The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-05-05
STAR ROUTE RAscALIrY.
Millions in It---A Sketch OF the Chief
Operators.

The regular appropriation for the ''Sta
route services" OF the POstofice Department
tor the year ending June 30, 1880, wa,
I s., 800, 0UJ. OF this sum, 81, oU2,Zl4 Wa
absorbed Dy 90 routes, embraced IN Louisi'
ana. Texas. the Indian Territory, Kansas
+ Nebraska, Montana, Dakota, Wyoming
Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah
/ IDAHO, Oregon, Nevada and California, leay
ing 50, 007, 80 for the remaining 9, 49, routes
/ The annual pay OF 90 routes in the State and
I Territories named, was raised between the
+ lettings OF 1878 and January, 1850, from
/ :727 ,II9 70 - S02,2 I4 The figures are
official.
The New Y,rk Times Washington cor,
res pondence Of this morning gives the fol-
lowing sketch of the star route operators.
Those who claim 10 know all the points OF
the investigation which Is being made into
the methods OF The star route ring say that
the halt mas not vet been made public, and
will not be until measures are taken to bring
Brady 10 Justice and the penitentiary, If
possible The whole steal IS practically
divided between what Is known the Dor
sey gang and the GIlmer and Salisbury par
IT, the latter being by far the most extensive
operators in the swiadle. The Dorsey gang
Is composed Of J. ". Dorsey, J. NJ. Peck
and j. +. Miner, who have acted as blinds
for Stephen w. Dorsey, ex-senator from
Arkansas and Secretary of the Republican
National Committee, bidding for and re-
ceiviug the contracts. j. w. Dorsey Is a
brother OF Stephen w. Dorsey. Only a
little over three years ago he was a farmer in
NeImont, an ignorant, stupid specimen of
humanity. He was not 80 stupid. however,
that his more more brilliant brother could
not use him as a cats paw to pull the gold
from the public Treasury, and he was
brought to Washington for this express pur-
pose. j. II. Peck, the second worthy Of the
trio, u 4 brother-in-law of Stephen w. Dor
sey, having married the sister Of the latter !
wife, and J. X. Miner is partner of the
great original Dorsey himself He was
brought from Sandusky, Ohio, expressly to
60 into the star route business. The
amount known to have been pOcketed by
Stephen W. Dorsey gang in excess of the
amount called tor by their original bids is
not less in round numbers than $4,000.
What percentage of this was transferred to
Brady as his share of the spoils only Stephen
w. Dorsey and his partners can tell.
The firm Of Gilmer, Salisbury Il Co,
which did an even more extensive business
in the swudle than the Dorsey crowd is com
posed OF J. +. Gilmer, Munro Salisbury, and
.. J. Salisbury, 4 younger brother Of Nun
TO. J. +. Gilmer was formerly a stage
driver over the Holiday overland route,
from St Joseph to Sacramento California.
He was 4 very ignorant man, and could
scarcely write his own name, but he had
shrewd eve for business. In 1868 he formed
a partnership with the two Salsburys, and
bought out the stage lines OF Wells, Fargo s;
Co, over which most of the mails in the ter>
ritories were at that time carried. Since
then the firm has been engaged in the star
route business, and has made large fortune.
Among the agents who have made straw
bids in the interest of this firm are V. w.
Parker, I. A. McDevitt, A. ;. Patrick,
Luke Voorhees,, George II. Platt, o. J.
Salisbury, Patrick * Brown, A. II. Brown,
q. V. Messerole, c. Cosgrove, w. w. Gid
dings, A l.. Seeley, +. w. Gilmer, a brother
of j. F. GiImer; w. l.. Hill, Hugh White,
Salisbury " Nichols and William H. Force,
The excess of pay received by the GIlmer q
Salisbury combination, over that called for
by their original contracts. amounts to the
neat little sum of S77S, sos with more still
to hear from.
In addition to the money given to these
large contractors who made their bids
through straw agents, small fortunes have
been divided between Brady and smaller
contractors who made their bids on their
own account In Louisiana, DIR. B. Fl.
Peterson secured an excess of $40, Pol on a
route of 26I miles DR. Peterson was form
erly a member of the Warmoth ring in
Louisiana but now lives in this city upon
the income derived from his dealings with
Brady. Chase Andrews, who received on
two routes, each 20 miles long, an excess of
$l2, 257, is Washington man. He was
formerly a clerk in the Postoffice Depart
ment here, but was removed by Postmaster
General Jewell, for malfeasance in office.
John A. Walsh, who secured an increase of
of $1l8,475, on the route from Pres
colt to Santa Fe, Arizona, for which he
originally contracted for SIS, 500, is a native
of Louisiana. When the war broke out he
joined the rebel army, but after the recon>
struction of Louisiana he joined the War
moth ring. He was indicted in New Or
leans for making illicit whisky, and was
saved from Imprisonment by Brady, who
wss at that time supervisor of Internal Rev
enue in New Orleans and refused to appear
as a witness against him.