Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-08-18
THE STAR ROUTE TRIAL.
MR.. BLISS BLIsTERs THE ExpEDITERs.
B9ADY'S DISREGARD OF THE GOVERNMENT
INTERESTS.

When Mr.. Bliss resumed his argument I'm the
star route trial this morning. he referred at first
to the retroactive orders mlhe by Mr. Brady Mr..
Bliss said that 1t would not be the course Of any
honest officer to take the affidavit of any contrac-
tor as conclusive and IN Ike that the basis OF his
orders There was no evidence that he ever
sought Information from any other source as to
the number OF men and horses employed on a
route. When Rerdell was figuring on a supposi-
tious route leading to suppositious post Office
his figures were double those OF the sub-contrac-
tor, and then Miner made oath to nearly double
the number OF men and horses that Rerdell cal
culat I'd.
BRA9ys DISREGARD OF THB GOVERNMENT INTER-
ESTS.
Brady took such oaths, and accepted the ex parte
statements Of the contractors without, apparently
any regard for the interests Of the government as
conclusive as to the amounts which should be
paid. On the route from Trinidad to Madison
Brady took the oath OF John w. Dorsey as Sub-cOn-
tractor, though Dorsey never was sub-cOntractor
on the route, and never, so far as the evidence
showed, had any relations with the contractor
except that Of cO-COnSpratOr. On the Pueblo and
Rositi routes two oaths were made by John w
Dorsey on the same day and filed, which varied in
their figures Yet Brady accepted one of the OathS
as conclusive. This man swearing that he was
Sub-contractOr when he was nOt,waS pictured by a
celing speaker (Mr. ClrpenterJ as q pure,
Christian gentleman. whose cOuntenance beamei
with forgiveness for all mel. They saw, some
times, In 1rreVerent newspapers items headed
"ANOTHER GOOD MAN GONE WRONG"
He thought this true Christian gentleman had
gone little wrong when he made two af1ilaytS
on the same day, as inconsistent as those were
To one sub-contractOr Rerdeil sent an oath in
blank, to be signed and acknowledged. The blanks
We're filled up after 1T was returned to Rerdell.
Mr. Bliss reviewed the OathS and orders On the
Bismarck and Tongue river route, calling atten-
ton to the fact that the Jacket showed that
W1S mis- T,la
order was made upon another oath LETT on file and
1t was paradeI on the order that the allowance
was less than pro ratl, though as matter of fact
the allowance was largely in excess OF pro rata. ii
based upon the missing oath. He asked IL there
could be any question or
THE INFLUENCES THAT PREVAILED
in the Office OF the Second Assistant Postmaster
General at the time these orders were made. He
referred to vailes testimony, In which that de-
fendant admitted that he made the oath without
ever having been on the route Mr.. Henkle had
stated during the trial, for the Information OF the
court, that Miner had made his Olths on informa-
ton he received from Post Office reports The
number Of men and horses WAS not shown in the
Post Office reports II the necessary information
was furnished by the Post Office reports Brady
would have got there first hand and not have
taken the statement of any interested party.
Mr.. Bliss made a thorough analysis or the Oaths
In testimony, pointing olt their discrepancies and
the part they played in procuring expedition.
THE EXPEDITERs' "RULE OF THREE"
Mr.. Bliss Went to some extent into the arithme-
tic or the question: showing the "rule OF three'
adopted in fixing the compensation for expedited
service and that 1t was the interest OF the con-
tractor to swear TO less number o. men and ami
mails than were actually employed On the original
schedule and to greater number than were actu-
the ratio He showed by the ots M in IT.
nony the absurdities of the statements. In some
the number required by the rsginal schedule men
and horses were required to accomplish unheard
of feats OF travel in order to get over the routes,
al ha al nJ,n J,rln
contemplated only the LATEST jogging.
FALSE OATHS.
