Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-03-15
GEN. BRADY ONTHE STAND
HE PICTURES HIMSELF AN ~
NOCENT MARTYR.

He Met the Several sub-Contrac-
tors.
WASHINGTON, March 14.-In the star
route trial to-day the defense put on the
stand VIM. IL. Turner, the only one of the
defendants who was acquitted at the for
mer trial. As he is not included in the
present indictment and there was no way
oil getting his evidence before the court
except as secondary evidence. il was
all ruled out by Judge Wylie.
Thomas j. Brady then took the stand.
Inc witness first met banker Walsh at
New Orleans, i'm 1886. The witness was
there in his official capacity as Supervis-
ing Inspector of the internal revenue. He
next met Mr.. Walsh in 1877. He never
had any conversation with Mr.. Walsh
such as is sworn to by him at anv
time or place in the world. or
anything resembling it. The witness
never held any prOmissOry notes or
carried them away as described bv Mr..
Walsh. "Mr. Walsh's statement is a
lie made out of whole cloth" said the
witness, 'with scarcely word of truth
IN II from beginning TO end" He never
told Mr.. Walsh anything about fines and
deductions or anything from which if
eealld he -d9dueed.-He had had a con-
yersation with Postmaster General
James, such as testified to bv that Wit
ness in relation to the Rawlins White
river route. The date was a month later
than that given by Mr.. James. The wit
ness read letter from Postmaster Gen
eral James in this connection dated April
9Th, 1881, in which Mr.. James directs him
to refrain from further action in regard TO
route No. 3l,509 until he has fur
ther investigated the circumstances.
Mr.. James had never given him any
order to revoke one of his orders. His first
recollection of inlormer Rerdell was very
lndlstinct. He very seldom came into the
witness office. He could not say how
often he saw him. Mr.. RerdelI knew
that he did not like him, and came
around very little. His whole statement
about the books was made of whole
cloth. MIR. Rerdell never told him of
any books 20 be shown the committee.
nor did the witness know of the existence
of any such books.
Mr.. Wilson referred to Mr.. RerdeIl's
statement of the meeting at Chamber
lain's. The witness said that he met Mr..
Dorsey at his request at Wizards Hotel.
The witness had been Chairman of the /
Indiana State Republican Committee.
and was supposed to know something of !
the State. Therefore he had been called !
upon to advise Mr.. Dorsey. They |
repaired to Chamberlain's and Mr. Bosler |
came in. a few glasses of wine were
drunk and the witness left. The cOnyer-
satlOn was entirely on political subjects,
and star routes and mail matters were |
not mentioned. The witness had no |
knowledge of the tabulated statement |
spoken of by Mr.. RerdelI with |
the "T. j. B." SO per cent. column.
The witness said that the advertisement |
for November, 1877, had been prepared by |
Mr.. FOnte, one of the book clerks. The |
w GF in ha hr
gave few instructions to the clerks. !
The witness was not allowed to state |
whether or not there was any arrange |
ment between himself and the defendant |
in regard to that advertisement. He had |
known Mr.. Vale for years. He was one /
of the oldest and best contractors |
in the service of the department. |
He met Mr.. Miner at a letting in 1878. |
He never saw John Dorsey before the first /
sey for some years. He had an indistinct |
recollection of the Indian depredatiOns |
upon some of the routes in the diaries, /
and road agents were continually in /
terferng with the service. Before Mr.. /
Vale connected himself with the other I
defendants in the mail business they had /
failed to put service upon some of their /
routes. He did not now remember how |
he informed them that very little adj
ditiOnal time would be allowed. He
might have told Mr.. Turner to
''giye them very little time if they
don't do it." When he heard .
that Mr.. Vale had come into the Miner /
he granted further time be-
cause he knew Mr.. Vaile's trustwOrthi-
ness and felt sure that he would put on
the service. He had no personal confer
ence with Mr. Vale on the subject, and
did not remember how he was first made
aware of the fact that Mr.. Naile had as
sumed the service. The witness
knew nothing of the man.
neF of preparing the affidavits
filed i'm the office. He had never heard of /
any charges being made in them or of /
their being filled out ON blanks until the I
first trial. The petitions were considered /
mainly because they were endorsed by /
members of Congress who he believed /
the popular sentiment. |
Therefore he attached to them
more importance than to the |
reports of the special agents and I
inspectors. He could not have known of |
any changes in the petitions after their
The witness described the /
method pursued by him in calculating
the allowance for the expedition. He saw /
no better rule then and knew of 1
no better rule now. Colorado was
booming and wanted all Of the
service it could get, and deserved /
representatives
were there every day. IL generally had
a matinee every day in my Office,' said
the witness, members of Congress and
others coming around to urge increase
and expedition. Messrs. Teller and BelfOrd
were especially persistent. We thought
that we were doing a good thing for tine
said Gen. Brady. 1--WE thought
so then aud we think so nOw." The wit
ness vigorously denied that he had ever
the service. His only interest was in the
extension Of his office, and in doing
good thing for the country. He had tried
TO cOunteract what was known as the
Jewellian policy depending all the money
for inland transportation
OH railroad towns, which policy gave all
the money to the vast mOnOpOlies. He
believed that the star route service was
entitled to a share, and it became of espe-
cial interest to him. The witness had had |
with Postmaster General /
Kew on the subject of expedition and
increase, when Mr.. Key assumed to
charge that somebody wanted the office, /
and a vigorous fight was made. On Gen.
Brady's charges of extravaganza being /
made Judge Key investigated and told |
the witness that he had done right. There 1
after when the witness was in doubt /
about route he went to Mr.. Key and the |
latter was more liberal than himself. |
1t was one of the Judges hobbies
to run a mail to every county seat, |
and they would do it. They l
doubled up the service in the Southern
and Middle States. The witness said in
regard to fines, reductions and remissions, !
that all were settled in the inspection |
division and he knew nothing of them |
until they were presented for his approval. |
During an absence of the Postmaster |
General he made a sweeping remission of I
fines of all contractors in the yellow
fever district and with the exception of /
that period he never failed to impose fines.
He never received any money nor COM
hined with any of the defendants to de-
fraud the Government of the United States. /
Until they began to be prosecuted to-
gether the witness not did like Senator /
Dorsey much. They were neither friendly /
nor unfriendly. Since that time he had /
come to know and like him. The witness
then went into detailed explanations in re- /
gard to some of the routes named in the /
and was thus engaged when /
the court.
MethOdism i'm Virginia.
CHARLEsTOwN, w. VA, March A.
The Baltimore Conference of the NJ. Z.
Church of the South met here to-day. |
Bishop Keener presiding. The report of |
=. IL ltEl.a