The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-06-14
THE STAR ROUTES.
To-day's Proceedings in the Tria


WASHINGTON, June BIN the Criminal
Court this morning, Mr.. Merrick opened the
proceedings with an explanation of the course
he intended to pursue in the presenta ton Of
evidence. He said he proposed to take up the
routes seriatim, completely disposing of one
route before taking up another
Mr.. Merrick offered in evidence various GER
4ificatss and other papers from the Office of the
auditor of the Post Office Department. OBJ
jections were made and overruled, and excep-
tions noted by the defence to the introduction
of all the papers. Judge Wylie disposed of the
objections snmmarily, and directed Mr.. Mer-
rick to proceed, expressing the hope, that more
y7cszta s. aC1olnlltsneo to-dtsy SilssA Jos
teriay.
Senator Saunders of Nebraska was sworn.
He indorsed tho petition for increase on the
route from Kearney to Kent; did not recollect
how the petition came to him originally; /;
thought it came with o number of others IT a
similar character, and had been brought here
by a citizen of Kearney. 1t was not his Gus
tom TO retain petitions for the length of time
that had elapsed between the Endorsement and
filing of the petition; he was not prepared to
say at this late day, three years after the filing
cf the petition, that the interlineation (thirteen
hours SCHEDULED had been inserted after his in
dorsement, but it appeared to be in different
ink from that in the body Of the petition. He
had only general recollection OF the other let
ters referring to this route.
Cross-examined by defence. Kearney was
had never been up the Loup Valley as far as
Kent, but believed it to be goodcountry; he
received many such petitions from that sec
ton; he knew the firm of Hale q Nightingale,
and believed them to be reputable gentlemen.
When he indorsed their petition he thought
they would not have asked for the service if it
had not been necessary, and he had not since
changed his mind. The petition was handed
to the witness for examination. He said he
knew several of the persons who had signed it,
l,zrn DIV n4rrwn 1fS1ta
evidence of necessity of the service. His OBJ
ject had been to get the number of trips increas
ed, paying little attention to the time in which
it was to be performed. 1t was his underatand-
ing, however, that the time was reduced as the
number Of trips was increased.
The prosecution objected to this line Of in
quiry, and some argument ensued between
counsel, in the course of which Mr.. Bliss as
serted that the words of ''13 hours schedule"
had been inserted after its signature. None of
the other papers on file called for this schedule,
Mr.. Totten strenuously denied this, and said
that the prosecution had been harping on those
three words ever since the beginning of the
trial. Why, he asked, had they not produced
the proof? In truth, he said, the Senator was
a good witness for their side. The Court cut
the debate short by directing that the examin-
alton Of the witness be confined to this petit
tion.
Mr.. Saunders resumed: He had no recollec-
tion of tue circumstances connected with the
presentation of this petition.
Mr. Valentine, the present Representative
from Nebraska, represented the state in 1879
in the House of Representatives.
Charles III, French of Kearney, Neb., mail
sub-contractor on the route from Kearney to
Kent, testified that in June, 1873, he made the
sub contract for service on that route with
John NJ. Peck, through j. w. Dorsey, as attor-
ney for Peck. He filed the sub-contract in the
Department last February Witness identified
a copy of the paper, when it was presented to
him by,Mr. Merrick and by him put in eyi-
dence, after objections by defence. The wit
ness said John W. Dorsey signed all of the
names, his own among the others, by his con-
sent.
The court held that as tending to show a
business connection existing between defend
ants the evidence was good, but as proofs OF
overt acts perhaps letters would not be admis-
sible.
A geAeral exception was entered to all the
evidence relating to acts which occurred be-
fore May II, 1870, and the reading of letters
was begun. They are from j. W. Dorsey &
Co. to French, and relate to compensation to
be allowed for service and time schedules.
Adiourned