National Republican., 1882-09-06
STAR-ROUTE TRIAL.
ARGUMENT OF COL. r. G. INoERsoLL.
Large Audience Present In the Criminal Court
Room Yesterday, Including Aany Ladies'
MCnibers Of the Bar Generally At.
tend-His Eloquent Remarks.

dlcnce embracing n number OF ladies. II was
evident that the high reputation for eloquencc
enjoyed by Colonel Il. G., 1ngersoll, who was TO
make tile closing address for tho defense, had
drawn this crowd The members of the bar were
also present in full force, and during Colonel In
gersolls remarks paid strict attention to his utter
ances. Before Colonel 1ngersoll commenced
Judge Wylie asked Mr.. Wilson If report OF the
Second Assistant Postmaster General has been
offered In evidence. Mr.. jeff Chandler said 1t
had been offered but ruled out Mr. wilson,
arer looking at It, said he thought understand
lug III out 1t might be reached al cess Mr.. lnser-
soil then he gun hisalgumont. HesGid lGtua under.
stand each D,ner II he , ,hreshold: nc CIV was asa, as
Tie man who was untrue to his Official oath
ought 10 be punished. He was not endeavorns
To excuse or palate any dishonesty OF govern.
ment Official. lie would so further aud say that
he would not defend any man known to have
been guilty Of defIaudng the public Treasury.
country had been dcmoralized, aud that IT wns
necessary to sacrifice somebody TO lead to the road
TO honesty. The late war WIS not Il demorniiza'
tlom,
IT WAS A REFORMATION.
The effect of that war was good, and only good.
aud children, 1t lid not deinoruize. When they
stopped stealing babes they did not become cur
TG They were gesSer ,bi ana G GT1er nn PySTPE PEy
thef. They had been lold other things in order
that the juty might find excuse forn verdict o
corruption lie denied Il. There was something
else iur which this country was distinguished
LIS credit was absolutely Perfect. It's promise was
pure gold. He hat heard that rot before. Il was
| tie stock of every ordinary lawyer. Was 1t be-
cause We were distinguishct for cIrruption That
one million of immigrants foand III here las
year? Was 1t because we were known rasculS
| That the word America brought light into every
property OF the Unit states wa. to-day valued ut
iity thousand mill dollars. Was that all eri:
dence OF destruction of corruption? He denied
TINT his cOuutry was corrupt, and
N A
by any sch statement, or ty , E. VIII case sch IN
was the fist lie nad ever heard pay a compliment
to ctrrup ion lie paid u ,g'owing tribute to
America as being the land OF free schools and free
people, and tod the jury that so far rs his clients
were concerne {, vile, family. home. aud more
still, reputation, depended upon tins verdict. He
waited he jury to understand that, and the only
mercy they asked was an honest verdict in uo-
diet that Wouli lie the true Transcript of each
jurors mind. Fear, prejudice, mlci bnte
that avery jurymHn wished to give au non, ST ver-
dict. They suOu not b. governed by the frictiJn
or roth OF The case, but the facts. II was the duty
of lawyer TO make the testimony clear, but there
necessity for him 10 abuse ANYBODY, or deal
in personalities. There must not only be c,n.
overt act must Ue proved ~ avge. No mater
how frivolous the description or whether impOr-
ignt or not 1t must DC proven exactly US charged.
Of authorities upon this point. Judge Wylie said
there was no doubt Of
THE CORRECTNESS OF MR. 1SCERsoLL'S POSITION.
Mr. Ingrrs,ll replied that he wanted there to be
no d ,ubt Mr.. lngersOll then commenced u very
close analysis of ,ne alleged overt acts. The de-
iendants were chuiged with filing fulse petitions
On c kGurilty aud Kent route Oh July TO- 1879.
The testimony showed the petitions were flied
April S, 1878, They yaid that fulse oath was tiled
July TO- 1879, and the proof showed 1t to have be-
April D. 1877. II did not matter whether the oath
nd or bad It failed us an overt act. Brady
was chag,d with making an order on this roue
July -, 1870 The testimony showed that 1t WAS
| made b. French. On route 3s,l3j they Wee
charged with making false oath June, 1919 Tue
testimony showed it was tilyd April Is, 1879, Mr..
lml GIso!l took up route afler route, showing the
u ter Inconsistencies that characterized, the In
dictment, and the charges that were not sus.
tanned. Referring to route a 100, on hich Miner
Rrrdel u Co. were charged with filing tal e pe-
ulions, and Mr.. Bliss hai admitted were all gen
uine, he said
THERE WAS NOT JURY ON EARTH,
unless surrounded by prejudice, and presided
over by ignorance, ,t!iat would find q verdict of
guilty upun the testimony. On route IS, ISL it was
filed. Mr.. Bliss said he would not offer them.
