Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-03-20


amined before the Springer committee today. He
said he was first applied to for his services by Mr..
James In the last part OF August. 1881. and re-
fused. Again he was applied to and wrote a letter
to Mr. James in reply, which he read to the CON-
mittee. In the letter he said that II he accepted
the position he would expect to be paid what law
yers generally expect get for their services but
would not enter the case purely upon a pecuniary
consideration. In the first place, however,
HE WANTED TO ASK TWO QUESTIONS.
First, whether his appointment had any connection
with the possible accession OF Mr. Arthur 10 the
presidency. II so. he would not accept the place,
| as he did not want. friend OF Mr. Arthur, to
put him in the light OF assuming the responsibility
of tie star route trials, thinking that it was not
best. anything so unfortunate should happen
as his succession 10 the presidency, to cucumber
his administration by any doubtful and uncertain
matters until he had first secured the confidence OF
the people The second question was. whether or
not the prosecution felt secure in their position;
for II they did not lie would not take the matter in
hand
THE CONSULTATION AT ELBERoN.
After writing this letter, he had consultation
with Mr. Cook at Elberon, which resulted In his
employment by the government He then wrote
another letter to Mr.. James, stating that he was
satisfied with Mr. Cooks statement OF matters,
with one exception, and that was that Mir. Cook
said that there great deal OF political influ
eXerted In the interest OF the defendants and
he (BnSS) would be expected TO do
LITTLE MORE PULLING.
This, he said, he objected to, saying that he
might resort to w1re-pulling in politics, but never
In law.
"wn you state to the committee" said Mt.
Springer, 'the nature OF your action In the cases?
'That is a difficult task" replied the witness.
Some time, he said, was spent after he went into
the matter in looking over the cases The first
presented for his consideration that OF the
Prescott and Santa Fe rOuteS which was said to be
the strongest This case witness said, he found TO
rest rest almost entirely upon the testimony OF Mr..
Ia N yD6 &C
AN ELEMENT OF WEAKNESS.
He looked upon Walsh as bold conspirator, and
refused to act In that case unless he indicted
with the rest This could not be agreed TO, and
he modified his conditions somewhat. But be found
that the case rested entirely upon Walsh, Nnd he
did not want TO enter upon the trial OF case In
this condition. 1t was not safe to trust to one
witness who might at any time slip away and leave
them in the lurcn. After that he had an interview
with Walsh in this city, and found that he could
not testify to as much as was at first thought,
many OF his statements being 1nferences, and not
facts. This weakened the case still more.
THE DORSEY CASE
was then presented to him Bliss to look over This
the prosecution did not deem as strong the other,
but he Bliss found it to be stronger. He said he
thought then. and still thought, that IL was strong
caSe-Stronger than any OF the others. The state
ment that he had said II was weak was false. He
had always. from the very first, said 1t WIS strong.
He had said that certain points In it-some of Mr.
GlbSOn'S StatementS-were merely 1nferenceS, but
the case was strong nevertheless.
MR.. BLISS THROWING THE BLAME FOR THE FAI.CRE
OF THE PROCEDURE BY INFORMATION on THE LOCAL
COUNSEL
Mr.. Bliss then described the history OF the pro-
cedure by information, which had been suggested
by Mr.. Cook at an interview at Long Branch. He
gave detailed account OF his Observation-Disclosures
cal and literary-with relation TO lnformationS.
He said that this procedure was proper enough un-
less there some local law In the District which
precluded action upon ii tn these particular cases
He wrote a number OF letters to MacVeagh and
James upon the subject He was opposed TO pro-
ceeding by Information, but. when he heard that
the grand jury had adjourned. and there was some
danger OF the statute OF limitation coming into
force, he thought that they might proceed in this
way. He called attention to the fact that there
might be some local law that would preclude this
Afterwards, when the proceedings had already
began. it was found that such law did exist. and
the cases were thrown out OF the court. This was
very detrimental to the cases. but IL any one was TO
be blamed 1t should be the local counsel, who should
have known OF this law.
