Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-05-16
Observation-Disclosures
MORE LIGHT ON HIS EXPEDIT.
ING RECORD.
The Denver Suit Quashed-WIIeox
Hushed Up-HOw the Statesman
Got In His Work In Arkansas.

DENVER, COL, May 14.-The Tribune con-
tains the following: Immediately after the
exposure Of Dorsey's completely fn the star
route ring, as telegraphed over the country.
attempts were begun to quash the suit
which has been brought and a suit for the
Letters and to obtain possession of docu-
ments was successful yesterday, and the
letters were surrendered and Dorsey paid
the money to Wilcox for which the
suit was to be brought. This money.
as Is known, is for Wilcox's
work in securing petitions for 'expediting
routes, and subletting the smaller contrac-
tors- Ihe same day on which the papers
were surrendered Postmaster General James
telegraphed to Denver for either the letters,
or certified copies or photographs of them.
Inc telegram came after the papers had
been surrendered, and the registers probably
concluded they were safe, but they are
mistaken. There are certified copies in
existence. They will be used in connection
with documents in Portland, Oregon.
CHICAGO, ILL, May IA special
to the Inter Ocean from Little Rock says
the frauds of the star route ring.
which are attracting the attention of the
country, are no news In Arkansas, where
ex-senator DOrseY's connection with them
has long been more than suspected He
procured the appointment of ex-Gov. O. A.
Hadley as Postmaster at Little Rock, sup
posing he could count on his assistance in
forwarding his schemes on the Treasury in
connection with star routes. Knowing
this, in January, 1878, he sent Hadley about
six hundred blank proposals and bonds,
which the ring had printed for
their own use, which were
different in some respects from those
printed by the government and forwarded
10 bidders, with instructions to Hadley to
get securities on bonds, have them signed
10 blank, approve them as Postmaster, and
return them to him. This was done, and
bonds to the number OF four or five hundred
were fixed up in this way. The number of
route, terminal points, amount of bid, and
name OF bidder were not inserted as re-
quired by law before being approved by the
Postmaster. These bonds were then approved
by Postmaster Hadley IN direct violation of
law and then sent by express to 8. w. Dor
seY, then Senator of the United States, for
such use as ne might make of them. They
were not even straw bonds. The b'auk
bonds were approved here on the 10Th of
January, 1878, shipped by Postmaster Had
ley per Southern Express, January Goth, to
s. W. Dorsey, and delivered at his commit
tee room in the capitol January 23d. The
number of routes, terminal points,
were then filled in and the bidders
signatures attached and acknowledgment
taken by Notary Public, one A. I. Boone,
who was a member of the ring, and dated
Washington, ID. c., January 5, and other
days prior to those upon which the bonds
were dated and approved. To most of
these bids the name of John NJ. Peck, Dor
sey's brother in-law, waa attached, and
acknowledgment was taken by Boone as
PM hFTt oft
wards discovered that Peck had
not been in Washington for over
year, and that the signatures
were forgeries. Dorsey himself stated that
the signature was not Peck's, but that he
believed it was written by Joseph r. Rich
ards, who he said had been DOrsey's clerk,
and he presumed was authorized to sign his
name. Parties who knew Dorsey's handwrit-
ing say the signatures resembled his more
than Richards. Richards and Peck sudden
ly put in an appearance day or two since,
and it is thought for the purpose of cover
ing up some of the operations of the ring.
They have been in close consultation with
Postmaster Hadley and Others, but their
plans are not known.
About the time Dorsey sent the blank
bonds here to HadleY, he sent blanks to j.
II. CleDdenning, Postmaster at Fort Smith,
and requested him to procure sureties, ap-
prove in blank and return to him. This
Postmaster Clendenning refus to do, and
so wrote Dorsey, and quoted the law making
it penal offence, punishable with lmprison-
ment in the penitentiary for one year or
more, for POstmasters to approve bonds
before the number and description of the
route, amount of bid and bidders name
was inserted and the bidders had signed
| the proposal and made acknowledgment
| before an officer qualified to administer the
oath. Dorsey has ever since been the enc
| my of ClendenniDg. Clendenning has pre-
/ served DOrsey's letter and bis reply thereto.
! 1t is now said by knowing ones here that
| Jack Kerrat, the Assistant Postmaster. who
| left here suddenly few DAYS ago, and is
charged with being a defaulter, did leave
| on that account. Ii Is not that he is de-
\ faulter, but because he was in possession of
a great many facts which the star route
| ring did not care to have made public, and
| that they induced him TO leave the country,
aud then started the story that he was de-
| faulter.