The Evening critic., 1882-10-26
ABUSE OF POWER
BY THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.

The True inside kitSiOry oil the Acis
Of Tint Department During thc
Late fsfar.Rontc Trial Ecintcd by u
Man who Knows what he is 'Taiit-
ing About Relations of the Parties
Concerned.
The Washington correspondent OF the New
York 25NW tells the following interesting and
truthful tale Of tho inner workings of oar So
called Department of Justice. As has ncyOr
tcen told before, we reproduce It en,irc
WASHINGTON, oct. 2i.-Thc more closely
the public scrutui2e and disscct tAo II Ito
mcut made by colonel Robert G.. IngersOll ar.
raigniug the Department of Justice for having
Cutrupily approached Jurors In the StIr-Routs
trial, the frcntcr tho conviction oi It's truth.
As consequence, tho Attorney-Goncral aud
the special counsel arc put TO their wits ends
IN the cndcayor to explain away the disagrap.
able ana rcprchcnsiblc facts. Tho recent lot.
ter Of Attorney. General Brewster to 4. II. Fall
declining TO come TO his rescue from impOnd.
Ing or alleged arrest upon the ground that
Fall had mnde improper ana corrupt suggos-
tons 10 tho Department Of Justice respecting
the appointment 10 oillce OF Jurors 70 be ap.
preached, is looked upon with dOrslon aud
characterized ms an untenablc aftorthought.
Tho proposition To give or promise Onlces %
the jurors as reward or inducement for them
TO vote for conviction on chang" the Jury was
made pending the trial, but the indignation
OrresentmCnt OF the Attorney. General, slugu.
larry, did not havc Its birth until after the
disclosures were made by Colonel Ingersnll
Then tho Department OF Justice Is seized with
sudden md alarming spasm OF virtuo aud
notifies Fall that he stands repudlntod and
nnathcmatl2cd, and cast out ms moral leper
by the very men who employed him originally
TO do this dirty work.
EaiIs Appointments.
II Will be remembered that when Fall was
first employed by the Department of Justice
mot at nominal salary as is now alleged, but
at per diem Of SO n day, he was required to
report 70 Mr.. Taylor, the principal detective
under Brewster Cameron, and did 50 report
Subsequently, "A n frnp IN I,.ta
control and ordered 10 report directly 10 tho
Department. This was resented by Detective
Taylor, who regarded It, and so complalnod to
Brewster Cameron, as an expression of want
of confidence In him CTaylor). Thcreupon Mr.
Cameron thought Taylor little too sensitive,
explaining that Fall was lawyer, thoroughly
vcrsed In the tricks OF the trade, and, in tho
matter OF reaching the jury, would be able not
only 10 protect himself, but the Department.
Taylor had no right 10 suspect ho had been
oversloughod, but, on the contrary, he was
protected from possible harm.
Tho matter stood exactly In this condition
when Fall was operating TO reach the colored
Jurors, Martin and Brown, and when Taylor
learned that Fall was negotiating with these
Jurors through third parties he sounded the
alarm at the Department OF Justice, insisting
that Falls action would result In "givlng
away the whole transaction. Brewster Cam
eron, as well rs tho special counsel TO whom
tho facts were disclosed, agreed in opinion
that Fall should never have employed third
parties, but attended to the business himself
Another Conspirator.
In the meantime Fall had introduced Mel.
son, a colOrod man, to Brewster Cameron and
George Bliss as useful party whcrewlth to
capture Brown, the colored Juror, and he was
employed on the appreciation OF Special Agent
Woodward, OF the Postofllce Department, at
$50 per month. The inside history of this
transaction was not revealed In Colonel Inger-
soils statement. II seems the first effort of
the Department Of Justice. when tho Jury fell
under suspicion, was TO "break' It, upon the
alleged ground that Brown had accepted
briDe OF 500 TO acquit the defendants I'm the
''banko" case, and Nelson was the man who
did the work, and therefore had Brown 'dead
TO rights to use FOR conviction or to 'hang"
the jury.
