Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-02-16
SOMETHING ABOUT DORSEY.
His Part and Interest in the Star Route
COnspiracy-An Ex-senator as n Man
ufacturer Of Afffdavits-Other Matters
Revealed by Rerdell Yesterday.

After THE STARS report of the st~ route trial
closed yesterday. the examination OF Rerdel was
contlnued until 1t was interrupted by the adjourn.
ment OF court He described his trip west, fur
nlshed with money by S. W. Dorsey to stock the
Bismarck route. He was instructed that he
should, when he got out on the route, get man
to sign one OF these applications for post Office at
an angle off the route about sixty miles. Witness
was to get the employees on the route to sign this
petition, designating of their number as post
master Witness paid the bills through the
house OF J. W.. Raymond Co, drawing
on The German American bank here, under
| the name OF J. w. Dorsey & Co.. which wit
ness signed. Witness 1lled up one of the blank
Pennell to carry out on the route to get the
men to sign. The post Office to be established
was wa, ioeated by means OF a map. Witness knew
notn1ng or the country or Its population OF his
own knowledge.
PAPER POST OFFICE.
ut was paper post off1ce?" said JUICE wylie.
"It was paper post of1lce," said Rerdell, /" or
| the purpose Of getting an increase OF distance"
Witness had no authority to write the name or
J. W. Dorsey & Co., except that which he received
from s. W. Dorsey. The stations built on the
route were built for the Increased service ex-
pected, without any relation to the service
as it then existed.
Witness upon his return to Washington met
Miner, who told him OF the bad condition the ser
vice was then in.
WHY VALE WAS PREFERRED TO BOONE
Miner said that they could not do anything so
long as Boone was In the concern; that Brady was
hostile to Boone b that Boone talked too much, and
Vale, who was Very close to Brady, was coming in
to take Boone's place. Afterwards, on one occa-
Sion Miner asked witness to write in or insert a
word, In petition relating to one OF the routes.
Within three days before the order for the increase
on the Bismarck route In December ISIS in a
conversation at the hotel, Vale and Miner told
witness that they would give him employment at
SoOu salary Witness went 10 work under an
engagement with them.
WALES GREAT EXPECTATIONS.
Vaile said the service would be increased and
would be very profitable; that the gross receipts
would probably be $6oO.0OO or $1,000 Witness
was to receive part OF the increases on the Raw
Inns and White River route. He was to establish
! himself at a central point and take charge OF the
service After that, on the 4th of January, 1879.
Witness at the instance OF Miner and Vale, went
west. Witness represented to Mr.. Perkins, of Raw
Inns, in order to induce him to make a sub-con-
tract on the RawllnS route that the service would
be increased, ,Vaile and Miner having told him that
d1ately on his return to. Washington, and there
was some question as to how they could get an
the Rawns s IN IN lien nf nne n VI Ioh en ana on
contractor, OF record. At that time s. W. Dorsey
was 'oqt" with Miner and Vale. and he had al
rected John w. Dorsey not to furnish any aff1da-
Wit. day or two after that Vaile said Brady had
agreed to accept an af1idavit from the sub-con-
tractor. Witness then, by Instructions, sent a
form OF the affidayit to Perkins. and it was sent
back in blank.
DoRsEY's INGENUITY IN THE AFFIDAVIT LINE
The figures stating the number OF men and
animals then employed and to be required were
| filled In by witness
"Under whose direction?" asked Mr.. Merrick.
"Under the direction OF s. W. Dorsey" said the
witness
'Who suggested the number OF men and the
number OF animalS?"
''S W. Dorsey" said the witness
The witness continuing, said that the af1davit
was filed In the Post Offlce department by direc-
tOn OF s. w. Dorsey, who was then an ex-senator,
that being in April 1879. Witness took the affi-
daV1t to the contract Office and signed the letter
OF transmittal in j. w. DOrseyS name In the
spring OF 1879 witness had an arrangement with
s. w. Dorsey to take charge OF mail matters.
subsequent to this employment S. w. Dorsey got
up new form OF sub-contract, emitting the pro-
vision for expedition Witness went west for the
could and getting up additional petitions His
instructions from s. w. Dorsey were to prevent
the Sub-cOntractS from being filed II possible. s.
W. Dorsey told witness that very few OF these SUBJ
contractors knew anything about expedition, and
where they did not know anything about 1t he
should not tell them anything aboutit.
WHOLESALE MANUFACTURE OF AFFIDAvIrs.
John W.Dorsey and John NJ Peck acknowledged
number Of af1davts In blank to be used when
ever necessary. When 1t was necessary they
were filled up and filed In the department In
some cases they were filled up by S w. Dorsey
and some cases by the witness. The witness
identified the handwriting in the body of the af-
davit on the OJo Calente route and testified that
the inserted figures were In the handwriting OF
S. w. Dorsey.