Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-28
THE STAR REUTERS.


The Special Counsel Not Yet Pa;d-A Nice
Legal Question InvoIved-The Foreman
OF the Jury Charged with Soliciticg a
Bride and Conspirins to Assist the De-
tense.
Especial Telegram to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27-There is a new
complication in the star route matter. The
special counsel employed by the govern
ment, Bliss, Merrick, Ker and Wells, have.
not, secured their compensation. although
very liberal allowances have been made BY
the department of justice. George.
Bliss, Tor instance, before the star route
trial has ended, had been allowed $4,000.
Tor his summers work, but the treasury
department. does not pay out money SIM
ply on the order of the attorney general.
The accounts have to be passed By the first
controller Of the treasury, who now is
Judge Laurence, and from his decision
there is practically 10 appeal. These &C
counts are now all hung up in Judge Laur-
ences office, owing to the point that has
been raised that it is doubtful whether the
attorney general had any right to employ
these special counsel in a district where
there is a district attorney without more
specific authority than the existing
law gives. The point is made that the,
attorney general had no right to remove
the district attorney from. the charge of
| the cases, and could only employ for him
such additional assistance as was absolute
w hnt no i,,y,
entirely remove the district attorney from
the case and place the prosecution in charge
| of officers of his own creation; that if the
| district attorney was not competent, or
could not be trusted, it was the duty of
! the attorney general to see to it that the
| president provided man who was compe-
tent, and who could be trusted, and that it
was not within the attorney generals
province to appoint men as
special counsel to an Office of the
grade which generally can only
be created by law, the incumbents of
which must be appointed by the president
and confirmed by the senate. Lawyers
who have examined these points say that
! there is a good deal in them, and that it
will remain to be seen whether Judge
Laurence has the grit TO follow the strict
letter of the law.
| The department OF justice sends CIT to-
| night its report on the star route cases.
| The bulky document Of 10000 words has
been reduced to 5000. 1t is for the public
to decide whether The statement relieves
the department from the charges OF the
defense. 1t IS perhaps enough to say that
this special counsel OF the government are
not satisfied with it.
Special counsel Il. H. Wells, Investigate
ing the attempts to bride jurors in the
star route trial, says in his report, to the
attorney general of juror pickson's sworn
statement of Aug. 90, that ''it Was to be
used, not for his own protection against
such assaults (bribery by Bowen ana Cam
eron) but as means of persuading his
fellow jurymen into a verdict of acquit-
tai, and was accordingly SO used,
after the jury had retired, and when
they were considering their verdict and in
violation of the instructions of the court.''
The report continues: ''The testimony of
Judge Hoover confirming il vital particu
lars the account given by Cameron and
Bowen, of interviews with Dickson. seems
to remove ali reasonable doubt as to what
the alleged bribery transaction really was.
and appears to show that the foreman of
that jury was the most active of all its
members in discussions and manipu!ations
antecedent to the verdict, and was not
bribed OR attempted to be bribed
by Bowen. It seems to show
person were plainly intended as an
invitation to bribery; that he sought
Cameron under pratext, but with the pur-
pose of inviting discussion, suggestions or
limitations which might afterwards be
placed before the jury with the purpose of
| procuring verdict of acquittal."
| A warrant was issued this evening for
the arrest of VIM. Dickson on the affidavit
of Juror McNaliy, for endeavoring to i'm
properly influence the verdict of the star
route jury. Another warrant was issued
for his arrest on affidavit of Brewster Cam
eron, with Henry Bowen, Judge Wilson
and w. Hoover attached as exhibits,
charging Dickson with conspiring
with George w. Driver and others to get
| money from the United States through
Brewster Cameron for the purposeof i'm
peding justice.
| Dickson, at midnight, stated he had not
heard of the issuance of warrants for his
arrest until late hour tonight; that they
had not yet been served, and he could be
found at home in the morning. It is I'M
derstood the warrants were handed to
officers with instructions not to serve till
morning.
| A most diligent search for F. C. Shaw,
charged with attempting to influence
Juror Doniphan, has failed even to furnish
| a clue to his whereabouts. It is thought
Foote is in Washington endeavoring to
arrange for furnishing bail. Payne has
not yet succeeded in procuring bonds
man and is still confined in Jail.