The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-03-16

Maulsoh was neNt laAeu up ana thoroughly
examined.
In connection with the Garland and Par.
rott city route, Bliss called witness atten.
tion 10 postmaster s letter protesting that
proposed hfty-hour schedule was impossi-
Bile, Witness replied that nothing was i'm.
possible in this direction, If
men and horses enough were
used it coull be done; this was the
contractors business, not his; the assertion
was ridiculous on lis face. Witness pre.
sumed he had not considered productive.
ness when he increased that service; witness
did not always seek to verify statements
made in the ENDORSEMENT when they came
TO him from responsible persons he pre
sumed they spoke the truth. Bliss INQUIRED if
the witness remembered orders connected
with the Dalles ana Baker City route, He
answered he had an indiStiuot recollection
of such orders he had made orders i'm con.
nection with over l0,0O0 routes. Bliss asked
il orders for expedition had been ordered ON
| this route instead OF increased trips, Wit
ness answered ii seemed ridiculons
| To think slow service six times a week was
better than three trips per week, or a fast
schedule, especially II the people wanted il
| that way Bliss asked how he knew the
people wanted it. Witness said he had ac.
cepted the representations of members of
congress rs to the needs OF the people.
Bliss-"Were they always expressions of
| their own unbiased iudgment?"
Bradley Certainly; | could not assume
anything else"
The examination recurred 10 the Redding
and Alturas route, witness said that the
mail was being carried in less than expe.
dited time, per oreer of expedition, but il
he had known it would have made no differ
ence; the contractor, could not have been
forced TO carry it on bhort schedule without
extra pay.
Davidge 0aughing) II think the witness
is getting the better of Mr.. Bliss. | think
he had better be stopped"
Bliss-"Mr, Davidge need not protect me
There are others needing his protection"
Witness was asked II he sought to drive
bargains for the govarnment. He said he
had expedited all rbutes at less than the
pro rata.
Bliss-"Then you assert that eighteen of
nineteen routes We're expedited at less than
the pro rata
Answer-"l do and will show it to you.
We had general rule for expeditions we
calculated that iirst-class service in the wes-
tern country was worth about S20a mile,
depending on the character OF the country,
and that ii should not exceed $50 these
nineteen routes will show an average
less than $50 per mile Witness
assumed the contractors ailidav Is were
true; that they had not committed perjury;
the only means he used to prove them was
a general rule allowing so much per mile
according u the section of country where
the route lay. He denied there we're errors
manifest upon the face of the atii lavit, OF
that they were absurdiy at variance
with the results; did not remember any
thing about two atlidavits in one case. Bis,
/ Yni aI ont a n Witnauu al ha
result was shown by the proposition, whicr
: would be the same in either case although
the terms were different.
Bliss-"Can both be true?"
The Court--"You are rs good IL Judge u!
: he"
An affidavit signed by John Dorsey wal
shown, in a case where he was not u sub.
} contractor. Witness said he did not remem
ber taking any steps to ascertain i
Dorsey was u sub-contractor The
jacket did not show that il
, appeared to be regular, and The case had
e been made by Turner, acareful correspond
, ing clerk; the jacket should have shown
! that fact; ii Dorsey was not the sub.c0n
tractor, it would have been mistake on
the part Of the clerk, Witness woult
!, not assume the man was scoundrel, be
Cadse he was u contractor. 81 assumed
they were honorable men."
i Then you asailned their statements
: true because they mere contractors ?''
Q assumed their statements true so fa
, as they knew; at the same time | used ms
!. own rule as q guide"
l Bliss asked why the Lacquervillc ant
! Adariyllc route had been expedited I,
! thirty-thrte hours; why had that time beer
selected. Witness said the route was 13
8 long and four miles an hour was abou
as slow time hs he allowed
on expedited routes. Bliss produced ar
9 affidavit based upon thirty-three'hou
schedule prepared by Peck, In New Mexico
: in January, 1870, six moAths before orders
. and asked why Peck had made the sam,
! allowance.
Wtnes THAT question you will have
70 ask Peck. You will have TO so aud sec
him."
Substantially the same questions wer,
asked in regard to similar ai
i fdayit on the Julian ant
Cotton route, where an affidavit appeared
= TO have been prepared several months II
, advance of the order. The court remarked
; that 1t was necessary to investigate Peck.
HE conld not have known what The
order could be except by collusion,h an
swered Bliss, while the defense laughed 50
I tirically.
c "Why don't you ask him why he was il
: collusiOn with Peck?' inquired lngersol
You can ask him yourself"
D Bliss then appealed to the court to stor
the running comment of counsel on th,
: other side. On more thar
l one occasion viii 10 this wa,
I, witness had been under examination, hi
+, answers had been guided by suggestion,
l from that source.
; lngersoll-"lt could not have been from
! q better source"
t Witness Qndignantlyl-"l say tina. is no
r true"
A question having arisen IN regard I,
the scope OF cross.examination, Mer
rick expressed his undorstandin,
that II was not confined to the limits OF til,
direct examination but when delendan
. went upon the stand he throws himself opei
~ far as the whole case is concerned
The court coincided in that view
Witness was asked il he had not allowed
: combinations up to the limit fixed by atli
7 davits in each OF the nineteen routes. III,
answered that oil were expedited ut les
: than the PRO rata.
1 The Court-"You don't include the Bis
$ mark and Tongue River route.n
YES, sir; thai was expedited at less thar
, tho pro rata"
i'liss-"IIo means by pro rata based oil
Miners l5O-men affidavit"
lnEcIsOlI-- ne lltunh III hluuuNlt lult
0 before him for action"
The Court-"That affidavit contemplate,
u fight with Indians, suppose
Bliss inquired II witness thought that on
, man was required for every ten miles o
ronte.
= He answered that as 1t was new rout
9 running through the Bad Lands of Dakot,
|, and infested with hostile Indians, no die
: not think II was too many; STILL whil
: they accepted the affidavit they did no
!, allow expedition on that basis. He wa,
: not asked how far the schedule would re-
quire horse to travel per day. Objection
= was made and sustained.
That Is like the story Of the lrishman
who asked how far 1t was to town." bcgar
{ lngersoll.
9 That Is ou of order,n Interrupted th,
u court. IAN Irishman always is" Laugh
ter Bliss asked how II was that re
jected affidavit and offer TO carry the mai
g for less than the pro rata had been receivet
= thu samp INV Witnoaa anil thsv t,igh