Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-10-12
GOVERNMENr RoBBERS.

millions oil dollars hy inc oulclals IN the
postoflico Department is pretty well
established. The reader Of events will
learn something to his disgust by pc.
rusing tho following;
WASHINGTON, Sept 3O
Colonel George Bliss, Benjamin Har.
ris Brewster and Colonel Cook, as
counsel for the Government in the Star
route cases, filed in court this morning
a long information against ex Assistant
Postmaster General Brady ana others,
and the following order was issued by
Justice Walter S. Cox:
ain the Supreme Court of tho Dis.
trict Of Columbia, holding a criminal
term, June term, 1881, and now to
wit: September 80, 1881, on reading
the aflidavts of Thomas l. James and
p Henry Woodward, and on motion
of George B. Corkhill, United States
Attorney for the District Of Columbia,
and William A. Cook, Special Assist.
ant District Attorney for tho United
States II is ordered that the informa
tion annexed to said aifldavits be ex.
hibted against Thomas J, Brady, John
L. FrOlch, William Il, Turner, George
l.. McDonough and Samuel p. Brown
for conspiring to defraud tho United
States, and that the same be filed and
that warrants be issued in the ordina.
ry form as prayed for"
The information sets forth that on
October /, 1873, Thomas J, Brady,
Second Assistant Postmaster General;
John L. French, Chief Clerk William
II. Turner, clerk in contract office, to.
gethcr with George L. McDonough,
Samuel ?. Brown and certain other
persons, wiliully, unlawfully, fraudu.
lently and corruptly, etc, did conspire,
combine and agree together to defraud
the United States ont of large sums Of
money in causing and procuring Ut.
necessary and improper and extrava.
giant additional compensation to be
paid by the United States TOR add.
tional service in carrying the mails.
The general charge set up in the docu.
ment is of conspiracy to defraud the
Government, and an attempt is made
to show the fraudulent proceedings of
the alleged conspiratOrs in the manip
ulation Of the contract for carrying
the mails in the route between Pres
colt, Arizona, and Santa Fe, Mexico, q
distance Of four hundred AMI sixty
miles. The theory of tho operations,
according to the document presented
to-day, ia briefly this: The contract
was originally awarded to George l..
McDOnough to carry the mails on this
route once a week, taking l5O hours
to perform 1t, for sl3l3 per annum
Before the time for beginning tho work
under the contract it is charged that
an increase in the number of trips,
from once week to seven times
week, was authorized, and an addi.
tional compensation Of slT75O was
allowed. The alleged conspirators
then, in like manner, before work com.
menccd, increased the speed and time,
so as to make it 90 instead of 1901
hours, and added as compensation
s56,799. The result was that con.
tract originally awarded at Sl3,3l3,
was increased to $751; sG2, After time
MoDonough was authorized to subject
his contract to John A. Walsh, and
then the contract with McDonough
was terminated altogether. When
this was accomplished, Walsh neces,
sarily dropped out. After the Nc.
Donough contract had been termina.
ted in accordance with law, the con.
tract was offered to the sureties, but
on such terms that they could not ac-
cept. Then, there being no contract,
General Brady, ii is charged, under
an alleged provision of law, made q
contract with Walsh to cover this
route once week, in one hundred and
fifty hours time, for slS,500. After
he had closed their contract he then,
in the same manner as before, increas.
cd Walsh's contract so that Walsh
was to receive $4,000 q year al.
though his original contract was for
$4,000. After time Walsh failed to
bo a satisfactory contractor 1t is
charged that General Brady began to
annoy him first by reducing the mum.
Der OF trips and cutting off some 500.
900 of his compensation. Then the
route was changed, and, alleging that
1t had been shortened, $50 600 more of
the compensation was cut of. After.
wards the contract was annullcd alto
gether. The document charges the
alleged conspirators with defrauding
the government out of $3.50, 900 in ma.
nipulating the contracts for mail serv
ice in this particular route between
July |, 1878, and June 30, 1882.
One of the counsel for the Govern.
ment, referring to the contemplated
action against other persons than those
mentioned in the document presented
today, said 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 counsel en-.
gagged in the prosecution Of the Star
route cases intend to proceed against
them just as fast as the formal papers
can be got ready, Nobody" ex-Dis.
lrict Attorney Bliss said to-day, ICON.
nected with Star route frauds is TO es.
cape prosecution except such persons
As may choose to appear and give tes.
limony against the Others"
VIII the rogues be tricdY That's
he question.