Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1881-05-19

sixteen thousand i've hundred. 1Cle-
graph me fully before you close the
contract. s. w. DORSEY"
Following is
THE LATEST TELEGRAM
sent to Wilcox, at Eugenia City:
WASHINGTON, May 3, 1879.
'IO F. r. IFilcor:
Il presume you understand you must
make contracts before you try to get
up papers for increase.
rs. w. DORSEY"
As a result of these operations by
Dorsey in Oregon mail contracts, he cot
compensation for carrying the route
from Eugenia City to Bridge Creek in
creased from S2,46S to $21, ,46S. The
contract stands in the department as
received from Eugenia City to Mitchell,
and is to the name of J. NJ. Peck.
brother-in-law of S. W. Dorsey. The
looking lass" route referred to so fire.
quently in the above dispatches,
WAS EXPEDITED" UNDER DORsEY's MAN
AGEMENT
from 81 800 to $13,775 a year. The
next question was to get the route in
Washington Territory expedited y
This was the route from Wallula to
Pleasant Grove on the Upper Yake-
mema. Under direction from Dorsey,
Wilcox went to Walla Walla on an er-
land similar to that which he had per-
formed at Eugene City, where Dorsey
telegraphed him:
"WAsHINGTON, June 10, 1879.-To F.
X. lViLcOr, lVGLltLd: Have you done
anything with Wallula and Pleasant
Grove routes? Answer
To this Wilcox returned the follow
ing:
WALLULA, w. T., June 10, 1S79.-TO
the Hon S. ". Dorsey, No. 1121 I street.
Washington, ID. c.: Have been over
routes from Wallula to Pleasant Grove,
Your figures impossible to get. Solid
bid $1,000 for two trips, $4,000 for
three trips, 81, 900 for six trips, $4,000
for seven trips. What shall | do?
F. r. WILCOX.
To this answer the following was re-
turned:
WASHINGTON, D. c., June II, 1879
F. r JVilcor: You may give eighteen
hundred one trip, five thousand three
trips, 8,400 six trips, nine thousand
seven trips. S. w. DORSEY.
WILCOX REPLIED ON THE SAME DAY:
Your figures impossible. Mine of
yesterday lowest [ can get. Contract
was closed at 81 900 for six trips.
Though Dorsey telegraphed Wilcox
he was only interested in the Bridge
Creek and Looking Glass routes
in Oregon, the statement is probably
to be understood only as a notice to
Wilcox that these were the only routes
that he (WilcOx) was to work upon, for
the greatest swindle of all is in the route
from Dalles to Baker City, via Canon
City, which stands also in the name of
J. M. Peck, Dorsey's brother-in-la law
Already there was a route from Dalles
to Baker City, Pendleton, and Lag
range, or
PARALLEL WITH THIS ONE,
which carried and still carries all the
mails between the two points This
route from Dalles to Baker City, via
Canon City, was, however, under man
ipulations of the ring, increased to serv-
ice Ofsix times a week, which is wholly
unnecessary, and the pay was raised
from $8,28S to $50, 500. J. NJ. Peck
also has another expedited route-viz
from Canon City to Camp McDermOtt,
most of the way through a coun-
try without population and in
capable Of sustaining any. This
route was expedited from 80, ,888 to $49,
1885, J. W. Dorsey, brother of S. w.
Dorsey, has contract on the route
from Dalles to Lake View, in southern
Oregon, which route also was expedited
from $3,088 to $4,000. 1t is probable,
therefore. that Wilcox had charge OF
only small part of the business of the
Dorsey ring in Oregon.
THE "OREGoNIAN"
Of tomorrow will say of the develop
ments in the star route frauds: "Ex-
Senator Dorsey will hardly ask the
postmaster-general now to write let
ter exOnel ating him. George A.
Steele, who has been nominated for the
pOstmastership of Portland, was special
agent of the postoffice department for
Oregon, Washington, and Idaho at the
time when the star service was so large
ly expedited" and the pay on many
routes so immensely and fraudulently
increased. He knew all about these
transactions as he had his attention
called to them, and especially to the
route from Dalles to Baker City,
via Canon City, which route was ex-
pedited from $8,283. 1t would be a
pertinent inquiry to learn what was the
nature of his reports to the department
on these routes and what rec
Ommendation he made Did he help
contractors to work up these routes
and get their enormous increase OF
pay, or did he expose its iniquities to
the department Just now, since he
expects to be postmaster of Portland,
these are pertinent inquiries. We
venture the opinion, and that without
special hazard, that as post official he
threw no obstacles in the way Of ex-
pediting cOntr actors.
THE SUIT BEGUN AT DENVER
tor the reson that plaintiff was able to
get service on Dorsey there. Wilcox
is still in Oregon. The attorney who
sent the claim from Portland to Den
yer to be sued is J. K. Woodward, for
merly county Judge of this (Multna-
may county.
The following are four specimen
routes of the Oregon ring, run by Dor
sey:
Route No. $3.50, from Dalles to
Raker City, raised from S8.288 to S72,-
$40; contract awarded to John NJ. Peck,
of the Dorsey combination, March 10,
1873; sub-contract transferred to II. NJ
Vail, another contractor identified with
the Dorsey intarnSt and the route q I