The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-05-04
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, DC,
MAY. /. 1882.

49, a-FE rL-r = ~ - ENaH HNrE
There has lately been something
of an advance movement along the
line inathe Star-route prosecutions,
and II really begins to look as though
some of the conspirators were likely
to get caught. Just what evidence
the Government will bring out a
not be known a s yet, and there lis
really no means of judging of the
strength and determination of the
prosecution beyond what appears as
we 60 along, taken in connection with
other circumstances. But there has
been, and still is, serious doubt whethy
er it is,the intention or sdesirel of5thel
Administrators to- convict Stephen
w. Dnrseyy the Secretary of the Re
publican Nationally Committee. That
he and Brady divided considerably
oyer a million dollars between them
as chief conspiratiors is generally
believed, andano doubtethe evidence
of this fact exists, but boring it out
as a legal demonstration is a thing
that may or may not be, done. Sey-
eral estraws" have been noted as in
|aiestias that there woaid be a Fail
ure as to Dorsey, though .thereamust
be a scape goat, and itsissnot unlike
ly that Brady, whose political posi-
tion is not sc prominent, will have
to 'gon along with the small fry.
A prominent Senator said to. me
recently: "The Administration feels
that it would be distasteful to- the
members of the Republican party if
Gen. ArthuFs administration Should
be the cause of procuring a verdict
of guilty against the main who was
directly instrumentaliin carrying In
dianas1fo Garfield and Arthur, and
that if it be finally found. that oneof
the great criminals must be convict
ed, Brady shall carry the load, mas
much as he is notdirectly Unidentified
with the procurement of the presi
dency for the Republicans It is
predicted that Mr.. Merrick, the Dem
~ocratic attorney called into the case,
was employed as a ,ca5s,paw and that
he will eventually retire. Dorsey is
now here and anxionsly watching the
proceedings. He looks broken down
and troubled. Theatestimony4of ext
Attorney General McVeagh and ex.
Postmaster General James against
Rerdell, Dorsey's late confidential
clerk, was an interesting chapter. 1t
shows that when Rerdell got scared
last summer he undertook to make
terms with the prosecution, agreeing,
if given immunity and well provided
for, to furnish evidence of the whole
conspiracy-to prove that false books
had been shown to the committee of
Congress and that forged petitions
had been filed, DC. On q &C.
casion he exhibited two telegraph
dispatches tc MI. James. asOne was
about as follows:. "We should not
have parted i'm anger. Get off at
Philadelphia and return. The other
asked him not to ruin his (Dorsey's)
wife and family, and repeated the re-
quest tc get off at Philadelphia and
retarn. Now Rerdell says this was
all a blind set up to entrap the Gov
eminent officials. But this defense
is entirely too thin under all the cir
cumstances. Hg sfs7 $50 tsr ,a
The whereabouts of Capt. Howgase
remain as much a mystery a IS ever
1t is not unlikely that we have seen
the last of him here, though like
Tweed he may turn up a wanderer on
some foreign coast after few months,
or years. But it is evident his es-
cape Was shrewdly planned, and as
the Government offers only a paltry
$500 for his capture the chances OF
permanent escape are rather in his
favor. His counsel assume to believe
that he will turn up when wanted,
but this probability seems to be about
as thin as The shadows defined ON an
iceberg in the region of the north
pole. There is something in the at
mosphere of Washington that creates
a public sentiment in favor of such
men as Howgate. Somehow it isn't
regarded very wrong to steal from
the Government, by a large portion
of the residents Of the capital, pro
baby because we have SO many here
who have done it. or are waiting for
a chance to do it.. When q man who
has had his hand in the crib gets in
to trouble, they all ~instinctively hope
he will wiggle out of ii. Brady, the
star route robber, dimes and wines
prominent people while under charg-
es, and when Howgate took French
leave there were plenty who said,
.swell, I'm glad he's got away
"Howgate vas a clever fellow any
| way; hope they wont catch him."
| There is often a readiness to take