Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-09-12
A LIKELY STORY.
Foreman Dickson, Of the Star-R0ute Jury,
Tells How He Was Approached by
an Agent OF
The Department of Justice and Offered
$4,000 to Vote for the Conviction
Of Brady and Dorsey.

| WAsHISGToN, September 1.-THE verdict
in the Stsr-route cases was received with pro-
found astonishment by the counsel and the
bar, as well as by the general public. In
an interview with a representative of the
Associated Press, Mr.. William Dickson.
foreman of the jury, made the following
statement in regard to the ballotipg during
retirement: After long discuss;;gu of tbe
csse' II "s- -sr-ea that i've informal ballots
I should be taken. The Question hrst sub.
mitted was, Has conspiracy as to all the
defendants been fully proven? The
Carthy, McLain, McNslly, Murray, Olcott
and Tebriner. Nsys-Brown, Dickson, Hol-
man and Martin. The next question was,
Have overt acts as to all the defendants been
fully proven? Not guilty as to all, Brown
and Martin; guilty as to all except Turner,
Cox, Doniphan, Mccarthy, McLain, McNal-
ly, Murray, Olcott and Tobriner; guilty as
10 ]. w. Dorsey, Miner, Vale and Rerdell,
Dickson; guilty as TO Miner and Rerdell,
The first formal ballot resulted in the ac-
/ auittal of Turner.
I The next ballot was on The Question, -Hre
4 J. w. Dorsey, Peck and Miner guilty as in
| dicted2" and the result was: J. W. Dorsey
I guilty 9, not guilty 3; Miner-guilty 8, not
Il o.
The third formal ballot was on the ques-
ton, Who OF the defendants are guilty Of con-
| spiracy and of the commission of the overt
acts perpetrated since the 10th of May, 1879?
The result was; Brown voted guilty as to
j. w. Dorsey, Miner and Rerdell; Dickens.
guilty as to J. w. Dorsey, miner, Vale and
! he::S1i; Holman, guilty as to Miner, Rsr-
to J. w. Dorsey, Miner, Rerdell
and Brady, guilty 10 all except Peck,
CoE Dohiphan, Mccarthy, McLain,
McNally, Murray, Oicott and Tobriner.
Summary: ]. w. Dorsey, guilty Il, not
guilty /; Miner, guilty II; Peck, not guilty
u; 5. w: Dorsey, guilty s, not guilty A;
| Ysile, guilty 8, not guilty, 8; Rerdell, guilty
IL; Brady, guilty 10, not guilty 2.
| The fourth ballot was as to the rest of the
defendants except Peck, Turner, Rerdell
and Miner. The guilty as to all were Cox,
DoniPhan, Mccarthy. McLain, McNally,
Murray. Olcott and Tobriner, not guilty as
to all, Holman; guilty as to J. w. Dorsey
and Vale, Dicksoni guilty as to J. w. Dor
| sey, Brown; guilty as to Vale, Brown and
Martin. Summary: j. w. Dorsey, guilty
IL, not guilty 1 Stephen w. Dorsey, guilty
Brady, guilty 9, not guilty 8.
The fifth ballot was with the same result.
| Sixth ballot-Guilty as to all, Cox, Doni-
! phan, Mccarthy, McLain, McNally, Martin,
| Murray, Alcott and Tobriner; guilty as to J.
! w. Dorsey and Vale, Dicksop; guilty as to
| Brady, Holman; guilty to J. w. Dorsey,
Brown. Summary: J. w. Dorsey, guilty II,
guilty 3; Vale, guilty 10, not guilty 2;
| Brady, guilty 10, not guilty 2.
Seventh balIot-guilty as to all, Cox,
Doniphan, Mccarthy, Mclean, McNally,
Martin, Murray, Olcott and Trobiner.
Guilty as to Vale, Brown. Guilty as to
j. w. Dorsey and Vale, Dickson. Guilty
as 10 Brady, Holman. Summary: J. w.
