The Portland daily press., 1881-10-01
THE STAR ROUTES.

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WASHINGTON, Sept 30.-Col. George bie"s
ster and Col. Cook as counsel for the govern
ment in the star route cases, fled IN the court
this morning long information against ex-
Assistant Postmaster General Brady ana oth-
ers and an order was issued that information
annexed to said affidavits be exhibited against
Thos j. Brady, John L. French, VIM. A
Turner, Geo. l.. McDonough and Samuel L.
Brown for conspiracy to defraud the United
States and that warrants be issued as prayed
for.
This Ia the first instance in this district that
proceedings Of this character have been begun
by information, but the adjournment OF the
grand jury until Oct. Sd and the operation OF
the statute of limitations rendered this step
necessary One of The counsel for the gov
eminent said to-day that papers are in active
preparation to be presented against ex-senator
Dorsey and several other persons who have
held Office under the government and that the
government counsel intend to proceed against
them as fast as the formal papers can be got
ready. Nobody, ex-District Attorney Bliss
said to-day, connected with the star route
frauds is to escape prosecution except such as
may choose to appear and give evidence
against the others. Warrants are said to have
been issued for the arrest of all persons
charged with conspiracy in the documents pre-
sented to-day excepting Gen. Brady.
The general charge set up in the document
is of conspiracy to defraud the government
and an attempt is made to show the frauduieh1
proceedings of the alleged consplrators IN the
manipulations of the contract for carrying the
mails on the route between Prescott. Arizona,
and Santa Ee n M, a distance OF 46O miles.
The theory of the operations, according to the
document presented to-day, is briefly this:
The contract was originally awarded to George
L. McDonough to carry the mails on this
route once week, taking 150 hours to per
form it, for S13, 313 per annum. Before the
time for beginning the work under the con-
tract it is charged that an increase in the
number of trips from one a week to seven
times week was authorized and an additional
compensation of $17,750 was allowed. The
alleged conspirators then in like manner be-
fore work commenced increased the speed and
time, so as to make it go instead of 100 hours,
and added as compensation 500. 799. The re-
suit was that contract originally awarded at
1888 was increased to &87, 1862. After time
McDonough was first aut oiized to subject his
contract TO John A. Walsh, and then the con-
tract with McDonough was terminated alto,
gether, and when this was accomplished
Walsh necessarily dropped out. After the
McDonough contract had been determined in
accordance with law the contract was offered
to the sureties, but on such terms they coald
not accept. Then there being no contract,
Gen. Brady, it is charged, under an alleged
provision of law, made a contract with Walsh
to cover this route once week, in 100 hours
time, for $l8,500. After he had closed this
contract he then in the same manner as be-
fore, increased Walsh's contract so that
Walsh was to receive $l36,OO0 year, al
though his original contract was for $1S,50O
After time Walsh failed to be a satisfactory
contractor 1t is charged that Gen. Brady be-
gan to annoy him. first by reducing the num-
Der OF trips and cutting off some $4,000 of his
compensation. Then the route was changed,
and alleging that it had been shortened 500
coo more of the compensation was cut off. At
forward the contract was annulled altogether.
The document charges the alleged consplra-
tors with defrauding the government out OF
$350,000 in manipulating the contracts for
mail service on this particular route between
July 1, 1873 and June 80, 1880.
No arrests have been made. The probabii-
ties are that Brady and the others will appear.
before the court and ask to give bail. Bradys
lawyers were greatly surprised when they
heard that an information had been filed 1t
is quite likely that the evidence in the other
cases may be presented to the grand jury next
week.