Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-10-16
srAR ROUTE SCANDAL.
The lrrepressible lngersell Charses the
Governnest with Censpiracy.


The Post tomorrow will publish an inter-
view With Col. Ingersoll. embodying num-
her of sfidavits which he makes 20 the pub
lie for the purpose Of showing several OF
the iurymen in the late star route trial who
we're corruptly approached BY the employees
of the department of justice, and that these
employees regularly reported their proceed.
ings from day to day to the department or
some officer thereof.
The first affidavit given u the one made
BY VIM. Knox Brown. one of the jurors, on the
18th inst, who says that during the trial OF
the said case one Arthur Payne came to the
atlantis house and left note saying that he
wished to see the affiant. The afiiant after-
ward saw said Hayne, and Payne said that he
had asked if he could say anything that he
wished, and that he told the man he could
saw anything to this afiant. Payne then
took out a paper and handed it to the afiant
to read. The paper was an agreement with
F. H. Fall to be signed by the affiant to the
effect that if the affiant and Thos. Martin,
also one of the jury, should vote to convict
defendants in the star route case, or if the
atlantis vote, or that of Martin should hang
the jury, then the affiant was to receive
$500. The afiant read the paper and then
said to Arthur Payne: ~ am going accord
ing to the evidence. Fall is u id rascal,
and you can both go to hi. and shall vote
in accordance with my convictions" Ar
thur PAYNE said Fall was a lawyer
and had an office on D street. Then follows
an affidavit of Thomas X. Foote. a resident
of Washington until July last and now of
Newark, N. j., under date of Newark, Sept.
Goth. He swears he was present when Payne
was employed by Fall to corrup the jury, and
he himself brought Payne to Fall for that
purpose. He also swears that Fall gave him
to understand that he (FalD was employed
by the government and that he was to get
money from the government to pay the
amounts he had offered fer the corruption of
Brown and Martin.
Next comes the affidavit made by James
A. Nelson of Washington, Sept. 18th, in
which he swears that Fall informed him last
June that he would soon be employed by the
department of justice, as special detective in
the star route cases. Fall also stated that
he wanted TWO or three men working under
him who would make daily reports to him.
and that if Nelson was employed by him it
would be in capacity of special detective,
and that one part Of Nelson's duty would be
to watch the jurymen and see that no person
tempered with them. Nelson swears that he
went with Fall TO the Attorney Generals Of
fee and there met Brewster and Cameron.
Fall told Cameron that he thought Nelson's
services would be valuable, AMI Cameron
informed Nelson that he would be placed on
the rolls of the department at $50 per month.
Nelson was to receive instruction from Fall.
Some days later, or about the LIST of July,
Fall instructed Nelson to see jurors Brown
and Martin, the two cOlored jurors, and say
if they would vote for the conviction of
Brady and Dorsey they would be well paid
for it. and both would have government
places at once after the trial. Nelson swears
that Fall informed him that he (FalD was
authorized by proper parties to say this.
William r. Laws, resident of Washington,
swears that Fall approached him for the
same purpose. Laws declined to assist
Fall informing him that his (Law's) sympa-
thies were with the defendants.
William Holmead, one of the jurors. swears
that during the second week Of
the star route trial Fall came to his house to
see him, alleging that the visit was at the in
stance of Atty Gen. Brewster for the pur
pose of ascertaining whether he (Holmead)
| knew of any attempts by defendants to cor
| rupt the jury. Fall told him all the other
jurors were under the ban of suspicion, and
he was the only one in whom the department
had any confidence; that they once had con-
| fidence in Dickson. but he was taking such
voluminous notes that they had lost it; that
they all believed he would act according to
MS coHsciehce, ana tnat II ne WOuiu give the
| desired information he would lose nothing"
Fall also told him that Merrick, Bliss and
Ker knew nothing about his employment in
the star route case, but that he reported to
the Attorney General every night. Holmead
on this and one or two other occasions when
Fall sought interviews with him avoided con-
versation as much as possible, but told Fall
he had no knowledge of any attempt to cor
rupt the jury, and defended with much zeal
Dickson, Oliott and Martin.