The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-03
GENERAL THOMASJ J. BRADY
rrara0ement of the Star-Route Pros
ecution Denounced as Absurd.
Gossip About General Lew Wallace and
His Books Recollections of Early
Days of the War.
Gath in Cincinnati ENQUIRER.

a lawyer who had said the lodging OF mat
tiers before the grand Jury by information
was weak.
After parleying for awhile General Brady
said: "The management of that prosecution
was absurd from the first. 1t was necessary
to put me in in order to satisfy demand
that had been created, whereas by putting
me in the case of conspiracy was knocked in
the head 1t was alleged that 1 had de-
ceived General Key, the head of my depart
ment, and had conspired with various per-
sons. 1 could not have deceived General
Key because he Systematically supported
my view and my action all the time.
He was at pains to declare so at
the beginning, and he continued to say
the same thing from time to time.
1 had no power to act independently
of him. Now, if there had been any thing
wrong, and perhaps there were wrong things
in those mail contracts, by indicting the con-
tractors it could have been shown. But /
had been set up before the public as very
blamable person, and it was necessary to
bring me in so the contractors and myself
and Dorsey were arraigned for conspiracy Of
course there was no conspiracy without the
head of the department being privy to it,"
Said l. General Brady, how came you to
be put in that position from the outset?'
''Why, Bliss and McVeagh knew nothing
about the matter, and they brought in
black-maier by the name of Gibson, who
never made an honest dollar in his life, to set
them on the way to satisfy the public
clamor He insisted that l must be lugged
in. He had violent resentment to me, and
nothing would satisfy him, but to put me IN
the conspiracy"
"What was the cause of his resentment to
your
HE had been irving for long time before
these matters attained general attention to
get contribution from me. l had been
shot at for year or more. never spoke to
that man in my life and have only seen him
on the street. He ended by deceiving his
employer, the editor of the Sun, and has no
status at all with the press. 1t was out
rage that man of that general character
should have been allowed to set the chord
for the government lawyers. Presuming
they wanted to detect POPULATIONS, took
matters philosophically and when L saw that
the public, having been harped upon for
two or three years. meant to try me, took
1T like the ancient martyrs, and defended
myself according to the best knew. l had
once been a newspaper publisher; that was
very original business, and | obtained my
newspaper weapons for defense. 1t was then
regarded as a high crime that | took the
same means to defend myself that hundreds
of poorly-informed men took to attack me.
However, l am not complaining. All these
things happen in the march of life. 1 am
only answering your question as to why no
body was convicted. They started to prove
a conspiracy while they only expected to
prove a peculation."
GENERAL WALLACE AND HIS BOOKS.
General Brady then said: There is a little
book circulating around the country-a
novel-which 1 have recently read. 1t was
published in England, and although con-
sidered an attack on American public life, 1
recognize in it number of things falling
under my own experience There are one
or two things there which Identity as parts
of Governor Morton's political policy when
it was necessary to carry Indiana against
odds"
Said l. Speaking of novels. have you
read Minister Lew. Wallaces two novels?"
81 tried to-" said General Brady, "but it
was very uphill work. The style is too
stilted Heis an intensely dramatic man in
his appearance i'll life, as well as in his writ
ing. However, l like him as man very
much He is something OF martinez, but
good soldier and an able man."
Where did he come from in Indiana"
'Crawfordsville. When he was boy he
ran away from home and went into the
Mexican war, and came back with soldering
the great ambition of his life. He was the
military essence of our State, always kept a
company up after the Mexican war, and
being brother-in-law of Henry S. Lane, he
had certain family backing. So Morton,
who was Governor when the war began, made
Wallace Acknowledgement of the State. l
lived at Muncie and was lieutenant of a lit
tie company we had then called the Della
ware Rifles 1t was organized good while
before the war really began, and when
Sumter was fired on | rushed off to Indian
apolis and offered the services of the COM
pany to Governor Morton. He took me
right in to see Lew. Wallace. That was
when the first call came for 10, 900 men.
/ think 1 was the first man that ar
rived at the State capital with prof
fer OF troops. l never shall forget
the dramatic manner of Wallace. He
acts like a born tragedian. He said to me-
Sir, we want your company Immediately
go back and bring it here without a mo-
ments delay thought to myself, we'll,
this means war anyway. So rushed back
to Muncie and go there in the morning, and
we had the town bell rung and the citizens
called together, and the news was impaired
that we were all wanted at once to move i'm
mediately to indianapolis to go on to defend
the capital at Washington"
Here the General began to laugh, and con-
tinued:
About half the company backed out right
away, including the captain, and that made
me captain. was mere boy at the time.
1t took us all that day to fill up the deple-
tons in the company, but the next day we
got off and reached indianapolis. In the
mean time the Eastern troops had poured
into Washington, and word was sent to hold
us in the West"
What regiment did you go into?'
ut was designed to put us into a regiment
numbered the Sixth, but that postponem ent
led to our being organized into the Eighth
regiment. l went to the war and served there
some time. Wallace was made colonel of
the Eleventh regiment, which was the crack
regiment of the State, and its leading officers
became distinguished, such as Wallace, Gen
eral McGlnnis and General Macauley"
Said I: Did not Wallace distinguish him.
Of To