Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-11-28
his knowledge, and are so essential to main

his knowledge, and are so essential TO main
tain the prosecution of the defendants.
Fifth, Geo. o. Miller, one of the police
of the District, in recent judicial inquiry,
with the audacity of a criminal, confessed,
under oath, that he had been engaged and
retained in the service of the defendants in
the Star Route case and had persistantly as
sisted them during the current of the trial.
Because of this confession SO made
by him, / applied to the commissioners
of the District to remove him. That re-
moval has taken place.
Sixth, All of the other matters alluded to
in the letter by Col. Bliss have, before this
time, been disposed of, and so I have no
occasion to consider them. In connection
with this reference made to me, will further
report that in the public prosecution of the
Star Route, and in presenting the Indictment
as yet untried to the grand jury, | have
been aided by vigorous, upright and able
help, given by Mr.. Bliss, Mr.. Merrick and
Mr.. Ker. I had intended to have been
present in person during the whole
trial, but as / have before this orally
reported to you other duties of my
office, and my department required SO much
of my time that was unable to do more
than occasionally appear but kept myself
instructed, day by day, with thorough
knowledge of all the facts connected with
the trial, by reading and personal investiga-
ton. | remained here until near the mid
die of September and made the closing ar
gument in the case. I thought this was
necessary as an act of duty to the admins
tration of public justice, and to show the
people of the United States that the gov
ernment was in earnest and desired that
justice should be done. I have never for
gotten your instructions on my first accept
ing the Office, to pursue this case
with yigor and rigor, SO that the
innocent should be acquitted, if
clearly innocent, and that the guilty should
be punished if clearly guilty, and that there
must be no half-hearted sentiment in the
purpose of the government and its officers
in this prosecution. After serious and pro-
longed deIiberation over all the details of
the case, my Investigations satisfied me that
the men who were indicted were guilty
men, and merited the extreme punishment
of the law. They had projected, under
cover of official power and under color of
official authority, systematic plan of de-
liberate robbery of the public treasury. To
carry out that plan they had laid their hands
upon the fund dedicated by law to the gov
ernEnent public service, a service that is con-
splcuously one of the fruits and causes of
our civilization, our social comfort and COM
mercial prosperity and our national growth.
Millions of that money they perverted to
their own private gain, and divided it for
their own personal purposes. 1t was con-
dign act of infamous conspiracy, and as
such deserves the severest punishment the
law can inhiet. Such men are traitors to
social and official duty, and they are public
enemies, against whom the authority of the
law must be exerted, without hesitation.
The higher their past position and the
greater their sin, the sterner must be their
punishment
1 desire to call your attention
to the fact that the officers
of the law and those who have
directly been aiding me in the discharge of
my duty in this business, have been, from
the first, encircled with snares, pitfalls, and
every species of vile device that could be
invented to harm them, hinder their useful
ness and prevent the administration of
justice. Some portions of this community
who surround these defendents and who
have enjoyed or do still enjoy minor official
positions, know no allegiance to any one
but this band of robbers, and render no
service to any one but those
evil employers. From motives of gain or
other corrupt considerations, they are
saturated with affinities for these bad men,
and they have contributed, by every means
in their power, at the bidding of their mas.
ters, to obstruct public justice and to de-
fame its officers, with the hope of securing
the aoquittal and escape of the worst band
of organized scoundrels that ever existed
since the commencement of the govern
ment Very respectfully,
BENJAMIN HARRIS BREWSTER,
Attorney General.