News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-09-21
Attempted Bribery.
STATEMENT OF ONE OF THE JURORS IN
THE srAR-RoUTE CASE.

| THE STAR-ROUTE CASE.
One of the jurors who voted for
conviction was Mr.. Edwin D. Doni-
phan. He told Judge Wylie the day
before the court took notice of the
approaches made to the jury, that he
had several times been approached
with the offer of money to influence
his vote for the acquital of ex-senator
Dorsey. Mr.. Doniphan says: ''Be-
fore the jury was sworn in the case,
Mr.. Frederick C.. Shaw, one of the
panel, came to me and said that he
would like to get on the case, and
asked me what chances | thought there
were in this trial to get on the jury.
[ told him at the time that he had the
same chances as any one else. When
the case came up, we were Strung out,
twenty-six of US, and he was rejected
by Mr.. Merrick. On the way home
that night, he abused Merrick, and
said that Merrick was the cause of it.
Some time afterward, it was on the
4th of September, Twas coming down
between the Capitol and that little
monument. Some one called me. /
stopped and saw it was Shaw. He
said to me, Look a-here, l have got
good thing for you, and will make a
little myself, too. l have got the
money in my pocket to give yon now,
if you will favor L. w. Dorsey. If
he gets off we can get anything we
want. | have two or three hundred
dollars l can give you now, and will
make it thousands within ten days
L Immediately turned upon him and
said: DO you know the position you
are placing yourself in?' He replied
yes. but thought l was friend to
him, and we could make a good thing
of it; that Dorsey was a powerful
man, and that as soon as the trial was
over, and Dorsey got clear, Brewster
would be hoisted. l then turned up
on him, and said: Look a-here,
Shaw you had better leave me-. We
walked down as far as Third street
and the avenue. He pulled out some
money in his hand, and | said, You
had better leave me- and he went off
and l went into the Colonization Build
ing. That evening after l got home,
little boy came and rung the door
bell and asked for me, and | went out
through the basement way, and said
to the boy, what is it?' and the boy
said: MIR. Shaw says he will meet
you at the Capitol this evening? l
reflected moment and said: Yes,
tell him | will meet him up there" l
did not go out that night. The next
morning, as was going up in front
of the City Hall, and | think Mr.
Cox, Mr.. Torbiner and Mr.. Murray
were standing by the MarshaPs office,
and while L was crossing the street,
this man Shaw came out of the main
building of the City Hall, and putting
his hand in his pocket, said, Look
here, you had better take that money
L replied, 60 away or 1 will have you
arrested, and | called Mr.. Torbiner's
to it. | do not know the
boys name"
The record of the star-route case |
shows that on the first day of June,
he case was called. Mr.. Frederick
:. Shaw was one of the original panel
Of jurors to try cases at this term of
The Criminal Court, and stood No. IL |
)n the list, while Mr.. Edwin Doniphan
was the twelfth member of the panel. |
Mr.. Shaw was asked by the Court |
whether he had formed or expressed |
an opinion in regard to the guilt of
innocence of the defendants. He re-
piled he had not; he had read the pa
pers and commented upon what he
had read concerning the proceedings
in court here. The Judge asked, "The
did not leave much impression
on your mind?" Mr.. Shaw replied,
mo" Subsequently Mr.. Merrick
examined him, and learned that he
had resided in Washington over TWEEN |
ty years. He had talked about this
subject among members of the jury.
''Haye you talked to other people |
about it," asked Mr.. Merrick. "Do
you mean outsider" "Yes,' answer
ed Mr.. Merrick. Shaw said then he
had not. Mr.. Merrick, "We will ex-
cuse Mr.. Shaw; that exhausts our
right" So Mr.. Shaw was the last
man objected to by the Government
under their right of pre-emptory chal-
Lenge. He, like the others accused,
will have ample opportunity to explain
MS conduct.