Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-03-28

have Bosler indicted and to go over to the |
government. Regarding the affidavit of |
June, 1881, which was read to him, witness |
denied that he had asked Reerdel to make |
it for the sake of his family, or that he had !
offered him any inducement.
A letter, dated July 5, 1882, from
Reerdel to Dorsey, was read by Ingersoll.
Reerdel writes that he has been consider
ing the step he was about to take for over
year. He had intended to put himself
in connection with the government before
he had been indicted, never dreaming he
was liable to Indictment, because he had
only acted as an agent. But, to his cost,
he says, he listened to Bosler and refrained
from this course. He had regretted it ever
since, and the same thing he
would not do again for any
consideration, for as consequence he
is now penniless and will be under cloud,
no matter what the result of the trial is.
Only for the government, he would now be
free from indictment and perhaps in a
good position again. He had made
up his mind to go over to the government,
and it is useless for Dorsey to appeal in
the name of his family, for he, Reerdel,
also had a family. He knows full well
when Dorsey and Bosler have no use for
him, he may go to the devil for all they
care.
Mr.. Ingersoll described the red account
books and witness said he never saw such
books in any of his offices. Reerdel mover
gave or sent to him any balance sheets
from such books, referring to Reerdel's
statement that he brought away a book
from New York. Witness denied he had
! ever seen such book, and that a book had
been taken from the New York office. The
| only books kept by Reerdel by witness au-
| thority, were an expense book and a route
book.
Holding twenty eight checks in his
hand Ingersoll offered to put them
in evidence as representing all the money
| Drawn by Dorsey in the month of June,
| from Middleton & Co. He handed the
! checks to the prosecution with the request
that they pick out the check upon which
the money had been drawn to pay Brady.
The prosecution objected, because they
knew nothing of the checks.
| 1ngersoll-You have a man who does
| Merrich-He never said he saw check
drawn.
| Ingersoll-I know he is in a hole.
Merrick--Not much of a hole.
| Ingersoll-It would not take much of a
hole to hold him, Laughter. but let us
| have peace.
Merrick-The gentleman shakes his fist
| and runs around the bush.
| At the request of the court Ingersoll
picked out the checks payable to Dorsey.
| Mr.. Bliss renewed the objection made
this morning to the checks.
| The court held that the case was differ
\ ant h. i
| fective or incomplete, but with the under
standing that it would be shown that these
were all of the checks drawn in that month
the evidence would be admitted. The
checks were then read in detail.
Ingersou renewed his request that the
prosecution pick out any checks upon
which money could have been drawn to
pay Brady. He would then trace the
check.
The prosecution sat silent and the exam
nation proceeded.
Ingerson requested the witness to ex-
plain how he came to be connected with
the mail business.
He said he received letter in 1879 from
either Jno. W. Dorsey or Peck. (The letter
not being produced, witness was not al
lowed to repeat its contents As conse-
quence of that letter witness employed
Boone to act for Peck and j. w. Dorsey
personally. The witness had not the
slightest interest in the world in any con-
tract or bid for the mail service.
| The letter to Clendennin was read, and
the witness admitted its authorship, and
was about to explain his motives for writ
ing 1t, when the prosecution objected.
Ingersoll argued that it was proper to
show witness motive, and the law made
the defendant witness, it was proper to
inquire into his motives.
Merrick replied at some length, declar-
ing that under such constructions would
be possible for a defendant to explain
away the grave charge of premeditated
motive.
The court, however, held a different
view, and said it was proper to prove q
motive whenever it could be done, and that
the inquiry went as far as human testi-
mony could enlighten it. As a rule wit
/ nesses were not allowed to explain motives
because they knew nothing about it, but in
this case the inquiry would be allowed
Without hearing the answer the court
adjourned.
The following is an abstract obtained
from what is believed to be a trustworthy
source of the affidavit of Mail Contractor
JAS. B. Price, which is now in possession
of the counsel for the government in the
star route cases. The affidavit deposes in
| substance as follows:
In 1878, being the lowest bidder, afiant
was awarded contract for carrying the
United States mails on route among
| others from Corpus Christi to San Anto-
Mo, Tex, and in 1879 being DESTROYS of
having the number of trips increased and
the time expedited on said route, to the
end that his annual pay might be increased
and the route thereby rendered profitable,
the afiant caused to be circulated
petitions for signatures of citizens
living along the line of the
| road. requesting an increase
of trips, and to reduce running time. These
petitions having been signed by influential
citizens and officials, were handed to a
friend in Washington for presentation to
| the postofice department for its action.
This effort met with no success. Afiant
then applied in person to Senator Wm.
Pitt Kellogg, whom he has known many
years, saying to him, eff you succeed in in
creasing my pay on this route and that of
the one from Shreveport to Munros, Louis