The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-05-23
SAMPLE STEALS
oE EnR ssIAa RoUTEn swINDLERs.
How the Game was Conducted 10 Make
Iho Large stakes Play Into the
Hands Of the RiuE-SOmo
"ExpedIted" Routes.

WASHINGTON, May 2l.-A specimAr
Star Route mail fraud has been discovered
in the Yellowstone country, where thou
sands Of dollars were expended for carry
ing one letter back and forth across tht
Crow Indian reservation, where there wa
not a single PostotfiCe between termins
points. Mr.. Furay, special agent OF thu
Department, went up there to look after
things, and the, facts he diScloaea in an off
cial report just received here are truly re-
msrkable. Delegate Msginnis, Of Mon
tana, Ia mixed up In this more or less, and
this report will give him chance to steE
forward and be vindiCated, The report ol
the special agent is as follows, only a few
Iimmaterial matters omitted;
"OPElcE PosToEVIcR INSPECTOR, |
| OMAHA, Me- May l6, 1881. !
"sIR:-In the case OF Route No, SO, 1866,
White Sulphur Springs, MontRnG, to Fort
Custer, have to report that 1t 10 my be-.
lief that this route Ia located not far from
the "milky way" When at Fort Custer
a pouch came into the postofiiCe while
was sitting there, and somebody cried out
Mail! asked the assistant postmaster,
what mail Ia thar and no answered that
It was the mail from White Sulphur
Springs, IsSked him whether, for Gods
sake, they were running o eeven'day.a.
week route between White Sulphur
Springs aud Custer, and II 80 what was
tho use Of extending 1t across to Fort Gus.
terP Carleson and Junction are on the
north side Of the Yellowstone, and on the
south side as far as the Wyoming line Is u
Crow Indian reservation, and since no
settlements save those made by the War
Department for the accommodation Of the
army can be made under the existing
treaties, and therefore no postofIicGs
can or do exist south Of the Yellow.
stone river, In Montana, now
what purpose, under heavens, there
could be for having daily route from
Carleson to Fort Custer, fifty miles, l
could not conceive, The Assistant Post
master, Mr.. Wintermute, explained by
saying that the thing was fraud, and that
he would tell me oil about 1t, lie did not
know how the service came to be placed
on the route, but presumed II was done by
Delegate Maginnis, Of Montana, last year,
and that the first he knew Of 1t was the
arrival oil q man with q mail pouch from
the direction Of Carleson. He Winter.
mute) opened the pouch and found that
II contained just one piece OF mail nd.
dressed 10 the firm Of which he was q
member. He returned this piece Of mail
10 the pouch by way Of joke, locked 1t,
and gave 1t back To the man from whom
he had received 1t. This piece OF mail see.
sawed back and forth between Carleson
and Fort Custer until II threatened 10
wear out, and 90 the Postmaster at Carle.
son reported 10 the Department the con.
temptuous conduct OF the Fort Custer
Postmaster In refusing 10 receive the mail
sent him by the new route. II seems the
Department inquired OF Wintermute why
this was 60, and he replied, giving the
facts"
The agent continues:
This seems 10 have caused change, for
In reducing the route from daily to o
weekly soon alter, the Postmaster, who is
post trader at Fort Custar and friend oil
Maginnis, the then delegate TO Congress,
returned and took charge Of the postofliCe
himself. Presently, as Wintermute says,
the very devil was to pay, ,as the Postmaster
beginning to hear from Maginnis that he
Msginnis and the Democratic party were |
going to lose the whole Musell.ghell Coun.
try less that mail service was put back 10 |
a daily, &c. The Postmaster seemed
deeply moved. He did not like to admit |
that bis assistant had deceived the Depart.
ment, when he knew he had stated but |
the simple truth, and 30 he fixed up some |
kind Of telegram To Maginnls stating |
that Wintermutes report was 'unauthoriE. |
ed, &c. The result Of the dispatch 10 Ma.
ginnls was that the route was put back TO |
seven trips q week, and this although the |
Postmaster and Maginnis (Certainly,the
former) knew that the restoration 10 |
daily was q fraud upon the Government. |
My beliefis that the whole route 10 sup.
piled vastly 10 excess of the needs o. the |
people, or the needs oil the Department,
and therefore respectfully advise that The |
orders, &C., on the route be placed In the |
hands Of an inspector for investigation.
Respectfully,
john. B. FuRAY, Inspector.
New York, May 22.-The Washington |
correspondent Of the New York Times con.
tinues his exposures OF the Star Route |
service as conducted by late Assistant |
Postmaster General Brady. Route No. |
3S, 100, from Georgetown TO Kokomo, Col.
orado, q distance Of torty.four miles, Ger.
vice seven times per week from May to
November, was awarded to Jas. Stephen.
son, Of Omaha, for $i,040. Stephenson |
offered 10 continue The service during the
winter months but was not allowed
an opportunity TO do so. The number Of
the route was changed without notice 10 |
Stephenson and the service was arbitrarily
given to James B. ColgraCe for $l4 200.
The route from 0zatka 10 Eureka
Springs, Arke., eighty miles, six times q
week, was let 10 John Gross, friend Of
ItS1 3 peE D0SSy yeSI W1USi TSs roue Sas "be
quently let by contract To ]. N. Miller, Of
Shreveport, No., for s., 800, Cross making
a hid al a ll1 A niitnhhr of nihnilnr N.