Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-03-07


CABINET. THE ADVICE He GAVE HIN, AND TIE
INFORMATION ABOUT STAR EoUTEs BE lMPARrED
10 HIN, WITH OTHER MATTERS OF INTEREST.
Ex-senator Spencer was promptly on hand to-day
before the Springer committee. He was sworn and
asked TO tell the story OF what ne knew about the
star route cases. He told it substantially SIS fol-
| lows
ness. and met Mir. James who asked me TO come 10
his Office the post oflce) on business He said he
my AID. promised to aid him, and did aid him a
great deal He thought SO. too. After he
had been in the Post OfIice department
TO make great reputation: that he could make the
department seif-suStaininC the first year, and re-
duee letter postage to two cents the next James
| star route ring. Mr. James asked me how he could
| do that. l said could explain, but under no cir
him, as did not care 70 be known as an in1orrler,
and as some of the men co9pected with 1t were al
most neigh5ors OF mine. Witness also
| CALLED UPON PRESIDENT GARFIELD,
who gave him the same pledge that everything told
by witness should be kept secret. Witness sug-
gested Ny. woodward as 1t person to take.charge
OF the Investigation. Tyner, then First Assistant
Postmaster General, bitterly objected to Wood
ward, but witness insisted that he was the best
man for the 2. ace. ard woodward was appointed.
He gave Woodward all the information he had. and
witness gave general direction to the whole in
veStigation. IL ISL witness frequently met A. NJ
| Clbsonln New York. Gibson showed him a table OF
w star routes showing tie increase OF coInpensa-
tion by expedition. etc Witness regarded the table
as valuable compilation. and. subsequently. upon
meeting Gibson in Washington, ne took him To
woodward and gave the latter the table. Witness
renamed In Washington three months engaged in
getting up evidence IN the star route cases he had
lived IN the West, and the frauds were
| MATTER OF PUBLIC NoToR1ETY
out there. One case that came particularly under
his attention was at Osceola, where he lived. The
! government was paying for service seven times a
-,r1t-
Witness discovered this in the contract Office OF the
Post Office department, and suggested TO James
that he send reliable inspector TO Investigate that
route. Mr. James Said il was impossible with
Brady liz Office. James said that he talked to Brady
about ii, and Brady said the charge was not true;
that the service was rendered as contracted for.
But Inspector Sharp was sent out and he found the
facts as he iSpencer1 had reported Witness recol-
lection was that the steal Oh that route was about
5000.
ABOUT DORSEY AND RERDEII-
Some time In June Senator Clayton Of Arkansas.
| met witness in Washington, and said II this star
route investigation was in earnest Rerdel had told
something worth Knowing. Clayton told witness
the story Reriell originally told and said Reriel
had related ii TO him. Clayton said he did put
much faith In Rerdeu, however, as he was 4 bad
man. Witness persuaded Clayton TO lay this infor-
nation before James and Woodward. Witness was
satisfied that II RerdeS story true a conyic-
tion was bound to follow. Clayton'S Information
CLAYTON took Rcrdell TO James, and he told bis
Whole story. They neglected to get his affidavit,
and few DAYS later Dorsey found out about 1t and
induced Rerdell 10 retract, which made his testi-
mony practicahy vaiuess. Witness remained here
until Garfield was Shot He made up his mind that
the inv estIarion would Thoroughly reform the ser
vice, but would be a failure beyond that He waS
SATISFIED THERE WOULD BE NO CONVICTION.
He left here then and took further active inter
est in the matter. He was getting no pay, and the
inquiry had passed into other hands from those he
wanted to have charge OF It. He was not then
committed about 1t at all Neither Brewster nor
Bliss ever asked him question In relation to it,
and he dropped the matter.
A MATTER OF MILEAGE.
