Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-10-26
could get my money back 1t was no

could get my money BACK. IL was no
favor, WAS the lowest bidder. In
course of time my route vas increased
and expedited. That matter WAS in.
vestigated in 1870, and Senator Joseph
Hawloy told newspaper men that they
made q great mistake in turning all
| their batteries on me, for, said he, we
have had Walsh before our committee,
and his contract appears to be the only
one where the mail service was really
performed according to specification.
And that was true" said Mr.. Walsh,
''for | told Gen. Brady that would not
take postmasters' certificates swearing
that had done work which l had not
done. | put on the most costly mules
and did my work up to the handle,
and for that reason there was little or
no profit in it. Being contractor of
the department | had general relations
with Brady, and he is frequent bor-
rover of money from me. At times |
owed him money, but generally he
owed me. At the conclusion he owed
me tue $4,000 | have mentioned,
which | endeavored to get from him,
and he was so Indifferent to his own
safety and to business honor that he
would not pay it. then sued him
civilly, and made two remarkable dis
coveries." ~
"What were those, Mr.. Walsh?"
"Well, you know Brady had always
given it out that he was a very rich
man through his stock speculations,
and through his large ownership in the
bell telephone company. Indeed. he
told me when these investigations be-
gan that he had great mind to resign
from tie Post.office Department. and
become President ofthe Bell Telephone
organization. He said they wanted
him at large salary. But 10 and be-
hold when I had the Secretary of that
company brought into Court in New
York he testified that General Brady,
to the best of his belief, was not a
stakeholder at all, and that the com
pany knew very little about him. The
books showed that the man was right.
| also brought in the ok-keeper of
Hatch & Foote, New York brokers,
with whom Brady was reported to have
large balances, and the testimony was
that Brady owed them $lS,00O."
"What do you infer from this, Mr..
Walsh"
"Why, simply that it had been a
blind to say tina. Brady was so rich out
of telephone and stock speculations.
He was concealing moneys made in
other way under these fictions."
"What were you about to say ABOUT
"Just tkis," said Mr.. Walsh. THAT
the newspapers ana the Government
prosecutors have made this mistake all
through-in suppcsing and charging
that the sum 70 which the original con-
tracts were raised for expedition and
increased service as fraudulent sum
1t was y trap in which novice, wheth-
er literary or lawyer novice, Nigh,
easily fall, because there seemed to be
such q vast difference between the
original contract price ana the in
creased stipend. For instance, to take
sc 900 for weekly service or semi.
monthly service and raise it to $780,
900 looks like fraud. "But, my son.
said Walsh, "the fraud was not tn ere.
The increased work would have made
up the full figure. l repeat that the
fraud was in not doing the work at all.
They raised the figule in the proper
proportions, but shirked the work. They
got up fraudulent certificates from
Pestmasters on the route that they had
done the work, when it was not done.
I know that although my route was
raised, | made little or nothing from it,
and | believe that would have been the
case with any of those increased GER
vices if the material had been put on
the route and the work legitimately
done. told General Brady while he
was my debtor that could not make
the money he owed me out of my mail
contract. well, said he, If you can't
make it you don't know how to be a
contractor. Said l, Brady, if you ex-
pect me not 10 do the work, and come
up here with Postmasters' certificates
that have done it, and get my money
in that way, you make a mistake. |
am not going TO involve myself in any
future punishment by committing a
fraud to recover money that you owe
me-"
Glow is it you lent Brady money
without any security"
"Why, that is done every day among
men who lend money. He did not
ask me for security if l were in his
debt. thought he was great, big
fish, aud was hattered to have him
keep an account with me. The men
who do the most business require the
most money. Rich men are always
borrowers. Brady is a grasping, spec
ulative man, constantly seeking bust.
ness opportunities beyond his capital.
That he did business with me, he Dor
rowed money from he, is evident
from his letters"
"Well, do you think there will be
any convictions in these cases at their
next trial?'
Il am rot the son of q prophet
said Walsh. The fact heretofore has
been that the Government did not
know whether it wanted to convict or
not. If the Government meant bust
ness it onght to have secured indict-
ments lor much bigger fish than Brady
and Dorsey"
"Fcr whom, for instance?"
"Well," said Walsh, ''there is the
combination of Stephen Ekins, Logan