Witness then proceeded with the minute details
OF the trials 10y Indictment He said he S TIL in
sisted that the Dorsey should have been prose
cuted in preference to that OF the Prescott and
Sante Fe. His experience, he said, led him TO
think that
IF WALSH GOT THE MONEY,
which he said he had been defrauded out of, he
would not be found when the government wanted
him to testify. He said that up this time practi-
cally nothing had been done On the part OF the
ernInent There was no regularity in the proceed
ingS. Everything was incomplete, though there
was great deal OF information that afterwards
was useful Nothing was In proper form, however,
until Mr.. Woodward took the matter in hand and
went over the files in the Post Office.
FOLLY.
He said that the idea of presenting but one case
to prove conspiracy folly. II they proved
that Mr. Brady extended the routes OF certain con-
tractors and increased their compensation TO an
unwarranted extent In one Case this did not prove
fraud or conspiracy. 1t might be from the want OF
judgment or from want OF knowledge that it was
done, and 1t might be censurabe, but 1t could not
ll1AH hoc
he repeated the same thing, granting these certain
contractors similar unwarranted Increase in other
tainty. or course II they could prove the payment
OF brbeS in one case that would be proof enough:
but this they could do only on the testimony OF
Walsh, and there was no certainty about that. He
Bliss did not think for a moment that Walsh
could be depended upon He had but little confi-
dence In
WITNESSES WHO WERE THEMSELVES IMPLICATED
in the fraud. The Indictment OF Lilly depended
upon the statement of Brodt, and he constantly
uneasy lest Brodt should not be forthcoming
when they wanted him. 1t had been intimated
that Brodt was going TO Europe. and other govern
| ment witnesses had gone TO Europe TO keep from
| appearing Speaking OF the indictments against
| BrOdt and Lilly. which Mr. Cook claimed he had
| drawn up in connection with Mr. Gibson, Mr.. Bliss
said that he had refused TO act In any where
| the Indictments were
| DRAWN BY COOK OR GIBSON.
Gibson, he said, was so little OF lawyer that
there considerable trouble about arranging his
| pay, because there was doubt as to whether he
| could be claSSed attorney. The tndict ments
In question he said he Bliss had drawn UP himself
and that after hearing MI Cooks testimony concern
| ing them MesSrS Woodward and Cameron had
looked over the files OF the department and found
together with the notes incidental to making them
! out
MR. BLISS CoNTRADICTs MIR. COOK
Continuing, Mr.. Bliss contradicted the testimony
of Mr.. W. A. Cook to the effect that he (Cook) had
not any papers in the star route cases 1nvov-
ing Representative Ellis He said that this paper
was among those relating to the Brodt and Lilly
cases; that Cook had sworn that he and Gibson
prepared the indictments in those cases. and they
did so they must have seen the document In rela-
ton to Ellis; that they could not have prepared the
| Indictments without seeing 1t. The papers wit
ness referred to as being these before Cook were
some OF the same that lately appeared in the New
York sun During that fall, Col Bliss continued,
we were interrupted In the preparation OF the
Dorsey case by
THE STRAw-BOND CASES.
| Post On1ce Inspectors T1dball and Shallcross
| made very elaborate report, for which report
Mr. Gibson takes large credit to himself but know
he is not entitled to it. Twas done by the Inspec-
tors"
Mr. Bliss then went on to explain the custom OF
receiving bids and permitting any postmaster to
certify to bonds by the hundred. Mr.. Cabell, he
sa1d got Two clerks In the department to go bonds
for million or SO dollars, and their property
bonds for millions. That matter was called to the
Presidents attention, and he suggested change
OF the law, as there was no power under the law
for the Postmaster General to reject OF those
bids When the President determined to send In
his message this subject as 1t would have to in
olpp 1H,o1l Sno1l