The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-05-19
THE STAR ROUTE FRAUDS.
n Full Expoaurc of Que OF the ConspIracies
OF Carpet.Bag Senator Dorsey, of Arkan-
ans.
CHICAGO, MAY Is,

OF Carpet.I,ag Senator Dorsey, OF Arkan-
sns.
CHICAGO, May Is.
A special from Little Rock, Ark, says
that the frauds Of the Star Route Ring,
| which are attracting the attention of the
| country, ere no news in Arkansas where
| ex-senator Dorsey's connection with them
has long been more than suspected.
He procured the appointment C ex-
Governor o. a. Hadley as postmaster at
Little Rock, supposing he could count on
his assistance IN forwarding his schemes
ON the treasury in connection with the Star
routes. Knowing this, in January, 1878.
| lie sent Had!ey about six hundred blank
proposals. and bonds which the Ring had
| printed for their own use, which were
different in some respec'4 from those
printed by the government, and forwarded
TO bidders, with instructions to Hadley to
get securities on the bonds, have them
signed in blank, approved 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 routes, termi
nal points, amount Of bid and name of
bidder were not inserted as required by
law before being approved by the post
master. These bonds were then APPROX
ed by Postmaster Hadley in direct vic
Iation of law and then sent by ex-
press to S. w. Dorsey, then senator of the
United States, for such use as he might
make of them. They were not even
straw bonds. The blank bonds were ap.
shipped by Postmaster Hadley per the
| Ss,tt h.lrf Tnn
w. Dorsey, and delivered ut his committee
room in the capitol on January 90. The
| numbers Of routes, terminal points
amounts Of bids and the bidders names
were then flied in, bidders signatures
attached and acknowledgment taken by a
notary public, one A. T. Boone, who was
Il member of the Ring, dated Washington,
ID. c., January 5, and other days prior
to those upon which the bonds were ap-
proved. TO the lowest Of these bid. the
name Of John NJ. Peck, DOrsey's brother
! in-law, was attached, and an acknowledg.
mcnt was taken by Boone as notary pub
! lie, but it was afterwards discovered that
Peck had not been in Washington for
over year, and that the signatures were
forgeries. Dorsey himself stated that
the signature was written by Joseph R.
Richards, who, lie said, had been Dor
sey's clerk, and he presumed was author
lied to sign his name. Parties who
know Dorsey's handwriting says that the
signatures resembled his more than
Richards. Richards and Peck sudden
~ put in an appearance dny or two
since, and it is thought for the purpose
of covering 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 that Dorsey sent
the blank bonds to Hadley he sent blanks
TO j. II. ClendenDiDg, postmaster at Fort
| Smith, and requested him to procure
sureties, approve in blank and return to
him. This Postmaster Clendenning re-.
fused, and so wrote Dorsey. and quoted
the law making it a penal offence punish
able with imprisonment in the pcniten-
| tiary for one year or more for postmaslers
| TO approve bonds befure the number and
description Of the route, amount of bid
and bidders' name were inserted and
bidders had signed the proposal aud made
acknowledgement before an officer quail
fed to administer an oath. Dorsey Las
ever since been an enemy of Clenden-
ming. Clendenning has preserved Dor
sey's letter and his reply thereto. 1t is
| now said, by the knowing ones here, that
Jack Kerrat, assistant Postmaster, who
left here suddenly few days ago, and is
charged with being deiauter, did not
leave on that account and is not defaul-
ter, but left because no was in possession
of great many facts which the Star
Route Ring die not not care to have
| made public, ana that they induced him
to leave the country and then started the
| story that he was defaulter.
DORSEY PAYS WILCOX FOR TELL-TALE
! PAPERS.
DENVER, Col, Mny l4.-The Tribune
contains the following Immediately
after the exposure Of Dorsey's completely
in the Stur route Ring. rs tclegraphed
| over the country, attempts were begun
to squash the suit which had been brought
toi recover certain documents Yrsler.
day the effort was successful, the letters
were surrendered, acl Dorsey pnid the
money to Wilcox, for which the suit was
brought. This money, as is known, is for
Wilcox's work in securing petitions for
expediting routes and sub. letting emall
| contracts. The same day on which the
papers we're surrendered Postmaster
General James telegraphed to DeLvcr for
| either letters, certified copies or photo.
graphs of them. The telegram came
after the papers had been surrendered,
and the Star route roRues probably con-
cluded they were safe, hut they are mis-
taken. There are ce!utied copies in ex-
istence which will be used in connection
| with documents now in Portland. Ore
gon."