Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-06-01
Star Route Frauds.

WASHINGTON, May 29.-Ihe air has
been full of rumors respecting the
prospective indictment of the princi-
pal Star route thieves during the
past few days. It has been stated
positively, day after day (the asser-
ton is reiterated to night, that the
Attorney General, through District
Attorney Corkhill, had laid before
the grand jury, now in session here,
papers in the case, of half dozen or
more of the principals in the corrup
ton, with a view to their immediate
indictment and speedy trial. 1t can
be authoritatively stated that the De-
partment of Justice has not been fur
nished sufficient evidence in any one of
the principal cases to justify it's head
in laying the matter before any grand
jury. It may not possess the requi~
site amount of evidence for some
time. When it does, it will, of course,
act at once. While the investigation
has been conducted with unremitting
diligence, it would be surprising if
the evidence in any one case neces-
sary to induce Indictment by grand
jury, or conviction by petit jury,
had as yet been collected and COLI
lated.
The Investigators are making ems
couraging progress in their work,
but they are not performing miracles.
However, the rumors have had the
effect to alarm the counsel for Brady,
Dorsey, &c. They have been impor-
tuning the district attorney to per-
mt their clients to give bail when
indicted, without appearing. This
will not be allowed. They will be
tried in the criminal court of the dis
trict like prisoners of any other
grades. The fact is, in this matter
of investigating the Star route
frauds, the newspapers, and conse-
quently the people, have travelled
twice as fast as the investigation pos
sibly could. In the forum of the
people the principals in this corrup-
ton have been already tried, and are
: cow ,cted, making up hasty verdict
, upon the prima facie evidence pre-
sented to them, and the people have
i, concluded that the men referred to
| are thieves. But no judge, and few
grand or petit jurors would SO de,
eide on the evidence presented, and
the trouble is the encouragement
has to deal, not with the quick
deciding people, but with lawyers
c on the bench and at the bar
= and cautious, instructed jurymen il
/ the box. What is decided by the
snap Judgment of the people might
be reversed by the cool, conservative
courts. Therefore, the sensible at
torney- general, who desires to sue
:, coed in everything he undertakes
t has requested the investigators t.
G collect enough evidence to make eacl
case sufficiently strong to give hin
l. good hope of winning. He has TOLD
:. them to take their time about it, re-
d minding them that often the more
s haste the less speed, and urgins
T. them to do we'll what they have t.
do, so that he may have a series o
70 perfect cases to present to the Crane
: iuries of the country. Inasmuch a
the investigators have been obliged t,
n scour the whole country for evidence
:. and inasmucha as they have not been a
~ work many weeks, what they hav,
e already collected in this direction
|. makes most commendable showing
They are working hard, and so is tn
Acknowledgement, and before yer
= long we may expect results In til
Il shape of a handful of indictments
: Then, it will be remembered, ther
IS were doubts as to the legality OF tn
d present grand jury of the District
f Columbia, inasmuch as it was sum
moned by clerks, in the absence OF
70 marshal, before Fred Doulass an
his successor had been appointed.
= Possibly indictments of this gran
if jury would be technically defective
- The Attorney~General has not locke
, into this yet, but it is certain that b
9. will take no risks. He is doing
/, good work and doing it cautiousl.
e thoroughly and well.