] Dorsey, guilty 10, not guilty 2; S. W. Dor
sey, guilty 8, not guilty 8; Vale, guilty ii 8,
not guilty l; Brady, guilty 10, not guilty q
The eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh and
twelfth ballots were taken with The same
result.
| DICKSON, FOREMAN OF THE JURY,
then made statement in regard 10 the sl-
| legged attempts at bribery, but will give no
| formal statement for publication. He said
he would tomorrow lay before the district
| attorney, or his assistant, such facts as were
within his knowledge. On the 23d of August
| he had been approached with an offer of
$4,000 by an officer connected with the de-
| psrtment of justice, who produced letters of
| appointment as a special agent of that de-
| paItment, and stated that he was au-
| thorized TO act in the matter if he
| would vote for the conviction of Brady and
Stephen w. Dorsey. That statement would
| be corroborated:by witnesses and BY circum-
stantial evidence. When he made his offer
in the court to-day to m& le sworn state
ment he had intended to take the stand, but
| on reflection he was sure that the course pur-
| sued by the court was better one, as he
would be placed in false position. There
were others of the jury who had been APP
preached from different directions, but the
1 sums offered were small, from $500 to $500.
| he bo baI IL H.
Represented the attorney-general, but he
| (Dickson) did not believe that, and con-
cluded.th the man took him for fool or
knave, and that his only protection was te
| notify Judge Wylie of the matter. He sug-
gested to Judge Wylie that he should coax
the man, but the judge remarked that that
W as too much like police duty, and advised
the man. The following day the man
sent in his card, asking for an
interview, and appointing time and place.
! He made no reply, and had not seen the
| man or his companion, who was also an
officer of the department Of justice, from that
day to this. He made inquiry a few days
| later, and learned that the men had Left the
| city upon the following day. He did not be-
! lieve the man had SIS in his possession,
much less s25,C00, and it was his opinion
that the man had been employed 10 get the
unwary to commit themselves. He would
| not allow this matter to drop, but would see
the thing through. Passing on, then, to the
brief statement Of the opinion of the jury
in regard to the defendants, he said tneI e
was nothing against Brady until Waish's
evidence wss adnitted, and very few
| Of the Jurors believed WaIsh's testi-
mony. As one of the grounds for
his own incredulity, he cited the fact
that shortly before Walsh appeared on the
| stand a remission TO the amount of S250 900
had been made on his route from Prescott to
4 Santa Fe. Walsh had got more in the way
| of remission on his one route than the de-
| fendant contractors had obtained on their
nineteen routes. The prosecution had tried
to get the case against Brady supported bs
| Walsh's testimony, extracted from him by
| Woodward, after these remissions had been
made by the present administration. That
| was his honest conviction. In regard to
Stephen w. Dorsey, there was, 10 his opinion.
| no direct criminal act shown. The case
| against him was made up of circumstantial
evidence, doubt and inference. He be-
lieved a conspiracy existed as far SIS
the contractors were concerned, and
that Rerdell, while nominally acting
| as StepheniW. Dorsey's clerk, was actually
working in the interest of the company,
Miner, Peck & Co. During their discussion
a willingness was developed on the part OF
the firm TO exchange the notes so as TO benefit
tnOSe WnOm tney lnOlVluudl1y regarded as
| innocent. Dickson said he had promptly
checked this, saying that no mans liberty
should be jeopardized to help another. Dick
son gave an amusing description of the
scenes in the jury-room. Songs were COM
posed and sung by the jury, and ludicrous
sketches were made by one OF the jurors.
JUDGE JERE WILSON,
of counsel for Brady and Turner, in an in
| terview tonight, expressed no surprise at the
| verdict 30 far as his clients were concerne |.
| He thinks the jury would not have been out
an hour before returning with a verdict of
acduittal for all the defendants b ad it not
been for the violence OF the charge from the
| bench. In the cases of Miner and Rerdell,
| found guilty, Judge Wilson says an ap-
peal will be taken to the court en- banc
which will review the whole trial, and
especially the strange partisan charge
of Judge Wylie. The other defendants,
he says, might at once be brought to trial
again, but 1t is scarcely possible. The pros
ecution would have gone to pieces weeks
ago, and verdict of not guilty found but
| for the clamor of the press and public isuo-
rance of the case. Respecting the alleged
bribery of the jury, Wilson says that moth
ing of the kind was attempted by any of the
defendants; that if any bribery was at
tempted it came from the government, who
may have endeavored to ascertain if any OF
the members OF the jury were approachable.
HENKLE,
OF counsel for Miner, one of the convicted
men, said the verdict was a most extraordi-
nary one. 1t is beyond his conception how
the jury could find his client and Rerdell
guilty and at the same time disagree as to
! Brady's guilt, This result is entirely unac-
couni able, Henkle says, in view OF the fact
| that The Court several times during the
trial held that Brady was the key to the
conspiracy, II there was one, and there
could have been no conspiracy unless Brady
was a party to it. Henkle thinks Judge
Wylie will hold the verdict as inconsistent
with the theory of the case, and set it aside.
| b,l