1t further appears that the sum of 800 was
put up" to reach Brown In the ''banko" case,
but by one of those mysterious transactions
which reverse the ndagc of ''honor among
thieves 1t was lost IN transitu, and mover
came TO Browns hands, nor could any proof
ceiye this money. Failing therefore TO
fastcn charge OF bribery upon Brown, the
project of "brcaklng" the Jury was abandoned
and the scheme OF 'hancing"the Jury adopted
as the safer and wiser plan, In default OF pros
Bliss Game.
1t may be asked why 1t was that tho Depart.
ment OF Justice and Its army of employees be.
came alarmed and wero thus stampeded. The
explanation 10 reasonable and easy. Tho prose.
cution had legion Of detectives, spoilers and
whatnots employed to watch the Defendants
their counsel and the Jurors-the latter having
been allowed TO separate each day under eau
tion of the Court not to talk Of the trial. nor to
allow anybody TO talk 10 them. The defend
ants naturally employed their plckets and
sentries, and between the two battalions OF
secret emlssaries there onsued continuous
game OF detective chess. To those who have
had experience In the methods of Mr.. George
Bliss II Is not necessary to explain that his
| legion were well drilled and thoroughly disc-
| plined, and, moreover, being In Government
| pay. well worked and doubtless well re-
| warded.
The prosecuting officers became somewhat
mt hn ant lint Ep I,i.a
copious notes and asked great many pointed
questions during the trial, and, as Mr. Dickson
had been regarded as untriendly, politically,
TO Dorsey and Brady, they had bullded largely
| on his being on the side OF the Government.
| Again, they thought that the employment OF
MIR. Merrick as special counsel would natur-
| ally control Dickson, for the reason that Mer-
| rick and Dickson had maintained the closest
| political and personal relations for eight or
ten years past, and together ran the Tllden and
| Hancock campaigns In tho Federal City. But
when they came to speculate on events, and
| doubtless on reports made by their detectives,
| they concluded that Dickson could not be SIN.
voiced beyond all poradventurc as their
| property.
Harking Back.
In tho meantime, Judge Wylio had made re-
| peated decisions favorable to the defense,
more especially 10 Dorsey, and when the
oregon routes were under examination Judge
Wylie ruled against the evidence presented by
| the prosecution as untenable and ridiculous.
| This created great anxiety on the part OF tho
| prosecution, but when the detectives reported
| that tho probable cause for Judge Wylle's
| supposed leaning toward the defense was the
| fact that Mr.. Justice Miller OF tho Supreme
| Court of tho United States was nightly a Wis.
| itor at Judge Wyllo's house, then consterna.
| uon seized the Department OF Justice.
| To explain this II Is necessary to 90 little
further Into the remote history OF the case.
| colonel George u. Corkhill, United StatS5 At
torney for the District of Columbia, is tho SON
| ln-law Of Justice Miller. He was appointed
by President Hayes mainly upon the solcita-
ton OF Justice Miller, who was n member OF
the Electoral Commission and one of the his
| torlcal 'cight" which beat "soyen" In tho
| "nfteen" puzzle OF Tllden vs. Hayes. COrkhlll
was legacy from the Hayes 10 tho Garnel
| Administration, and, being Inclined to ''Stal
| wartism," was distrusted by Attorney Genera
| MacYcagh. The Department OF Justice there
| upon set him aside as tho officer to investigate
the star-Route charges, and employed Will
| lam A. Cook and A. NJ. Gibson as special coun-
sel. While no charges were preferred against
| Corkhill, he was simply put under tho ban by
| MacNeagh.
BOwen Appears.
when Mr.. Brewster became Attorney-Gen.
| oral, Corkhill's oflicial position was similarly
| Ignored, and MessrS. Bliss, Merrick and Ko
| retained ms special counsel, vlco Cook and Glib
son, who were sent ignominiously 10 tho rear
Instead OF removing Corkhill and appointing
an acceptable successor, Attorney.G enera
MacNeagh sat down upon him, and Attorney
General Brewster, finding Corkhill's mashed
carcass among the assets OF his predecessor
proceeded TO again Sit down upon 1t quite n
vehemently, in which pastimo ho was assisted
| by Bliss, Merrick and Ker, Notwithstanding
the fact that COrkhill had managed the Gut
teau trial with considerable, II not commend
| mile. skill.