The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-16
THE PROSECUTION AND ITS COST.
The Department of Justice Denounced-No
Advantage from the Employment of

The Department OF Justice Denounced-No
Advantage from the Employment Of
Bliss.
Washington Special.
The shout which went up in the court
room, and which was borne from one end of
the capital to the other in notes of approval,
was not so nsesch in vindication of Brady,
Dorsey Il Co., as an emphatic condemnation
of the Department of Justice, the govern
ment counsel, and the vicious methods and
vicious men employed by them to secure a
conviction. This ought to be thoroughly un-
derstood. From the beginning of the first
trial down to date the defense has been stead
lily gaining friends, not for any fresh merit of
their own, but because of the un-
scrupulous men and methods employed to
put them in the penitentiary. The SPIES
detectives, informers and perjurers of the
government were daily operating in plain
sight of the jury, and the public with the
jury, naturally resented it. Government
counsel were notoriously in league with Rer-
dell, who had boldly proposed to assist them
i'll packing this same jury for conviction
and the jury resented it by refusing to credit
his testimony under oath, even when it
criminated himself. Rerdell was the chief
element of weakness in the governments
front as their main strength. Men here
ceased to ask whether Brady and Dorsey
were guilty or innocent, but declared it
would be burning shame that they should
be convicted on the testimony of such per-
jured scoundrels as Rerdell and Walsh.
This, briefly, is the significance of the ver-
dict to-day, and the ovation to the de-
PENDANTS which followed its announcement.
There is a very general feeling that the
government has gained no advantage from
the employment of George Bliss. transac-
tion characteristic of Bliss occurred at the
Treasury Department this week. He has
been drawing his pay as Assistant District
Attorney with commendable promptness
ever since the commencement of the trials
seldom allowing his per diem to accumulate
bevond So, 900. This amount, at the heavy
rate allowed him, together with most ex-
travagant expense account, it did not take
very long to reach, until lately when the
First Auditor refused to pay his expenses on
the ground that that form of compensation
for about $4,000 was presented as
usual. 1t could not be paid
for the reason that the appropriation for as
sistant government counsel had been nearly
exhausted, but 81, 700 being left Mr.. Bliss
instantly withdrew his $1,000 claim, and,
fearing that some one would come in ahead,
presented new account for the $1,7O0 re-
naming which he received, thus actually
cleaning the last dollar of the appropriations
out of the Treasury Whatever balance may
be due the government counsel, they will
have to wait until the next appropriation be-
comes available.
The cost to the government of the star
route trials just finished will be in the neigh
borhood of S500,000 Besides special attor-
neys, whose fees alone, already paid, amount
10 nearly $125 979.48, there were employed
special agents and detectives, together with
large clerical force, while the cost of secur-
ing the attendance of witnesses was great