River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-10-26
TaE srAR R0UTRRs.

pIoyed tor the Purpose-Implirat-
ing srswsser Cam raro ,;re ST mon.
in the Employ of the Itttorney Gen
erai.
COL Robert Ingersol has caused to
be published number OF affidavits,
for the purpose of showing that several
of the iurymen in the late Star-route
trial were corruptly approached by
employees of the Department of JUS
tice, aud that these employees regular
" reported their proceedings from day
to day to the Department or some Of
fcer thereof The publication has
caused the greatest of excitement in
Washington. The theory of Col. In
gersoll is, that the administration delib-
erately attempted to bribe the jury to
convict the Star-routers so that it would
receive the credit and reelection
The whole country, says Ingersoll eln-
quently, seems to be reeking with
political rottenness and dishonesty.
The first affidavit given is one made by
| William Knox Browa, one of the jurors,
on the II inst, as follows:
County of Washington, District of
| Columbia: William Knox Brown, be-
| ing duly sworn, says he was juryman
in what is known as the star-route case;
| that during the trial of said case one
| Arthur Payne came to atlantis house
and left a note saying he wished to see
affiant. Affiant afterward saw said
Payne, and Payne said a man had
asked him if he could say anything to
| this affiant. Payne then took out
paper and handed it to affiant to read.
The paper was an agreement with +.
| FL. Fall, to be signed by the affiant, to
Thomas Martin, also one of the jury,
| should vote to convict the defendants
in the star-route case, or if atlantis
vote, or that of Martin, should hang
| the jury, then affiant was to receive
| So, 500. Affiant read the paper and
then said to Arthur Payne, II am 60
ing according to the evidence; Fall is
a id rascal, and you both can go to
hell, and / shall vote in accordance
| with my convictions" Arthur Payne
said that Fall was lawyer and has his
Office on ID street.
TSignedl WuLsA K. BROWN
Subscribed and sworn to before me
this 18th day of October, A. D. 1882.
lSeal J. +. OLMsTEAD,
Notary Public.
Then follows the affidavit of Thomas
r. Foote, resident of Washington I'M
til July last and now of Newark, N. j.
Under date of Newark, Sept. 26, he
swears he was present when Payne
was employed by Fall to corrupt the
jury, and then he himself brought
Payne to Fall for that purpose.
EMPLOYED BY THE GOVERNMENT.
| He also swears that Fall gave him to
understand that he (FalD was employ
ed by the government, and he was to
get money from the government to
pay amounts he had offered for the
| corruption of Brown and Martin. Fall
informed the affiant he wanted the
signature of Brown to the paper above
referred to in order that he might show
it to the parties he was working for,
ard thus obtain the money. Next
comes the affidavit of James A. Nell
son, of Washington, Sept. Ii, in which
he swears he met Fall early last June,
when Fall informed him he would
soon be employed by the department
of Justice as special detective In the
star route cases. Fall also stated he
wanted two or three men working I'M
| der him who would make daily reports
| to him, and if Nelson was employed by
! him it would be in the capacity of
special detective and that one part of
| Nelson's duty would be to watch jury
men and see that no person tempered
with them. Nelson sweaIs subse-
| auently tina the went with Fall to the
attorney generate Office and there met
Brewster Cameron. Fall told Cameron
he though Nelson's services would be
valuable. and Cameron informed Mel
son that ne would be placed on the
rolls of the department at $50 per
month. Nelson was to receive instruct
ions from Fall. Some days later or
about July l, Fall instructed Nelson to
| see Jurors Brown and Martin, the two
colored jurors, and say to them that if
they would vote for the conviction of
Dorsey and Brady they would be well
paid for it, and both have government
| places at once after the trial. Nelson
swears Fall informed him he (Fall)
was authorized by the proper parties
| to say this. He was also instructed by
Fall to watch Dorsey and Brady and
see who they were connected with at
| ali times.
1 ANOTHER AFFIDAVIT.
William r. Laws, resident of Wash
ington, swears Fall approached him
and endeavored to employ him to OBJ
tain evidence that one of the star
route jurors accepted a bride in an
other case, and make an agreement IN
case the Jury could not be broken, to
induce one or more of them to vote
| for conyicting the defendants, so that
the worst that could happen to govern
ment would be to hang the jury. Fall,
Laws swears, claimed to be IN the en-
ploy of the government, and author
| lied the affiant not only TO pay money
| to iurymen, but to promise govern
ment positions. Laws declined to as
sist Fall, informing him that his (Law's)
sympathies were with the defendants.
| Thomas r. Foote testifies that Sept
25 he received a letter from f. I'll.
Fall. written Sept. %, containing the
following passage:
| FRIEND FooTE:-I saw Arthur Payne
to-day. Kuox Brown is out with
statement that Payne tried to bride
him to vote for the government, and
| that he represented f. III. Hall. Ii
| Payne or me gets into any trouble we
may want you, as you know all about
| it. We can elk" Brown if we want to.
OF course you and Payne found out
was q government detective, and want
a point on Brown. There was, so far
as / know, no attempt to bride. There
may have been enough got from Brown
| to fix him if the government want us
to do it. Don't talk to any one abont
the matter until / inform you of the
right time. The government will per
haps want us. Brown has lied, and
we can make him smart for it if he at
tempts to injure Payne. He and you
know it all, and will stand together
against Brown. Payne will send you
paper containing my interview with
a reporter. 'Mum" is the word.
Please answer. Yours respectfully,
| F. I'll. FALL.
Col. Ingersoll next addresses two affi-
davits subscribed by William Holmead,
one of the jurors, on Sept. 10, and the
18th inst.
EFFORTS TO BRIBE ANOTHER JUROR.
He swears that during the second
week of the Star-route trial Fall came
to his house to see him, alleging the
visit was at the instance of Attorney
| General Brewster, for the purpose Of
ascertainipg whether he Holmead)
knew of any attempt by the defendants
| 80 oarrt1rt tho il1rv aI1ph information