Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1884-04-27
WALSH AND BRADY.
An Interesting Statement of Facts for
the First Time Made Public.

the First Time Made Public.
Special to the Appeal
WASHINGTON, April 26.-The reappear-
/ ance in Washington of John A. Walsh,
| the Star-route witness, will make interest
| ing the following statement of facts which
has never before appeared in print. In
1876 Gen. Thos. J. Brady was appointed
internal revenue agent at New Orleans
| through the influence of the then Comis-
/ sioner of Internal Revenue Platt who, like
Brady, was an Indiana man, and who con-
tended that Brady was person of nerve
and had peculiar fitness for ferreting out
the rascalities Of the powerful whisky ring
which was at the time greatly perplexing
the government. One of his first official
acts was to unearth the robbery of $780,
600 by Walsh, which discovery prompted
him to use the following language in his
report to the Treasury Department:
81 am constrained to assert that the
whisky thief is not Indigenous to the
West, as l find that he flourishes here in
the person of Walsh and others"
In 1877 Brady was promoted to the
position of Second-Assistant Postmaster
General by President Hayes. Strange to
say, one of his first acts in his new place
WAS 10 give WaiSii, tue Iual ne uau
branded as a robber, a contract for carrying
of $4,000 per annum. The two men had
now become bosom friends, as is well
known. In less than three months
Walsh, not satisfied with the amount of
money he was making, presented numer-
Gus petitions, many of which were bogus,
asking for the expedition from weekly
to tri-weekly service. The increased
service was granted.
Walsh's legitimate compensation would
have been three times $4,000, or $54,-
600, but the records of the Postoffice
Department show that his newly
acquired friend, Brady, actually al.
lowed him slS7, 900, or $4,000 more
than he was entitled to, the excess being
what might be called clear steal, and
which helped to swell the deficiency of
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1880, up to
the enormous sum which was lobbied
through Congress that year. 1t has been
affirmed all along that Walsh, in common
with other contractors, gave Brady thirty
per cent of the excess payments. After
James and MacVeigh had employed
Walsh as a witness against the Star
reuters he determined to make Brady
refund him the thirty per cent. ABOVE re-
ferred to, and to that end left it to Brady
l u stuOpt citDcK uOiu VI tuc Qll6Ullud ,cltn6I
/ to regard the amount given him as bribe
or as loan.
OF course Brady preferred the latter,
| and Walsh instituted suit against him and
obtained judgments which have not yet
been paid.
This is the plain story of Walsh's con-
| nection with the Star-route cases, as given
| by the best authority. Those acquainted
with the inside facts know also that Kel-
+! legg was staunch friend of Walsh, and
that he persuaded Brady to give him the
contracts, and helped to make the arrange
| ment by which the Second-Assistant Post
master-General was to get thirty per cent.
of excess pay, the understanding being
| that the latter was in turn to divide with
Kellogg. Walsh, who is here now, after
having been vainly hunted for nearly a
year, says be will tell all he knows about
| it," whereat Brady and Kellogg are more
| or less scared. In fact, it is expected that
the testimony of Walsh will have an i'm.
portant bearing on the Kellogg case, which
| is set for trial Monday morning, and may
decide the fate of the defendant.