Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-08-11
THE STAR ROUTE TRIAL.
CASTIGATING THE EXPEDITERs.

When the Criminal Court assembled this morn
ing Mr. Ker said that by direction of the Attorney
General he would furnish the defendants counsel
with list OF the authorities Mr. Brewster In
tended to refer to in his address The court would
also be presented with an abstract of these au-
thorities at the proper time
THE DEFENSE OBJECT TO EXCHANGING LISTS OF AU-
THoRITIES.
Mr.. Merrick suggested that counsel exchange
lists OF authorities they proposed using; but this
| suggestion did not meet win favor on the other
side.
The court said 1t was mere matter Of courtesy,
and lie did not have the power to compel counsel
to submit their authorities in Advance or their az
gument. He wished to say that the authorities to
be read in the closing argument must be confined
dresses.
MIR. KER THEN RESUMED HIS ADDRESS,
which was interrupted by adjournment last eve
ming. He took up as the next in order route No.
35,Ol5, from Vermllion to Sioux Falls, Dakota,
which was fifty miles long, according to the adver-
tSement The contract was let to John W. Dor
sey, to perform one trip week In fourteen hours
The route was actually seventy miles long. Brady
before the letting. On July 1st. 1878; Brady in
cluded Brighton on the route and added two and
a-haif miles, although the stage always passed
through that place. In October, French,
IN VIOLATION OF LAW.
made an allowance for the distance, dating from
July 1St. The original pay this route was $685.
1t was increased to s6,133.50. The receipts omit
ting the points supplied by railroad were last year
$24O. and the year before s430.
The next route taken up was the Bismarck to
Tongue river let to Miner to perform one trip a
week, for s., $50: The actual distance was three
hundred and three miles. The contractor and
others soon after taking the route pettioned for
a d1scOntinuance OF the route. Subsequently,
however, i,' the route was expedited and increased
till t reached six trips week In August, 1879. In
1881 the route was discontinued. On the 25th of
June, 1873. before the service had been put on,
Miner wrote to Brady that the length OF the route
according to the advertisement, was $50 miles,
whereas by the distance by the best roads 1t was
over $50 miles, and he asked for discontinuance
or the route, saying there was no settlement be-
tween the terminal points to be supplied by mail,
and that the terminal points were supplied by
other routes He said also that 1t was impossible
to carry the mail the route until military
posts We're established On 1t. This statement was
endorsed by Mr. Boone and Judge Kidder. On the
list Of July
JOHN W. DORSEY AND N. c. RERDELL
were out In Bismarck. Here they had a talk with
sub-contractor named Pennell, to whom Rerdcll
said with prophetic foresight the schedule was to
be reduced to 65 hours. This was before they had
put horse on the route Dorsey told Penneil tn 4
the route would be increased to $25 OO0 He told
Pennell that there would surely be two increases
inside OF year. This was before they had ever
seen Gen. Niles and cOaXed him into asking for
the increase. Dorsey also told Pennen that he
had brother who was Senator, and he himself
had
GOOD DEAL OF INFLUENCE IN WASHINGTON
July went into the Office. These petitions stated
that the country was filling up. and it needed
mail facilities. This was before Vale came in.
In July Rerdell was hard at work getting up petit
tionS, ana In August Vale came In and arranged
with Brady to take the route. The contractors
went to work @ on a route paying Sc $50 year, and
spent 900 In building stations on 1t. They were
liking up for the expedition. MI Pennell said they
Kept ON building, but there was mail put on the
route until January. Vailes oath asking for ex-
ped1tOn set out that the number OF men required
by the original schedule was IL, ana the number
OF horses 13. He set forth that reduced sched-
uie OF IS hours $50 men and $50 horses would be
required The oath in the case was missing. The
Jacket was indorsed by Turner. The paper had
FLOWN AWAY.
Mr. Wilson asked Mr. Woodward where the
paper was, and endeavored to nfse the impression
that he had hawked it around. MIR. Wood
wards character as an officer Was impeached. He
was too officiouS once under Brady. He was not
the Kind OF man wanted. so he was turned out.
