Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1881-04-28

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 It will
be observed that the original con-
tract in all instances is very low.
member of the 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. As 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 . matter Of course, to
the ringster who bid lowest, he knowing full
well that the second assistant would grant him
increases Of pay for additional trips and ex-
pedition 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 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-Official figures
show that the annual pay of ninety-three star
routes out of 1925 was raised between the
1880, from 81. .271, 100 to So, ,sO2,2 ,214 The
regular appropriation for the star route service
for the year ending June 80, 1880. was
$4,000 900. OF this amount 81, ,sO2. .214 was
absorbed by the ninety-three routes noted,
loav,ns $3,os7,73e for the remaining s,132
routes. ...,. r-
NOT HALF TOLD.
NEW YORK, April 24.-The Times, this morn
ing, has the following from special Washing
ton correspondent: Those who claim to know
all the points in the investigation being made
into the methods Of the star route ring.
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
swndle The Dorsey gang is composed of ].
W. Dorsey, ]. NJ. Peck and J. r Miner, who
have acted as 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-
men of humanity. He was not so stupid
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 . brother-in-la of 8. W. Dorsey, having
married sister of the latter's wife, and R.
Miner is a partner Of the great original Dorsey
himself He was brought from Sandusky O, :,
expressly to go into the star route bust
pocketed by the s. W. Darsey gang in excess
of the amount called for by their original bids
is not less in ound numbers than $412,-
600. What per eentage Of this
tell The firm Of Gilman, Salisbury 4 Co,
business in swindles than the Dor
sey crowd, is composed of J. T.
Gilmer, Monroe Salisbury and G. G. Salisbury,
a younger brother Of Monroe ]. T. Gilmer
was formerly stage driver over the Holiday
overland route from St Joseph to Sacramento,
Cal He was very ignorant man, and could
scarcely write his own name, but he had
sHREwD EYE RoR BUSINESS.
In 1S68he formed partnership with two
Wells, Fargo 4 Co., over which most Of the
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,
T. A. McDevitt, A. s. Patrick, Luke Voorhees,,
Geo. H. Platt O. ]. Salisbury, Patrick
4 Brown, A. II. Brown, g. v. Messerale, G. A.
Gosgroys, ". A Giddings, e D: Zeely,
Hill, Hngh White, SALISBURY 4 Nichols. VIM
Hamilton, W. " Nichols and VIM. II. Force.
The excess of pay received by the
Gilman 3 Salisbury combination over
that called for by the original
SITS, sos, with more still to hear from. In
addition to the money that was given these
contractors, who made Sheir bids through
straw agents, small fortunes have been di-
vided between Brady and Smaller, contractors
who made their bids on their own account in
Louisiana. DR. ]. II. Pearson secured an ex-
cess Of $40, ,261 on route Of 261 miles, DR..
MEMBER OF THE wARMoTH
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
$12,257, is Washington man.
He was formerly clerk in the postoffiee
department here, but was removed by Post
master General Jewell for malfeasance in
crease Of $lSs, ,425 on the route from Pres
colt to Santa Fe, A. T., for which he original
ly contracted for $1s, 500, is a native
Of Louisiana When the war broke
euk hs Joined the rebel army, bus
after the reconstruction Of Louisiana Joined
the Warmoth ring. BE was Indicted in New
Orleans for making Illicit whisky, and was
saved from imprisonment by Brady, who WAS
e that time supervisor Of Internal revenue e
New Orleans and refused b appear - eWlb.