Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-06-15
MERRICK'S REVELATIONS.
MESsRs. BLISS AND KER LISTEN
TO HIS RECITAL.

dorsey
/ WASHINGTON, June .14.-Richard T.
Merrick to-day continued his testimony
before the Springer committee relating to
the star route prosecution. Messrs. Bliss
and Ker were both present.
The witness confined himself almost exclu-
siyely to the ease of the government against
Senator Kellogg. He said; I'm my testimony
/ Yesterday referred to the testimony of Mr..
I Hutchinson, foreman of the grand jury, re-
convened in July, 1882, for the purpose of
7 considering the Kellogg case, and said that in
his examination before the committee he had
{ inadvertently 1allen INTO an error
Mr. Hutchinson said that Col. Bliss
7 told the jury that he expected MIR. Price TO
/ appear as a witness before it. 1t was well
/ known fact then that Price was not available
as a witness, and thought Hutchinson to be
in error when he said that Mr.. Price was eX-
/ pected to appear" Mr.. Merrick then went
on to say that Mr.. Hutchinson had last night
called on him and convinced him that Col.
| Bliss had represented that Mr.. Price would
! appear before the grand jury, and that the
jury had adjourned over ono day to wait for
| Mr. Price to appear, but as he did not come,
they went into the court and reported.
WHEN PRICE BECAME sERvICEABLE.
"When was Mr.. Pnce first available as wit
ness, either before the grand jury or IN the
! trial of the case?"
"SOme time in the latter part of December,
| 1882 or the early part Of January, 1883. The
grand jury was in session about the 18TH OF
! July, 1882"
MIR. Merrick detailed his efforts to secure
Mr.. Price as witness, his idea being to con-
Yict public official whenever 1t was possible
by the testimony of a private individual
He continued: 'FWhile l was in New York,
son of Mr.. Price called to see me and said that
| his father desired to be rid of the prose-
! cution as cO-conspirator with Gen,
Brady in the Corpus Christi and
| san Antonio route | said that his father
/ could be released if he would disclose TO me
! the connection of Brady and Kellogg with
that route. subsequently,, and in the fall OF
| that year, the counsel of Mr. Price, from
! louisiana. came to see me on the same errand.
| Later on S. Price, of Missouri, called, and l
repeated what mad told Mr.. Prices son, and
| SAID that he must lay the papers before me
/ containing what he knew, and, if acceptable
the government would probably accept him
as witness.
KELLOGG's GUILT PROVEN.
/ ''The statement was made. | examined it |
4 and regarded it as sufficient to prove beyond |
| doubt the guilt of Mr.. Kellogg. A disagree
ment arose in regard to the acceptance of Mr.. |
! Price as a witness. Col. Bliss threatened to |
| leave the case if Mr.. Price was accepted, and !
/ Messrs. Merrck and Ker prepared to get
/ along without Col. Bliss, but the latter was |
! prevailed on to remain"
! WAS anything said about Mr.. kellogg's |
! possible conviction affecting the majority in /
/ the SenateYn asked Mr.. Springer.
/ II do not think that anything was said at |
/ the time. That subject was mentioned, how
/ ever, on several occasions. / have said it |
myself. Others may have said it. | directed |
Mr.. ker to go before the grand jury, and saId
] l.
| March he had better not bring in present.
ment until after that time. / had been Bit /
| terly accused by Mr.. Kellogg and others of
/ having desire to withdraw him from the |
| Senate. His withdrawal would have broken
| the Republican majority. While Thought that
! he ought to be indicted, l did not think it
/ eXpedient to have trial until after March 4, /
/ because his position would have influence with |
/ the jury, and others would have been in
! terested in not having him convicted"
WHY KER WENT BEFORE THE JURY.
''Why did you cause Mr.. Ker to go before
/ the grand Jury? ?" was asked.
MIR. Walsh was to be a witness. MessFs
Bliss and Walsh were not friends, or Mr.. |
| Walsh had bitter preiudices against Col !
| Bliss. Thus, as Col. Bliss and | had antagO-
! niZed each other this subject. did not
deem ii eXpedient that Col. Bliss, who was the |
! apparent friend Of Mr.. Kellogg, should be |
charged with the unpleasant office Of bringing
| that man to Justice"
MIR. Merrick then entered into detailed !
| account of the trial of Mr. Kellogg. In refer !
| ence to its ending he said: Il am unable to |
| account for the result of the case. The in
! dictment was prepared under my direction. |
| 1t was for the actual payment of money and |
not for the issue of drafts. have no doubt
| that Mr.. ker did his duty in presenting it to
! the court"
''Mr. Ker in his testimony referring to the
conversation between Col, Bliss and yourself
| received money!" said Mr.. Springer
81 regret that Mr.. Ker spoke Of the consul
| tatlOn between the counsel. / think that
Colonel Bliss and talked Of such an ac-
] knOWieQGmGnJ Dy NJ. AeliOgG.'
