Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-10-16
THE STAR ROUTE JURY SCANDAL

| AS TO THE ALLEGED ATTEMPTED BRIBERY.
| Attorney General Brewster was interviewed In
Philadephia Saturday. and said that within a few
| days one or more ot those persons in the Depart
| ment OF JuStcc who had been used as spies by
| the defenddn'7, and who appear to be deeply i'm
pllcated In the ttempt to corrupt jurors behalf
of the defendants, would be arrested; that he had
ordered ti.is u on the evidence now before him.
| The dc G. '3ats, somehow or other having
obtained knowledge OF his intention, and Knowing
also that he had possession OF indisputable proof
OF the uilt OF these instruments or theirs, would
| within day Or so. he said. abandon those men
and furnish sensational article disclosing facts
that were all along within their own knowledge
taking credit r, Ut as pubi,e in.ormers because they
their instruments would appear as fatal blow to
them. TO avoid this effect. the attorney general
said it was believed that the publication is to be
made.
MR. INGERSOIL's AFFIDA WITS.
This morning long publication, purporting to
| be an interview with Mr. Robert G. Ingersoll an
peared, indirectly charging the Department OF
| Justice with completely in attempts to corrupt
star = route Jurors and giving In t1ll number of
published in THE STAR in full in substance. The
first affidavit is that OF William X. Brown, one Of
one Arthur Payne solicited him to sign a paper
agreeing, together with Juror Martin, to vote for
cSpvGon m 70 Of the d return for
The next affidavit was that OF Thos r. Foote.
now living in Newark, N. J., to the effect that he
and Brown and was present in the latter part Of
June last when Fall drew up a paper agreeing to
pay $500 II Brady and Dorsey were convicted or
| the jury hung by the votes OF Brown and Martin,
or either OF them.
Then follows an affidavit OF j. A. Nelson, setting
forth that he was employed TO do detective SER
vice for the Department OF Justice under Fall, ard
about the first of July Fall Instructed him to say
that If they would vote for the conviction of Dor
sey and Brady they should be we'll plid fer it, and
both OF them should have government places at
once after the trial.
Az affidavit OF WIN. R. Laws that Fall wished
to employ him, and authorized him not only to pay
money to jurymen. but to promise government
positions; additional affidavit by Foote, setting
out that on september 25th he received a letter
from Fall, calling attention to Browns statement
that Payne tried to bribe him. and saying that If
he FalD and Payne got into trouble they might
need Foote, as he knew all about it. In this letter
as given by Foote Fall said: "There was far as
| know, no attempt to bribe. There may have
been enough got from Brown TO fix him If the gov
about the matter until inform you of the right
time. The government will perhaps want u.s.
Brown has lied, and we can make him smart for it
II he attempts to tnlure PayGe'
An affidavit or Juror Wm Holmead is given in
ADDITION TO that he made immediately alter the
trial was concluded. In this additional affidavit
Mr.. HOmea1 SAYS that when Fail first came 10 see
him he told him that ii he (Holmcad) would give
him the information he was after il wou! be a
nothing by It,
Another AFFIDAVIT is that of Edward Taylor who
asserts ass that he was employed on the 9th Of jay,
1s5l, as detective by Special Agent Newc0mbe,
OF the Department of Justice that he took Fall
Brewster Cameron; that Cameron told Fail that
| he would recommend that he (FJI) be paid $1,000
and SO day TO secure evidence that tie majority
| OF the jurors had been brought by the defense;
that subsequently Cameron told afliant that Eli
| had already secured some jurors and would have
| all the defense had not bought; that juror Doni-
| ph2n would be made all right through his son-iil-
! law, Bailin Searie, OF the Criminal court; t!at
Fail told a1fiant some time in July that he had
! completed his arrangements by which the two col
| orcd jurors would be secured. He said it would
cost s, 500; That he had worked through two col
ored Elen, ana before he paid out the money he
Brown.
An affidavit is furnished by A. c. Richards that
Arthur Payne was present when Foote made his
affidavit, and affirmed that the statements made
by FoOte were true.
EMPHATIC DENIAL OF MR.. FALL
MI: r. H. Eau said to a STAR reporter this morn
the afidav!ts, that ''any affidavit statement OF
any person to the effect that have ever attempt
ed directly or Indirectly, in any case. to influence
juror as to MS verdict, while acting a special
agent OF the Department OF Justice, before that
time OF since that time. for the government, de-
tense or for myself, is falsehood. AT the proper
time, proper place, II called upon by the proper
authority, y my connection with the government;
the results OF what did, Will De made KNOWN
What NIr. Wells Says.
A reporter Of The STAR called on Mr. Wells this
afternoon and asked him If he had read Col Inger-
SOILS publication and If he would like to discuss
Mr. Wells replied:-"No, do not care to discuss
II.
published in the Post this morning. ought. how
ever, to say that he is very much mistaken In his
conclusions as to the nature of the work which
am doing l was not employed by Mr.. Cameron
Nor selected by him. On the other hand, l never
saw saw o,ottion that gentleman gent man nor had any com
special 81 &C counsel by the Attorney General
making a private investigation in ybody's in
terest am am simply preparing causes, which Will,
undoubtedly, at the proper time, be presented be-
SO far ;iS understand by which Judge Wyle or
any other judge could try or nquire OF such mat
the public on exparte statements or argu-
ments, and though have gathered large amount
OF material m & relating to this matter that would,
pernapS be quite as interesting reading the affi-
davits published by my friend, do not think 1t is
proper to publish IT in the press and should not
be tempted to follow Col. Ingersolrs example in
this respect; and his acute Judgment OF the fitness
OF things doubtless led him to take the same view.
because, as 1 read his argument he offers the two
assumptions. denied by me above as an excuse for
doing what, under other circumstances, would be
utterly improper"
What Mr. Nyerrfck Says.
AN UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO FOREsTAII PUBLIC
OPINIoN-THREE OR FOUR CASES TO BE PRESENT
ED TO THE GRAND JURY.
When Mr.. Merrick'S attention was called by a
STAR reporter to the publication Of af1idavits con-
corning the star route jury he said that the gov
ernment was in vest1gating this thing. The gsilty
will be punished. 1t was beneath the dignity OF
the government to discuss the matter in the news
papers. Any attempt such as had been made to
forestan public opinion would be unsuccessful
The Investigation of the matter now being con-
Quoted, would, in his opinion be completed In two
or three days. There will be, he said, three or
four cases to present to the grand jury So far as
the star route cases were concerned he intended
to go right ahead with them. 1t was singular he
thought that these jurors, who it was now claim
ed were approached by the government were the
ones who voted all along for the defense. He had
facts to give now. Mr.. Wells was Investigating
them. and they would be made public at the proper
time. He thought there had been an attempt to
force some bad men upon the government
Taylor and Fall.
WHY THEY WERE DISMISSED FROM GOVERNMENT
EMPLOY-TAYLORS ALLEGED ATTEMPT TO COMPRO.
MISE TIE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
On an inquiry at the Department of Justice
STAR reporter learned that F. H. Fall was dis
charged from the employ OF the department on the
18th OF July, the reasons given for his removal
being that Fall had proposed to control the YER
dict OF some members OF the jury in favor OF the
government providing clerkships could be OBJ
tained or guaranteed for them, for their relatives
or for their friends. Taylor's services were dis
pensed with on August 1st for similar reasons
ut was clear to the department." said Mr.
Brewster Cameron to STAR reporter talking about
Fall nd Tap1np hat fH,oxy hoa Z