Why not? Because the petitions were honest anu
@ Md W mr. be sT Sd o od T@a1 @ 6e Mas Gong
proving the defendants case. Mr.. IngerSol said
that he was going TO the stict letter Of tie indct-
could not come into this court witt! six or seven
cords Of petitions, throw them at q man and say
trying to 10 III this case. All the petitions set out
III the Indictment, except two. had been admitted
or proven to be genuine, ard the latter had not
pcSi uCtcu upoH ps VIC NtpuitiutHl. Iic tHeL
took up the payments made by the defendants,
and showed the Measurements Of figures, and
| claimed that the variance
WAS FATAL TO THE INDICTMENT.
III regard to Turner he said that all that had been
found against him was one mistake, by which the
government had not lost a cent. Yet The govern
ment had dragged him from his home, and after
all their efforts to prove something against him
and failing, he was dismi.s .sed with an insult. 1t
was alleged generally in the indictment that John
W. Dorsey received for the fiscal year 1880 Sl2i.
sol, while really 1t was only s62, sS44G. The ev.
dence showed lnat Miner received no money, and
orally iu the indictment that on the routes of John
W. Dorsey flr the fiscal year ending June 80 1880,
he was paid sl24,59l while ell the testimony
showed that there was paid S62,S3l.46. and of the
amount J. W. Dorsey received sl92, The evidence
showed thnt Miner received no money, and that
the indictment was a mistake or ialsehood, and
what the Indictment weayed the testimony raw
eled. The dates IN the Indictment were ialse, and
why? Because they had 10 deceive the grand
jury. Itwould not do to tell them that these par.
ties conspired on the 23d OF May, 1879, and filed
the petition in April, 1879. Further,
1T WAS TO DECEIVE THE COURT.
because II they had told the truth the Court would
have informed them that they could not proceed
in IN that way Did they expeel to rum run this case on
court long enough to allow them to attack and
malisn tho characters of these defendants; long
enough TO vent their venom and spleen on good
and honest men and justify in part the commence.
ment of this infamous persecution.
AFTER RECESS
Mr.. IrgcrsoIl said that he had tried to strip the
green leaves from off the tree ofthis indictment,
aud now he proposed TO- attack the limbs and
trunk. 1t was the great bulwatk of human Lib.
erty that the charge against defendant must be
fully described. There was not the slightest ey.
dence that q fraudulent communication was ever
sent to the department. There was not the slight.
est evidence that names were even forged 10 any
petition, except in one ease, and 1t was shown In
that case that the petition was not TO act upon.
Another means was that Turner was charged with
having ma lie false Endorsements. This indict.
ment, SO far as Turner was concerned, had been
chanced into certificate of good character. The
government was
BOUND TO PROVE AS THEY ALLEGED
Was there any evidence that there was any diyis.
iln Of this money? Who gotit When wa, thC
diysionY They had gT9t % prove it, and if ,tht
thn rnse W"T h0t Sns py e SvSeSce heT
theindicimcnt. They had proved no such scheme
J aud no such charge.
and Dorsey % He wanted e ft'syG 10 say at The
ontset that suspicion WAS not guilt lie believed
John W. Dorsey to be absolutely an honest
1 man. There was no eYidenceto show that Dorsey
ever spoke to Brady, or saw him, or saw Turner
or was seen in his company, or wrote him letter
There was no evidence that he ever conspired with
anybody, at my time or place, for any purpose
whatever, There was no evidence that he eye
, got dollar from the United States, except 1892
no evidence that he ever wrote petition OF
\ asked Nny one to sign onei no evidence tha
he ever made false statement and all in the tos
tlmony that he ever did dishonest act, In Otle
: words, the testimony showed that he was au hon
, est man, and there was no jury that would evel
find u man guilty on such testimony as that sub
, mitted. Next he came to S. w. D.rsey He was I
. man, the counsels friend He liked him. He haC
not done an net in connection with these route
that was not deliberately done, and he knew wha
He was glad that he had reached tho point ant
could hurl back the caumny that lad beed pil ID VI
against him. He had been called q robber and
WAS an honest man and there had not been q soli
, tary fraudulent act against S. W. Dorsey.
AT this point the court adjourned until to-day