay d rsHsEsa by tes
as ess tor to the neat hS little G s% Of
$778, sos, with more still to hear from. In
addition to the money that was given these
straw agents, small fortunes have been d.
vided between Brady and Smaller, contractors
who made their bids on their own account in
Louisiana. DR.. J. H. Pearson secured an ex-
cess Of $40, 261 on a route of 26l miles, DR..
Pearson was formerly
ring in Louisiana, but now lives in this city up
on an income derived from dealings with
Brady. Charles Andrews who received on two
routes each, twenty miles long, an excess Of
r. vas FORMERLY clerk in tgSe posto sn
department here, but was removed by Post
master General Jewell for malfeasance in
Office. John A. Walsh, who secured an in
crease Of $188,425 on the route from Pres
colt to Santa Fe, A. 7; for which he original
Of Louisiana: When the war broke
out, he Joined the rebel army, but
after the reconstruction of Louisiana joined
the Warmoth ring. He was indicted in New
Orleans for making illicit whisky, and was
saved from imprisonment by Brady, who was
at that time supervisor Of internal revenue in
New Orleans and refused to appear as a wit.
ness against him.
How to Drop Money In Church
From the New York Graphic
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