Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-08-21
THE STAR ROUTE TRIAL.
Arguments I'm Defense Of Brady and
Dorsey To-day.

When the Criminal Court re.assembled this
morning the star route trial was resumed under a
Slight alteration Of program Mr.. A. b. Williams,
one of the counsel for Messrs. Brady and Dorsey,
began an address to the jury. He stated that
he had not intended to present any argument,
but that he could not let the case go to the
jury without publicly protesting against the
adoption or the unjust practices which had
controlled the prosecution from the inception
OF the trial to the present time He could not re-
main silent when the jury was asked to adopt
such principles and draw such conclusions as
would unjustly endanger the liberty of every con-
tractor with the government The true principle
OF law had been overlooked, and instead of exam
lining to see whether the crime charged in the In
dictment had been committed or not the prosecu-
tion had introduced cloud of testimony without
weight, form or substance. In all this cloud OF
testimony the government had not shown one
scintiila OF testimony tending to establish the
crime charged.
THE QUESTION OF CONSPIRACY
He argued that the charge could not be MAIN
aimed by mere suspicion, and that the defendants
were entitled to every doubt Then IL a conspiracy
was proved it must be the conspiracy set forth in
this indictment. Tney must ina that the cor
splracy was entered into in respect to the nineteen
separate and distinct routes named In the fndict-
ment, or they must acquit When was this con-
spiracy entered into7 Was there man on this
into existence? There was not one scintllla OF
evidence in the case to- deternine when the con-
spiracy was formed. There were some things
charged in the Indictment that were distinct and
specific. The Trainers OF the Indictment had un-
dertaken to set out the means; by which the crini-
nal result was attained There were petitions
a1ndavlt5, orders and untrue jackets set forth as
the means Did there appear In the evidence in
sustained that the petitions were the genuine eX-
pres sion OF the wants Of the people? A great pa
rade had been made OF
PETITIONS IN WHICH INSERTIONS AND ALTERATIONS
How did they know that these alterations were in
troduced after the petitions were signed? He did
not know who had had charge OF these petitions
since they had been flied in the department. II
over piece OF writing, it would leave the place
M Wnere I the molstened paper lay, darker than the
been caused by a thickness in the fluid or a bad
pen. TO what extremitles must prosecution be
reduced TO-, to descend TO- TO- such arguments as they
whole, they would find in them ample grounds
INCREASING AND ExPEDITING THE SERVICE.
They were not here to split hairs. TO talk about
little alteration few interlineations was pre-
pOSterouS AMI unreasonable, for there was no
cause to adopt such eXpedients. The second
means CT fraud charged was the making of afti Ia
Wits Mr. Williams argued that the oaths or the
as 20 ee humoer OF men and animals
peared to have been made honestly and fairly.
There would. OF course, be erasures in the afi la
tion. He denied that there was any testimony
that any oath made representations that were be-
yond reason or beyond what Was Just The next
means charged was
THE MAKING OF ORDERS BY BRADY
The first instinct OF human nature, when man
was about to perpetrate fraud, Was concealment;
but Brady put these orders upon the records of the
department openly, as an honest officer should.
signed by the Postmaster General. Taat Post, POST
master General despite the attem pts OF the prose-
cution to belittle him, it appeared by the testi-
mOny,, knew wnat these sorders meant and ap-
proved every one. II Brady had been carrying
out fraud Postmaster General Key must have
known about it. 1t was charged also that Brady
IN LEAGUE WITH THESE CONTRACTORS
in the matter OF the remtsSons OF the crime II
Brady was in such league, why should he at
tempt to break up the services by imposing heavy
vice called for it Brady imposed fines without fear
favor, which was, In ITSELF evidence OF his hon
esIy In en- .orcing the law. As a proof that Brady
gravey that $4,000 or $1,000 out OF s125, 900 OF
fines, were remitted. II he was to get 50 per cent
OF the remiss'onS they would 1ind tha5 Brady
would have remitted everything that he could.
The testimony showed thlt the contractors tried,
by every means, again and again. to get Brady 70
remit fines, and Brady refused to do It, Vale, in
his testimony, said his efforts to get remissons
were treated with such contempt by Brady that
he never again approached Brady on the subject
No sophistlcal argument coui blind the com non
sense 0f the jury.
UNTRUE JACKETS.
Another means charged WAS that Turner made
untrue jackets. He asked if Mr.. Turner was to be
imprisoned because he wrote ''urges" on jacket
when the letter within said only respectfully rep
resent5." This was only another OF the strained
Efforts the weak suspicious OF the prosecution.
these contractors were In conspiracy, else they
would not have known that expedition was to be
ear duy o4nd na
the applications for expeditions were properly
presented to the department. It was but the ex
ercse then OF common judgment to know that
expedition was probable ana not the result of
conspiracy.
Out OF all the contracts awarded to these defend
ants he believed that the government selected out
these 10 routes because they believed that they
could show something in regard to them that bore
they could pick out OF any % contracts 10 that
would present as many, II not more, appearances
OF irregularity than those included In the indict-
AS TO RERDELL'S sO-CALLED CONFESSION,
MI. Williams said the first question he wished to
present was, ''Was Rerdell telling the TRUTH" II
they examined the testimony of ex-Sen ltor Clay
Rerdell had motive. lie had father in.iaW Jaw
Wao wanted o and he had fa he
His statement was general By the testimony of
MI. Vale. who drew all the money, and the records
that snow that he drew it, was proved beyond
question that there was no conspiracy and no
thought OF one. Rerdell, he claimed. was contra
OlcCcu Dy the statement OF Vale.
Mr. Williams having stated that they were not
permitted TO prove that these defendants were as
sisted In getting their business through the de-
partment by persons in the Sixth Auditors Office,
JUDGE wYLIR REMARKED
that the defense had not offered to prove that the
jury was not bound to consider Rerdells state
mant as true. They were to cons ider it in the
light OF the other evidence. Rerdel, according to
Mr.. Bliss address, had confessed himself into the
penitentlary, and they must remember that in
weighing his statement.
wALSH's TESTIMONY.
Mr.. Williams. continuing. said that Walsh came
here and told story which, II true, did not affect
these defendants or the charge In the indictment.
II true it applied only to one defendant, and show
ed That That defendant had attempted to extort
money from Walsh, but threw no light upon the
cnarge or conspiracy respecting these routes. The
statement OF Walsh tended rather to dtsprove the
charge or conspiracy. In his (Mr. WillamsD own
opinion Mr. Walsh was corrupt schemer, per-
1urer, and an attempted blackmailer. He thought
tney should co1S11er Iris testimony from that
view. Mr. Williams referred TO ex-Attorney Cen
eral Macveagh as being greedy for news that
would in1ure Dorsey and Brady. The Attorney
General was SO greedy tor such news that when
ne bo0k man who had turned traitor TO his en-
pl0yer he failed to take his statement In writing
he tailed TO make any effort to ascertain whether
Rer0eltS statement was true or not This occurred
On the ISL OF june, 1884, Subsequently on the StSt