Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-03-16
Charges Against Second Assistant
Postmaster Brady.


Jerome ]. Kinds, mail contractor Of
Alabama, has made an affidavit charging
Second Assistant Postmaster General
Brady with receiving from him 5000
as corrupt division of profits from the
letting of one of the star route contracts.
This is the most direct charge that has
ever been made against Brady, and is
given with particularly that amounts
to more than an ordinary charge. MIR.
Brady is out with denial of the charges.
Kinds was partner in the Las Vegas,
| Prescott and Santa Fe route, which was
raised from $12, 600 to $136, 900 about
year ago. Kinds charges that while he
| was absent in the West his interest in the
business was sold out, and no return to
| him was made of the proceeds. A
quarrel between the partners resulted in
an affidavit upon the part OF Kinds, in
which he exposes the alleged bargain
| between the contractors and the Post
| Office Department, and the methods by
/ which the route was raised from $12 600
| to S136 600 Mr.. Kinds charges that
| $16. 900 were paid to 5. P. Brown, who
represented that one-half of this sum was
| to be paid to Assistant Postmaster
General Brady, and relates in some de-
| tail the conversation he and Brown had
with Brady with reference to the
payment of the money. In these
conversations it was understood
among all the parties that
Mr. Brady was to receive a certain
consideration. In directing an increase
of the route in question, Mr.. Brown sub
seQuently Informed Kinds that Brady
was to receive, and had received, one
half of the amount paid him Brown.
The exposures of Kinds naturally will
| create a sensation, Notwithstanding the
repeated charges of corruption that have
been made against Brady in connection
with the star route mail service. Brady's
| requirement of an immense fortune
since he has held this office has made
him continued object OF suspicion, but
nothing so direct has ever been brought
against him as this charge of Mr.. Kinds.
| Better than the Kinds affidavit. however,
! is the fact that Kinds holds in his posses
sion. for his own protection, the absolute
proof that Brady did receive this
| IS, coo in the one contract specified. S.
! z. Brown, the middle man in this affair,
| is prominent man in Washington
! society. He is a very wealthy man.
| One of his daughters married the son of
| the late Senator o. p Morton, of Indiana.
Mr. Kinds promises, outside of his aft
| davit, to 90 further in his exposures and
| show that large sums were also paid by
| him and his partners to editors of local
Washington organs One editor is said
to have received $12, 200 for his valiant
services in defending Mr.. Brady aud the
contractors during the last star route in
vestigation. The alleged facts in the
affidavit occurred short time ago.
KINDS LETTER TO DEvENs.
On February sth. last, Kinds mailed a letter
| to Attorney General Devens saying that in the
| December previous he informed District Attor
| ney Corkhill of the frauds practiced on the
| route between Las Vegas and Albuquerque,
already mentioned in the affidavit. He told
! Corkhiu that he could substantiate the charges
| before grand jury, whereupon Corkhill ex-
cused himself and told him to call again. He
| called afterward and gave Corkhil a state
ment OF the facts. urging Corkhill to procure
an indictment against the contractor and
Brady, giving him the names Of witnesses
| This resulted in nothing. Kinds then became
discouraged and employed Mr.. Mclean as his
lawyer. Just after the 1st OF last January
| Mclean called upon Brady, who told him that
| the contract had been discontinued as soon as
the fraud had been discovered. Mclean then
| urged Brady to prosecute for the recovery of
the moneys fraudulently obtained before the
! discontinuance of the contract; but Brady
only promised to investigate, and actually
did nothing until he was again stirred up
| by Sixth Auditor McGrew, who was also
| put in possession OF the facts of the case. The
Sixth Auditor might then have protected the
| government by Withholding money due the
| contractors, but he refused to do so. The
| District Attorney was again visited, this time
| by Mclean. January 18th, and the suspicious
| conduct of General Brady and the Auditor was
narrated TO him, together with all the evil
cence of/the fraud. He was also told that
| General BradV's friends boosted of having
corner on the grand jury, so that no indict-
| ment could be gotten against them. and that
| he would not be prosecuted if indicted. Cork
| hill then promised to investigate, but he did
nothing, his excuse being that Brady was be-
! ing investigated. Corkhil was urged not to
! permit grave public interests to be played with
in this way, or to allow. by delay, an oppor-
! tunity for witnesses to be tempered with or
| decamp. Mr. Corkhill persisted in putting off
| Mclean and Kinds by further excuses.
Kinds also says that in Santa Fe in Decem.
| formed in the Post Office Department, and
that no outsider could obtain any increase Of
pay for increase trips or expedition Of sched-
ules Kinds further alleges that he has been
| repeatedly approached by VIM. LibbeY and
George F. Brott, the friends of Brady and
Price. asking him how much he wanted to
cease his attacks on the Second Postmaster
| General. In conclusion, Kinds says:
/ From information and my own belief. l can
| say that there has not been material increase
of pay from which Brady has not derived a
| pecnniary benefit either in money or postal
| draft and that an examination of the office of
the Auditor of the treasury for. the Post Office
| Department will disclose the truth of this
statement In addition to the persons / have
mentioned, / would respectfully suggest that
knowledge of facts material to the general
issue involved is in possession of Richard C.
Kerns, Stephen B. Elkins, Stephen w. Dorsey
| and Cornelius Cosgrove.
Respectfully,
JEROME j. Kinds
| To Hon. Charles Devens, Attorney General OF
the United States
This letter was referred TO the Post
Office Department, but no action was
ever taken by the Department of Justice.
Mr.. Hayes administration never saw fit
to prosecute the star route thieves, es-