The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-11-08

A PERsoEAI. EXPLANATION PROM DIsTncT-
ATTORNEY coRKuILL.


ATTORNEY coRKHrLL.
WASHINGTON. November TAT the OPEN
ing OF the Criminal Court this morning
District Attorney Corkhill made n personal
explanation to the charges against him OF q
want OF interest in the ssar-route prosecu-
ton, and that he had been relax, neglect
full, and inattentive to bis duty In that re-
spcct. He said that the At,orney-General
had on the 1st oil June notified him that an
investigation was in progress in the
Post-Ofice Department in connection
with the star-route eases, and that
the persons engaged in the invcs-
tigation desired the appointment OF Mr..
Cook, and he thought II proper TO
notify him (COrkhilD OF Cooks appoint
mont; had long conversation with Mac
Nengh, in which he said Cooks appointment
was entirely satisfactory to him, but he de-
sired 10 have his own position properly
and plainly defined; that he was ready and
willing TO perform any service required OF
him, but the delay in the appointment OF
n marshal had given him all the business
he could attend TO. The Attorney-General
not only assented, but said no officer so
situated could give the necessary care
and attention demanded by the star-route
investigation. Mr.. Cook was formally APP
pointed. He had never given himself out
as his {Corkhill's) assistant, but as special
assistant attorney for the United States,
charged with the prosecution OF the star
route cases. lie (COrkhilD, therefore, had
not been consulted in connection with the
prosecution. Mr.. Cooks consultations had
all been with the Attorney-General, whose
assistant he properly claimed to be. IL
would be seen that he (CorkhilD could
know nothing Of the ease, or be IN the
slightest degree responsible for it.
lie also defended his action in adjourn
ing the grand jury from the 10Th OF Sep
tember to October Cd. and said that on
July 18th counsel for defence in the star
route cases came into court with the re-
markable motion that the case be pre-
scnted to the grand jury, and that Cook,
who was the only man who could speak
for the Government, stated that 1t was
his intention, after tie summer was over,
to present some cases to the grand jury.
IL was then his intention, as the Court
knew, to adjourn the grand jury TIL the
first Monday in October. The assault
on the President had, however, occurred,
and ne had a consultation with Judge Cox,
and the grand jury was adjourned TO Sep
tembcr 18th. Then il WAS called, and re-
NAMED in session till September 18th,
doing no business except examining u
small pension case. The grand jury was
then rcspitcd for two weeks, in accordance
with a previous understanding. AT this
time he had no knowledge that there was
any immediate intention to present the
star-route cases to this grand jury, but had
the best reason TO suppose that there was
not. lie called upon Attorney-General Mae
Yeagh on September 9Th and informed
him that he woald have no business
for the grand jury when 1t assembled,
and if any OF the star-route cases were
ready for presentation the grand Jury WIS
at his service for three weeks, otherwise
he would adjourn the grand jury for three
weeks. The AttOrney-General told him
that since the Presidents assassination he
bad not given the stlr-rOutc eases special
attention; that he knew nothing OF them,
and that he (CorkhilD need not bother
himself about them that when his SER
vices or those OF the grand jury were re-
quired he would be notified by the person
having special charge OF them. Under
such circumstances, the grand jury was
respi,cd for two weeks. ON September
18th he was informed by Cook that Mr..
MacYeagh wished TO see him, and, in COM
pany with Cook, called on the Attorney
General, and was requested to sign the
criminal information. lie then protested
against the abuse which he had been re-
ceiying, and against the insinuations which
had been published about the adjournment
OF the grand jury, and that if the Attorney
General, rs his superior officer, made
statement Of simple facts, abuse would be
at once silcnced.
Mr.. MacVcagh said 1t was true that he
(CorkhilD had called upon him and inform
cd him OF the proposed adjournment OF
the grand jury, but that he was under the
impression he had told him TO sec Cook. He
CorkhilD assured him such was not the
case. and the conversation ended. Ii had
been known 10 every one connected with
tie star-routc cases that the grand jury
had adjourned on the day OF its adj
journment, and equally well known that
on intmation to himself or to the court the
grand Jury would have been resummoned
without one days delay. lie desired,
therefore, to state plainly
First. That he was now and had been
ignorant of every fact connected with the
star-routc cases.
Second. That the adjournment OF the
grand Jury till the first Monday IN OCTOBER
was decided upon and directed on July
10Th, without any reference to the star
route cases.
Third. That II would have been called
Immediately II it had been desired.
Fourth. That before the grand jury ad-
iourncd he called on the AttOrney-General
and informed him OF the proposed adj
iournment, and asked him the direct qucs-
ton whether any OF the star-route cases
were ready, and that the Attorney-Gene-
RAILS reply was that he (CorkhilD had no.
thing to do with them, and that when MS
services were needed he would be notified.
Judge Cox remarked that so far as the
facts stated by Mr.. Corkhill had come with
i'm his personal experience, the statement
conformed substantially 70 his recollection.
WASHINGTON, November THE afgu-
mcnt i'm the star-route cases was resumed
this morning in the Criminal Court. W. \.
Cook, special counsel for The Government,
occupied the time OF the court from ii A.
NJ. till about $3.50 p. VI. with long argyll
ment, replying to Messrs. lngersOll anu
Chandler, who last week argued in favor oil
quasiing the information"
Marine Disaster and Loss OF Life.
DENNIsPORT, Mass. November Cap
tain Fisk, OF the schooner james Ford, FOL
West Dennis from Boston, arrived at Bass