The daily gazette., 1881-12-20
= $4,000. 900 SUIT.
CLAIMS for thar Amau.
the @tAr. RauIn Ri... Mkainst

sHMa ANHuml AHnt.-.
she star.koute Ring.
WAsHIseroN, Dec. i7.-Postm.,,s,
1enerAi james, before leaving his otIlce
VIII strike crushing blow al the mem
oers OF The star route ring. Civil pra.
ceeding TO recover moneys frauduleptIv
ootained from the government hv ,bs
contractors VIII be instilul ed in . vsrv
snort time. Ssctlon 4057, VI the Revissd
Statutes, provides that ain ali cssas
where money has been paid out of ths
fund OF the Post Office Departman, nn.
der the pEete1se that service has hean
performed therefor, when, in fact. such
rvice has not been performed. or as
auditional allowance for Increased ser-
Vice actually rendered, when the addi.
tsonal ailow ance exceeds the sum which
according ~ law might riehtfully hav.
been allowed therefor, aud In aIl o,har
cases where money Of The department
has been paid to amy person, in couse.
qnenee OF fraudulent Representations. or
by the mistake, eoilusion or misconduct
OF any ofiicer or other employee 10 he
postal service, the Postmaster General
shall caase suit to be brought 10 recover
such money as fraudulent payment or
excess, with Interest thereon.''
Under this act next week the Post.
master General will lay before At
tornoy General Brewster and Special
Assistant Attorney Bl no the evidence
upon which about fifty suits win he
begun against prominent contractors,
The amount OF money involved in all
ths cases Of which the government has
cogpizince where evidence exists OF
frauds In the star-route service, by
which the Treasury has been robbed
is about IS, 000, 900. In many of the
cases The evidence is 30 overwhelming
that no reasonable defense eau be in
terposed. The suits will not all be
tried In Washington, but will be in.
stituted in such OF the United State.
Dtsuict Courts as may seem to the
Attorney General to be most CON.
vcnient. Under the statute above
quoted civil actions will lie agains,
those persons formerly connected with
the department who participated In
and alb tied in the gigantic conspira.
cy by which the treasury was plan
| dered.
WHO WILL BEs suEpf
Among thecoutraotors against whom
suits will be instituted are Gilmer q
salisbury, a very rich firm, who's,
members are j. j. Gilmer, Monroe
Sanlhsbury and y. j. Sauiisbnry. The
excess Of pay received by the Saulis
bury combination from Brady on IL,
routes over the original contract prics
amounted 10 the sum of SITS, $685.
The Dorsey combination will also b,
sued. Its members, when Mr.. JAIME,
came int) otnce, were J. w. Dorsey
]. M. Peck and J. II. Miner. Ex
Senator Stephen w. Dorsey, OF Arkan
sas, is the real head Of the firm aud th,
responsible man.
The amount pocketed by the Dorse,
gang In excess VI what was called io
by the original contracts was not les,
| than $42l 900. Suits will also be en-
tered against the following: CornelIui
Coserove, whose principal backer Is X
Z. kerns, Of ST. Louis, one Of the di-
rec.ors In the Iron Mountain road; J. Il
Childesler, who is also backed b,
kernsi S. A. McDevitt, b. II. Peterson
J. b. Price, A. Ii. Brown and A. s
Patrick.
To name the various routes npoI
which pay WAS fraudulently granted
would be repetition OF the publica
tions OF the past six months. Suit /,
recover paid on the Rock creek ane
Custer route, Patrick Il Brown, con
tractors, ahere the pay was increased
from $4,000 to 500, 600, will be bogus
aud also on the steamb boat route from
St. Paul To ST. Louis, where thousand.
of dollars were paid for carrying NJ
empty pouch back and forth on th.
boats. Postmaster General james wa,
originally Of the opinion that the PRO,
coedlngs against the ring should have
been begun Ia civil suits for the recoy
ery OF stolen money III advance oi
criminal prosecutions.