Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-06-20
A FORMER OFFICIAL.
Telling Great Many Things-saving
Kellogg at DOrsey's Expense.

a FORMER government Official thorough
ly familiar with the star route cases. being
asked how it happened that the govern
ment had been Unsuccessful i'm its suits.
replied: SIN the first place, the case
against Brady, Dorsey, Vale, Miner and
herdell should not have been tried first.
II is no secret that the government had
stronger cases. 1t is well known that IL
was the intention of those originally re-
tanned fer the government to press the
cases which were less complicated. and in
winch the evidence was to their minds
clear and convincing"
''Do you know who were the persons in
yolyed in the cases of which YOU speak?''
'Ihere were a number of them. The
case IN which the information was filed
was one OF them; also the case against
Brady, Price and Kellogg. There were
cases against other parties and Brady in
which indictments have never been
found"
us it now generally understood that
Attorney General MacTeagh desired fine
cause against Dorsey to be first pre-
sented?''
''There may be such an impression.
but L have good reason to know that it is
unfounded. The case against Brady.
Dorsey and others, the trial of which has
just resulted in a verdict of acquittal.
was the least prepared of all the cases
after MacVeagh went out of office. The
fact that the government filed an infor-
nation in the case of Route 4101, from
Prescott to Santa Fe, shows ithat in that
case there must have been more prepara-
ton than in the case against Brady and
dorsey. Inc government would certainly
not nave hled an information in that case
had it not been ready to go to trial"
was that case ever presented to the
grand JuryT'
''NO; it will be recollected that, shortly
after the court held that proceeding by
information in that case was irregular,
Col. Bliss assumed charge of the star
route cases. There was a correspondence
between Attorney General Brewster and
Bliss, published in all the newspapers, in
which Brewster announced that Mr.. Bliss
should have full charge of the cases, and
that he would rely upon him for their
eflcIent prosecution. | have been told
that Bliss refused to allow the case as to
the route from Santa Fe to Prescott to be
presented to the grand jury. In several
interviews with Bliss, published i'm yari-
Gus papers about that time, he announced
that he had taken the responsibility of
not presenting that case to the grand Jury.
and in making this announcement was at
some pains to discredit the principal wit
ness for the government in that case.
Everybody VIII recollect that during the
first trial of the case against Brady and
Dorsey, more than year ago, the gov
eminent had utterly failed to make out a
case against the defendants, and il was
stated, with some semblance of authority.
that the Judge would not allow the case
to go to the jury. At this juncture John
A. Walsh was called as a witness, and it
is generally conceded that his evidence
alone saved the government from an
overwhelming defeat in the first trial. He
was the witness Colonel Bliss at
temped to discredit in his interviews
above referred tO.'
"But did not Col. Bliss have Walsh
called as witness?'
sit is not so understood here. You must
recOllect a dispatch from Washington
which was published in the Cincinnati
Gazette and the New York Herald, which
stated, by the authority of MIR. Merrick,
that he had secured the evidence of
Walsh. Mr.. Merrick, who came into the
cases after the indictment had been found,
learned accidentally the nature of Walsh's
evidence. He obtained an interview with
Walsh, and satisfied himself that his evil
dence would be of the utmost Importance
to the government in the trial then going
on. He had him called as a witness, and
the result, as was generally conceded at
the time, was to save the government
from an ignominiOus defeat"
IDS you know anything of the evidence
which the government had i'll the case
against Brady and Price?'
81 have no exact knowledge, but know
generally that Mr.. Merrick stated that if
he had known more about the cases he
would have insisted that the government
should first proceed in the case against
Brady and Price"
"Why do you suppose the case against
Brady, Dorsey and others was selected as
the strongest one the government had?'
~. s.aI, Il
ly understood that at the beginning of the
star route investigation Mr.. Arthur, then
Vice President, was bitterly opposed to
any such proceeding. 1t is stated upon
the authority of Henry e. Knox, who was
a personal friend of President Garfield.
that he and Postmaster General James
called upon Mr.. Arthur at the residence
of Senator Jones, just before Senators
COnkling and Plat resigned their seats in
the Senate, but, almost as soon as James
and himself had been ushered into
Mr.. Arthur's presence, the latter turn
ed to James and said: We'll, James,
/ suppose you and Garfield are get
ting a cell in the penitentiary ready
for me, as you seem determined to
send there everybody who had anything to
do with saving the Presidential election.
Colonel Bliss was selected as special
counsel few days before Garfield died at
ElberOn. The long and close intimacy
between Arthur and Dorsey was a well
known fact. The recollection of the dim
ner given to Dorsey at Delmonico's in
February, 1881, and of the famous soap
speech made by Arthur, were of course
fresh in the minds of everybody. Coming
to the Presidency as he did 1t was natural
that President Arthur should desire to
satisfy the country that he meant to vigo-
rously prosecute the star route cases. If
he caused his late friend Dorsey to BE- first
prosecuted he would establish his reputa-
ton as fearless and uncompromising foe
e IL