1t was perfectly clear, Mr.. Bliss said, that the
oaths were not and could not be correct An ex-
animation Of the oaths themselves showed that
they We're false. Brady could not have looked at
the oaths without seeing that they were false, yet
he accepted them as conclusive, and upon them
made the orders for expeditions. The defense told
them that the orders were called for by petitions
and letters, and that Brady justified by them.
They ali knew how easy petitions are gotten up
While 9 contractor had right TO get up and Cir
culate petitions yet it was not proper for con-
tractor to use deceit in the preparation and filing
OF his petitions. The evidences showed that the
contractors got up the petitions and that they
used deceit. On the Bismarck and Tongue River
route it was in evidence that the sub contractor
was asked by John w. Dorsey to have his work
men sign petition to extend the route to an i'm
agIndry post office.
THE PETITIONS SIMPLY A COVER.
Mr.. Bliss having described the various ways in
which petitions were gotten up, said they had
statement by the defense in the opening OF the
large number OF congressman who would testify
in defense OF the expedition. They had had Repre-
sentatives Page and Berry, of Cal; Senator Maxey,
o. Texas; Representative Valentine, OF Neb.; Del
egate Maginnis, of Montana, and ex-Senators Tel
ler and Mitchell. Mr.. Bliss reviewed the evidence
OF these gentlemen, showing that they knew little
or nothing about the routes in question. He said
the Second Assistant Postmaster General could
not protect himself because people petitioned and
Congressman endorsed the petitions Brady told
They We're very poor cover to any man who ever
expected an investigation: Referring to the ad-
dltt0n OF the words schedule thirteen hours" in
one OF Miners petitions, he said 1t was the only
paper filed that suggested a decrease OF time.
None OF the letters and other papers respecting
the route made any reference to it. The evidence
Was that these words were added to the petition
after 1T was signed and sent to Peck In Washing
ton. There was 10 more evidence that Peck was
in Washington than that he was dead. Counsel
for defense, In their eloquent opening, had
ASSUMED THAT PECK WAS DEAD.
"Mr. Ker assumed that he was in heaven" said
Mr.. Henkle.
"ProDably," said Mr.. Bliss, "on the principle
that in view OF the tight place the rest of the ese
defendants are in, he would keep as far away from
them as possible"
One petition On the Mine raj Parke and Phoebe
route, Mr. Bliss held, had been made for some
other route, and the essential parts OF the petition
had been erased and altered SO as to apply to the
Mineral Park route On the Canyon City and Fort
pasted ON containing names OF people living In
Utah, 1000 miles away. Mr.. Bliss showed other
irregularities in the petitions. Another petition
on the same route, the name Of the postmaster
and several others were forged, as Mr. Bliss
charged, by John X. Miner
AT half-past IL o'clock a recess OF half an hour
Was taken.
AFTER RE CESS
Mr. Bliss called attention to interlineatons in Pc
titions on The Dalles to Baker City, Pueblo to
Rosita, ST. Charles to Greenhorn, and Toquervllle
to Adairville.
Mr.. Bliss showed that where letters had been
hled by Senators urging ctiOn adverse to the In
terests OF the contractors no atten ton had been
paid TO them. Mr. Bliss then went into the mat
ter Of the
MANIPULATION OF JACKETS.
On the Canyon City route letter from military
officers demonstrating because the mail was not
carried regularly, was Jacketed six months later
as an urgent request for expedition On the Bis
marck and Tongue river route, Gen. Miles and
Gen. Sherman were represe nted on the jackets as
petitoning for expedition when, as matter of
TACT, they asked for additional trips.
SALE OF GAS SCRIPT.-Thos. Bowling sold to-day
Ior w. IaylOe Snyder, executor OF the estate OF
the late u. thornton Tayloe, 236 shares OF wash
ington Gas Light Company'S script, 100 shares, at
Soo7S, 10 henry Dickson, and 16 SnareS 10 Z. Z.
Glover. for w. A. nuiUufd of