Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-04-11

STAR ROUTE SECRETS EXPOSED.
Inspector Woodward Cross-Examined.
TIE STORY OF ONE KxPEDrTED RoulE GRAPHICALLY
ToLD-A1so THE HISTORY OF A DISAGREEMENT
AMONG THE GOVERNMENT COUNSEL.
MI. woodward being cross-examlned before the
Springer committee to-day, said that during the
interviews between Col Cook, the Postmaster Cen
eral, witness and the President, in which Mr..
Cook pleaded for immunity for Senator Dorsey on
account OF his services to the republican party, Mr..
Garheld slgni1ed In no way what his feelings In the
matter were. Witness said he did not know why
L. Sanderson's name was included In the first in
dictnents; he was In no way connected with the
Dorsey combination, and witness was greatly
prised when he found him Included with the rest
He said he presumed that SanderSon was indicted
upon his oath concerning the necessity Of the
route.
"Would not he be subject on that to a separate
Indictment for perjury" asked MI Springer.
II am under the impression" "was the reply, "that
the idea prevailed that one would not be subjected
to prosecution for perjury upon those oaths' Wit
ness said further, that his objection to including
SanderSon IN the rrSt indictments was because
| there was no evidence to closely connect him In
conspiracy with Dorsey and the rest whereas there
were other cases which were strong against him
DISAGREEMENT OF GOVERNMENT COUNSEL ABOUT TIE
CASE OF PRICE.
With relation to the difficulty concerning Prices
testimony, witness said that he was sent to
tie dispute between the counsel with relation TO
that testimony. Prices affidavit was placed In Wit
ness hands, and. having gone over IL, he had an
interview with the Attorney General and Informed
him that Prices testimony was important. The
Attorney General then said that he would accept
Price as a government Witness and instructed Wit
ness to SO notify the counsel. This he DID, and It
caused considerable disturbance among the coun-
| sci. Mr. Merrick took the high ground that when
high government officials, such Senator Kellogg
| and Second Assistant Postmaster General Brady
| accepted bribeS and entered into conspiracy
against the government they were guilty OF a tlr
| more criminal Offense than that OF an humber
criminal. and that they should grant Immunity TO
the lesser to convict the greater criminal Mr. Bliss
on the other hand held that the evidence against
Mr. Price was such that no immunity should be
| granted him under any clrcumst ances, and they
Should prosecute him whether Kellogg and Brady
were prosecuted or not When Prices testimony
was accepted Bliss was so put out about II that he
| retired from the court and remained Indignant for
some time leaving MesSrS. ker and Merrlca TO take
| charge OF the cases.
DISCLOSURES IN PRICES AFFIDAvITS.
"What was contained in Mr.. Prices aff1davits
which were placed in your hands?" asked MI
| Springer.
.Tney related to the San Antonio and Corpus
Christi route; to the payment OF OF money to
fund to be used to influence Congress IN the inter-
1882; to frauds In certain steamboat routes; TO the
payment of
CHECK FOR THE BENEFIT OF BRADY, ETC.
1t has been time since read over the papers,
and cannot remember all the facts set forth in
them"
| Springer.
~ 81. do not quite remember. think, however, that
"Was 1t upon the evidence contained In this affi-
davit that Kellogg was indicted9"
Witness went on to describe the condition OF the
various cases, how they had been worked up, and
upon what evidence they were based
THE GRAND JURY.
Witness spoke OF his frequent appearances before
the grand jury, explained the nature OF the EVIL
dence given there, and the result He said that he
thought that the grand jury were inspired with a
wish to act fairly and do what they thought right
They found several indictments and In other cases
Jailed TO indlct. ma COZ. Bliss, ne said, had entire
was In no way responsible for the action before the
grand jury. The witness said he was before the
grand jury in relation to the Vtnita and Los Vegas
route very short time. and he could not remember
what information he gave about the route. He was
asked what inform ,tion the prosecution had alto
gether about the route.
THR STORY OF ONE EXPEDITED ROUTE.
Witness went into an explanation OF the route.
its pay etc, and the expedition. At FIRST he said,
the route was 7a5 miles long, service once week,
and the pay was $3.50 a year. Parker was the
contractor. Some petitions for Increase were filed.
In December, 1s7S service and pay were increased.
Petitions for faster time and more pay continued to
come nall written in the same hand and by order
another increase OF pay OF 6 per cent was allowed
The witness produced affidavit OF the contractor
for increase, which he said he did not believe was
true By one order the pay was increased over
| $4,000, making the total pay about $4,000. A
postmaster on the route Blythe made report to
the department that the route vas altogether use
less. The letters over the route averaged one for
every two days Blythe wrote that the route was
through wilderness and altogether useless By
this time the contract had been in existence l0l
DAYS and the pay had been Increases to $4,000,
Complaints OF inefciency OF the service were made
one from Gen: Hatch, OF the L. S. army, saying no
| mail had been received at his post for
ten days 49, A postmaster p on, on the route
at his Office for three weeks. The witness pro-
| duced number Of such complaints from various
| sources The postmaster at Darlington reported
that the mail over the route did not average over
| ports showed that the service was performed on
horseback, while Increase OF pay was obtained on
the basis Of a number OF men and horses being
| employed. The contractor had filed an affidavit
that II required number OF men and horses per-
form the service Orders OF Brady increasing the pay
OF the service were in the face OF the OyerWhelm-
ing and authentic reports that the route unne-
ceSsary and the service miserable Additional petit
tions for further expedition and increase We're sub
| mitted by the witness. some signed by Congress
! men from the southwest. and Gen. Brady ordered
| an additional pay OF ss6052.59 The witness said
carriage and drive around seeking signatures OF
Congressman to the petitions Tor increase He got
| the signatures OF some members, one OF whom said
| the Increase ought not to be granted, and being
satisfied the department would not make such an
allowance he signed because requested to do so by
| a friend Mr. Woodward said that members OF Con
gress often signed these petitions pro ro,.H,a not
understanding the bad use made OF their names
The witness added that IL was not charged that any
members OF Congress received any pay their in
| f1uence. They were simply deceived He referred
to the letter OF Gen. Sherman, OF 1873, to Senator
Dorsey in favor OF this route The witness said that
the total annual revenues OF this route about
$265, while the pay was over $15OOOO. The annual
revenue Of one Office was only s1.6l Witness
showed that Postmaster Blythe. who recommended
the abolition OF the route because OF its worthless
ness, removed in spite OF petitions OF citizens
for his retention. and there Is file in the depart
ment letter from Gen. Brady to the Postmaster
General insisting upon Blythe's removal for '.gross
negligence" &c.
bribe a lady who was postmaster on the route, the
facts Of which have been given in THE STAR A
later order from Gen. Brady, reducing the
| service TO three times a week. and cutting
| OF $64,53S OF the pay, Was shown. This
was after agitation OF star route frauds had
| begun. Evidences OF the useessness OF the route
and wort hessneSS OF the service continued to pour
In, and In 1881 Second Assistant Postmaster General
Elmer abolished portions OF the route reduced the
service on all OF 1t and cut down the pay the Dor
tions maintained to figures commensurate with the
| service.
Recurring to the earlier period of the route the
witness went on TO show that the evidence OF dis
| tance, etc, filed to secure increase OF pay was
| fraudulent. and that the papers were written by
! the same person. He produced
AN ORDER OF GEN. BRADY
allowing about $4,000 additional for an alleged ad-
ditional distance, and In this connection he pro-
duced official reports OF post Office inspectors to
| show that the post offices which the exl-a dis
| tance purpOrted to include had either been boil
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