"Mr. Kellogg said that he did have those
drafts, interposed Colonel Bliss.
KELLoGG's EXPLANATION.
"He made an application to Mr.. Price to
contribute towards a political fund. MIR.
| Price said that he had no money but he had
| some postal drafts and, if Mr.. Kellogg could
| get them cashed, he could have the money.
| Mr.. Kellogg insisted that that was the way in
| which he came in possession Of the drafts"
"Did men in leading positions ever attempt
to prevent the convection of MF. kQlIOUUS'1
I ''Ihats q difficult question to answer. / had
my suspicious and belief, but whatever they
! may have been they are not competent evil
| dence. IL l had the facts l would give them.
| No leading man ever came to see me. Mr..
| Walsh says that Secretary Chandler called.
| but Mr.. Chandler has never been to see me-"
| Have you any reason to believe that any
| official cast distractions in the way Of the
| prosecutions of the cases?" asked Mr. Stewart
| ''The reason is a broad term. There is no
| fact in my personal knowledge which | can
state that would form the basis of such a
conclusion; During the first Dorsey trial the
air was full OF suspicious that the administra-
tion was not in sympathy with the prOsecu-
removed. He seemed to be in sympathy with
the defendants and abused COL Bliss.
PUBLIC FEELING.
"Public sentiment in the District of Columbia
was very much influenced in some way
against the prosecution from the start. 1t
| was generally thought that the administration
/ did not desire a conviction of Messrs. Dorsey
or Kellogg. The defendants tried to impress
that idea. Referring to the proposed arbltra-
tlon of the star route cases, Mr.. Merrick said |
| Col Bliss in his testimony says that 1 called
| on him, and that we looked up the authorities
! on that subject. think Col Bliss is mistaken.
/ | am positive that he did not come to my
1 house, | rather favored submission of the
J case to such a tribunal as was proposed - /
''Mr. Walsh IL his testimony said that Mr.. !
Merrick said that Coz. Bliss betrayed the gov
1 ernment," said Mr.. Stewart.
''NIy recollection is not distinct as to what /
/ may have passed In my first interview
with Mr.. Walsh. 1t is possible that l said it,
! but If did II was in this way: If what you. !
1 say IS true, Colonel Bliss has betrayed the |
! government"
"Mr. Ker said that Colonel Bliss proposed
/ to you to let Mr.. Dorsey co."
! WHAT HE MAY HAVE SAID.
II do not recollect any such conversation.
! and will add that am very confident that |
+ no such conversation as is reported took /
! place between him and me. 1 may have said !
/ that if he went out of the case would go too |
| did not want to stand alone and / knew that |
! Mr.. ker would go with me in the Kellogg |
/ case"
| Mr.. Ker here interposed: 'sNIv testimony
4 was that Mr.. Merrick said Col Bliss wants |
me to let Dorsey go.' I'll take out the word |
4 me- and stand by the rest.''
Mr.. Merrick continued: son one or two
occasions Col. Bliss said that if we had /
Dorsey out of the case we could easily convict |
! the rest. had my own opinions and impress /
sions. / knew that Col. Bliss bore close polit-
cal relations with Dorsey. Whilst l did not !
believe that Col. Bliss would be delinquent in |
his duty, in his heart he did desire that Mr.. |
Dorsey should not be convicted. know of no /
thing that Col. Bliss did in the trial to protect
Mr.. Dorsey. He made no proposition to me /
that Mr.. Dorsey should be alio owed to escape |
When the first trial came to a close Col. Bliss /
inadvertently omitted Mr.. Dorsey's name in /
his closing argument.
DORSEY THE CHIEF CONsPIRAToR
81 made Mr.. Dorsey the subject of my. .argu- /
ment. l said then what 1 say now, that he /
was the originator Of this schemen
didn't / in my opening statement mention /
Mr.. Dorsey2" asked Col. Bliss.
''Col. Bliss, in his opening. said that Mr.. /
Dorsey was the centre of the Conspiracy" re- |
piled Mr.. Merrick. Col Bliss then 1
referred to Mr.. Ker's testimony, in /
which he said that the counsel for 4
the defense during the trial read a newspa- I
per interview with Col. Bliss in which he was 1
credited with saying that Mr.. Dorsey's case /
was a weak one. He also read from the !
record of the trial to prove that no such inter- /
view was read in court. That statement of 1
Mr.. Ker's, he said warmly, is entirely manu-
factured."
Col. Bliss said: "The arrangement which |
was made early in the session to unload on me i
has begun. ] propose to meet those makingit. I
l will put IN testimony some letters that some i
people forget have ever been written"
The committee decided to hear the letters /
next Wednesday, and to listen to any further |