When an honest administration came in, however
Wood, woodward diva was taken back: Mr.; ker having re-
dctcd. he said they talked about congressional
proceedings. These proceedings We're open. If
them do 1t. he would Willingly sit down while
they read It, The only contradiction they had at
tempted OF Walsh was the contradiction made In
testimony paid Ior by Brady, ana the cOntralc-
ton run into
TWO CENT CIRCULAR THAT Is SoLD ON THE STREETS
in which they called him CWalsD liar. 'Ir that
is the kind Of answer to be given to this thing"
said Mr.. ker. ''let us know it, Sheridan, whose
Office they went into has been in court nearly
every day sitting here. II they can't find him, /
VIII soon 1in; him for them. They did not call him
to make a contradiction. Oh, no! but the contra
diction is in the newspaper Mr. Ker, proceed
Ing. reiated the circumstances OF the purchase OF
the Philadelphia navy-yarl two or three years
raised against the purchaser by EiitOr Mcclure.
me purchaser thereupon applied to the district
stsorne15 to bs bv t MIXERS he M ke was an mas
but the prosecuting officers knowing that the COM
piainant would probably scoa be prosecuted him
self for corruption. did not snow as much enthu-
sasm IN lis case as he wished. The case went to
Jury, VINO ID I.d not see any libel, ana acquitted
the editor. Then the man came up behind the
cdltor on the street, struck him twice, and when
the editor turned, ran away Day after day.
sa1i MI ker, II have seen that same fellow sitting
come on to lend his sympathy and aid to these
deicnd 'nts. and his business has been to
run around tie streets OF Washington to tell
people with his viilainous tongue that am a bad
man and ought not to be believed 1t was only
the other night that decent. respectable man,
M,, VINO Is employed IN the House. was going to knock
MN down. That Is the kind OF a man they have
BROUGHT HERE TO AID THEIR LIBELLoUs PAPER
with his vlllainou5 tongue. His name is Nat Nc
Kay"
"That is personal explanation, suppose"
said Judge Wylle, when Mr. Ker finished this
piece OF inyective.
THAT is the first have ever heard Of Nat Nc
Kay said Mr.. Wilson.
Mr ker asserted that the evidence showed that
trlpS week on tha Bismarck route, Was fixed up
by Miner. Tut this was denied by tie defendants,
VINO, by producing the paper, showed that Mr..
ker had gotten the letters confused.
Mr. ker next took up the Mineral Park
ana floche route, on which Miner was contractor.
34e Claimed that the alterations and interpretations
IN the petitions were made by Rerdell.
A!ter fcct!ng the facts reietng to the expedition
OF this route he said Braiyhad to reduce the scrv-
ice On account o. the representations OF a lawyer
haMe1 Bean, whom he learned was q man who
E'outt not be trei with. He reduced the service
NithoGt pay, but month afterwards French made
an oEder allowing one months extra pay. Mr.
her read the mail bills, showing that twO-thirds
OF the time there were
NO LETTERS TO CARRY.
vale, Miner, and Rerlel might have spent
taree-cent stamp and sent letter over the route
now ana then to keen it going, but they did not
even think that necessary. Mr. Ker read the letter
nieI IN the department by Vaife. asking for some
pfoCectlOh 10 his interests trustee the
10. the contractors In which he claims that Dor
Ssy ana Kefdel! AMI the actual sib-contractor.
JennSegs, were irresponsible. He said he could
M not coiiect money due the department on account
oi Oh rsnucs!ons from Dorsey. The pay was increased
10 SoS,o3 ior carrying mail I'LL over the route
ana tue service coss $l2 500. When reduction OF
ss6O was made, Vaile, who received sos. COO on
SIX routes, one-haf OF the whola steal, cried and
SshVelieI over IL. He knew that he could never
naVe coilpcted the $2 SOD from Dorsey, Tor any
court would have said it was