Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-03-30
DORSEY GOING 1T BLIND.
HIS EYES TOO WEAK TO SEE
ANY OF HIS FAULTS.


The ex-Senator's Ailment and Gen Bra
dy's- Bad Memory Remarked by Mr..
Merrick-The Witness Put in a Denial
to InfOrmer RerdelI's Story About the
$4,000 Check.
WASHINGTON, March 29.-Ex-Senator
DOrsey's examination in the star route
trial was continued to-day. The witness
denied generally that he had ever filed
up, or authorized any one to fill up. an
aiiidavit in regard to the number of men
and animals required on a route after it
had been sworn to or filed.
Colonel Ingersoll asked permission from
the court to inquire of the witness if he
mad ever given check to J. b. Belford.
Tide court asked if there was anv obiec-
tiOn.
MI. Merrick answered that he had no
objection, providing the counsel would re-
clprOcate by allowing him to examine the
W illness upon the subject.
Inc question was put, and the witness
SAID that he had never told Mr. Rerdell
that he had given a check for $1,000 to
Mr.. BelfOrd, nor did he tell him to charge
check for that or any other amount to
y. b. b. upon the books.
colonel ngersOll-'Did YOU ever give a
check for any amount to Mr.. Belfordy,
Mr.. DOrsey-"NOt a dollar. / never
had transaction to the extent Of one
cent, with the exception ofwhat you stated
to the court the other day about the pre-
sentation OF rifle. / would like to see
that check to j. Il. B., anyway.v
The witness also denied that he had
ever told Mr.. Rerdell that Mr.. Boone was
to be frozen out because of General
Brady's hostility to him. He had never
seen the letter produced by Mr.. Rerdell
purporting to be from Mr.. Vale to the
witness requesting him to dissuade Mr..
kerdell from continuing his suit against
Messrs. Miner and Vale. The witness
was present at the conversation between
Messrs. Rerdell and BOsler about
June 10Th, 20th or 21st, at his
house on l street. The pencil memoran-
DUN was the subject under consideration.
MIR. Rerdell was telling Mr.. Bosler that
he had shown t0 Mr.. MacVeigh a memo
randum in imitation of the witness hand
writing. Mr. Rerdell went to the waste
basket, picked out the pieces. and laid
them on the table. The writing resembled
the witness handwriting so closely that
he was unable to distinguish them. but
the witness never wrote that memo
randum.
The direct examination was closed and
MIR. Merrick began the crOSS-eXaminatiOn.
liz illness was required to describe his
movements for several years with great
partlcularity. Speaking of a certain date,
MIR. Merrick asked: you were then Oc-
cupied in Indiana?''
Il was then preparing to OccuDv Indi-
ana answered the witness
MIR. Merrick produced a COPY of the
New York Herald of December .. 1882.
containing Mr.. DOrsey's statement given
out by the associated press. The witness
said that he could not see to read. He
had not read line for six months. and for
three Ofthose months he had been shut up
in dark room.
Mr.. Merrick@'Can you see to play a
game of billiards."
Mr.. DOrsey-"Oh, yes"
Mr.. Merrick proceeded to read the arti-
Gle sentence by sentence The witness
corrected several errors of date and iden-
titled il as matter which he had dictated.
The witness said that he believed he had
not signed the paper for Mr.. Peck. The
same was true of the contract. He might
have signed them, however, and had for
gotten the circumstances. Mr.. Boone's
statement that the papers had been
signed with Peck'S name by Mr.. Dorsey.
was referred to and the. witness said that
Mr.. Boone was mistaken. He did not be-
lieVe that he had the papers.
Mr.. Merrick@FDOn't YOU know itY'
Mr.. DOrsey-"I don't know ANYTHING. I
believe good many things, but am not
absolutely certain about anything.7
Mr.. Merrick-''You are not certain that
you did not cOnspire to defraud the gov
ernment, are yOu?"
The witness smiled derisiyely and an
swered, ''My recollection has been pretty
thoroughly refreshed on that subject and
L am as certain about that as | am about
anything"
Several papers were offered i'm evidence,
which Mr.. Merrick sought to show were
signed by 5. w. Dorsey with
Mr.. Peck's and J. w. Dorsey's names,
but as the witness said he cOuid not see
to read anything, there was no way of
identifying them, and they were not adj
mitted. Mr.. DOrsey's defective eyesight
and General Brady's memory seriously
detracted from their value to the prOsecu-
tiOn as witnesses. Whenever a question
which they did not wish to answer was
asked they did not know or did not think
anything about the matter.
"How came Mr.. Miner here in January,
lS7S,'' inquired Mr.. Menick.
son the cars, presume" coOlly replied
the witness.
He also refused to say positively whe-
ther or not he had written him to come
here. Mr.. Dorsey lost his temper and an
swered angrily while Mr.. Merrick was
directing his questions to finding out
what Mr.. Dorsey had to do with the mail
proposal prepared in his house. The
court adjourned while this point was be-
ing pushed.