In March, he said, he returned to Nevada and re-
mained until June. He saw deputy marshal In
Nevada who was summoning witnesses for the star
route case. Witness asked IL there was a subpoena
for him and Was told there was not. He came to
New York. and while therein fact, he had not
been twenty-fOur hours In the city-waS handed a
subpoena, and he felt re>entful. He regarded it as
mean trick to summon him thus and defraud him
of his mileage. II was bad faith to subpoena him
at all He came to Washington and stopped at the
Arlington had room next TO George Bliss. He
ASKED AN INTERVIEW WITH BLISS,
saying he wanted to find out what was proposed to
be proved by him. Bliss said he was very busy but
made an appointment for next day Sunday. Wit
ness remained at the hotel all next day. and sent
his card to Bliss several times, but failed to see
him. Monday Bliss apoiogked Tor not keeping the
appointment. After repeated efforts to see Bliss,
witness complained to VIM. f. Chandler that he
was being badly treated, and asked him to go wit
him to see Bliss Chandler and witness called on
House. but there missed Bliss, Returning I" the
hotel, they met him, and Bliss without speaking to
witness, called Chandler into the corridor. He and
Bliss talked for two hours, and whenever witness
offered 10 put in an appearance Cha ndler would say
Bliss did not want to see him yet. Afterwards
Chandler told witness that Bliss cid not want to
talk to him until after he fSpencer had been unon
the stand and that If he failed TO testify what
he Bliss wanted, Bliss would ask permission to
croSs-eXamine him and bring IT out.
Witness remained here, and in July the court ad-
journed over the 4th. He Went to New York and
SHOWED MIR. CoNKLING TIE SUBPOENA
that had been served upon him. Conkling exam
ined the statutes. and said positively that the sub
pCena was not legal: that X had been so held by
the courts il different cases. Conkiing advised
witness to ignore 1t and so on and attend to his
business. He regarded that as good advice, as he
had confidence in Conhling'S opinion, and went
back 10 Nevada He did not appears as witness,
and did not return to Washington until brought
the wrong blank In making out his SUBPOENA Wit
ness said be was never served afterwards until
while IN Nevada he was taken on bench warrant;
was brought here, tried and dismissed by Judge
Wylie. He decided that all the papers in the case
were Illegal.
Mr.. SPENCER KNEW OF NO MATERIAL FACT ABOUT THE
CASE THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN ADMITTED AS EyI-
After q pause Mr.. Spencer said: want to say,
! and might as well say here, that OF "my own
knowledge knew of no material fact that would
be admitted as evidence in any court that would
tend TO 1pvict the accused parties 1 had no
opportunity to state that to Bliss, but did to
Chandler and he stated it TO Bliss" Woodward or
some other Post Office department official generally
handed to witness the reports CT inspectors in the
star route investigation and it was generally the
suggestion OF witness that inspectors were sent
to different points to make Inquiries
NEVER SAW DORSEY PAY BRADY MONEY.
he had read the statement in James testimony
to the effect that he had said he saw Dorsey hand
Brady an envelope with money In 1t, and added:
81 say very positively 1 never Saw Mr.. Brady and
MIR. Dorsey In q room together, and never saw Mr.
Dorsey pay Brady any money. MI. James is mis-
taken He has got things mfXed' Witness had
told James great many things, and he had liiXed
them. Witness SWore that he never saw Dorsey
and Brady together in a room any where He denied
not have made 1t unless drunk, and he does not get
drunk.
DORSEY EXCITED.
On Sunday, in june 1881, at the Everett house. in
New York. Dorsey entered witness room about
| o'clock. Major Clark was In his ROOM and he left
at DoTSey's request, he saying he wanted to see
Spencer alone. Dorsey was very much excited and
alarmed He had heard that Rerdel had gone back
on him. "While Dorsey was there S. Il. Elktns
came In. Dorsey was worried, excited and anx-
1ouS. He came to ask me what knew of Rerdells
knew nothing, and ii did was in such position
that / could not tell" Witness had read James
testimony to what he (Spencer reported of Dor
Sey'S visit to his ROOM OF EikinS' presence there
DOrSeyS alarm. etc. and that statement was gen.
orally In reply to another question about
the money transaction he said: II don't remember
to have ever made any statement to James about
the payment or money; don't remember to have
ever heard Dorsey say he had paid Brady money.
know that at one time Dorsey very bitter
against Brady and anxious to have him removed
from Office"