Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-09-30

IT"T TT0 TrTaT "mT
conviction Of McDavitt solemn ,lejS-ol 81 tbc
government had been broken, and Urged ex-
i've cIein ency IN his behalf. which was not
sTa1Ie9. Mr. woodward testified also that
hcDaVltt was witness he should have relied
/ upon to break into the SalisbUrv combi-
/ nation and show their methods Of doing
DusLness, anu ne was the only
/ witness accessible to make proof apsi ast the
powerful combination, but that the govern-
ment TOOK that witness and sent him to nrison
II Is due to Messrs. MacVeagh and James to
state tIat the pledge OF immunity to McDavitt
was violated upon their retiring from once
ne manner OF procuring expedition was re-
auSeu 70 a science. AfidaviTs OF contractors
/ dnu 0thers were used as the foundation for
| expedition, am service was allowed The
daflng ehrontory of these affidavit makers is
cutions. - w
READY-MADE AFFIDAvITs.
Athdavits signed and sworn to in blank
| were Kept on hand by contractors inst as tbev
/ 5ald up supplies Of grain for their horses
Ihese aIhdaylts we're the sole measure Of the
| cost OF expedition, and no other evidence was
| required by the department for granting
/ increases or services and increases of speed
.nlGGh "nlGh cost Inc government hundreds Of thou
stock Of these blank afidavits was kept on
hand, and the blank filed when occasion re-
/ CURED the use Of them. and the papers filed
| with the department were the basis Of se-
curing large and valuable additions to a con-
| tract. Thus perjury was made the basis of
/ ali the frauds perpetFated.
h6iatlNc 70 the employment and cOmpenSa-
l tiOn OF attorneys the report says that A. NJ.
6lpson was employed in April / 81, upon the
recommendation Of MIR. Woodward, and that
upon the recommendation of Mr. Gibson VIII
/ nam a. Cook was employed. Both Messrs.
| GlOsOn and Cook formally terminated their
connection with the cases in the early stage
OF the proceedings. 1t appears, however, that
suspicious OF their fidelity and of the proprie-
/ " OF intrustiDg evidence to them had arisen
IN the minds of their associates at an earlier
! date, so their actual participation in the work
| practically ceased in December, 1881.
SOME OF THE BIG FEES.
Benjamin Harris Brewster and George Bliss
| were obtained early in September, 1881 by
| Attorney General MacVeagh. w. w. Ker
! was retained Jan. q. l-s2, and Richard Mer-
! rick March %, of the same year. The total
| amount paid to the above mentioned attOr-
| neys for service in these cases was $I44S46. of
| which Col. Bliss received the greatest amount,
/ his compensation being $57, 1872. In addition
| S6,I2I was paid to Allan Pinkerton for the ser
| vices of detectives, $3.50 for other detective
| work and $l,579 to James NJ. Semple for
service IN summonlng witnesses. The report
| says IN this connection: Your committee find
| 1t impossible to ascertain the whole amount of
! expense to which the government has been
| SUBJECTED on account OF the star route frauds.
| Inc amount PAID attorneys and detectives is
! correctly stated above, but 1t Is impossible to
| determine how much the expenses of the
| courts IN the District Of Columbia were in
creased by reason of the many indictments
! considered and presented by grand jurles, and
| by reason of the long and expensive trials in
! the Dorsey Brady case. There were also
| largely increased expenses IN the post Office
| incident to the investigation of the star route
mail service through special agents.
OTHER EXPENSES.
The expenses of the trials and the appear
ance of witnesses before grand juries were
| largely increased from the fact that the gov
! ernment counsel could not entrust the service
| Of court processes to the United States Mar
/ shals and their deputies, but were compelled to
| employ special agents for this purpose, They
/ 4 at aof
| expense IN order to serve subpoenas, procure
/ the attendance Of witnesses and arrest par
/ ties Indicted.
HALF A MILLION STOLEN.
| In reference to the contractors not Indicted.
! the report says that from the tabular state
ment from the Office of the second Assistant
| Postmaster General the amount which it is
| claimed could be recovered from Messrs
! Salisbury and Parker is estimated al 1864. .4O3
/ While the record evidence in the Post Onice
! Department at the beginning of the investi-
/ cation by the department was meagre against
| Messrs. Salisbury and Parker vet the evil
| dence subsequently procured through special
| agents sent out for the purpose showed that
| the operations of these parties as contractors
| were glaringly fraudulent and that thcv
| should have been indicted and convicted
| and prosecuted in civil suits for the
obtained from the government. some
| mysterious and powerful influence most
| have operated to secure this immunity. In
| relation to the efforts to iEdict ex-Seuator
| Kellogg, of Louisiana, the committee merely
| embOdy condensed history of the different
| attempts in that direction. and the transac-
! tons upon which the attempts were based,
| but makes no comments thereon. Concern
| ing the civil suits the report says: up TO the
| time Of adjournment no civil suits had been
| instituted by the government aga nst any
| star route contractors for the recovery Of the
sums paid for fraudulent expedition. Attor-
/ ney Ger eral Brewster stated before your
| committee that after Mr.. Gresham became
| Postmaster General it was made the subject
( of discussion as to whether or not civil suits
! ought to be instituted, whether they might
| rot prove fruitless in many instances and
| whether those sued at remote distances would
| not interfere with juries and prevent verdicts
| and make it a costly and intermInable busi-
ness to the government
GREsHANrs DETERMINATION.
All this was considered, but it was finally
| determined that the government did not pur-
| sue this kind of suits for the purpose of max
| ing money. That was his opinion, and it was
| accepted because the object was to show a
determination on the part of the government
to follow up, as he stated whenever anybody
! had wronged it, by way of example. he the
| remedy civil or criminal, etc. Then the Post
| master General undertook to have the cases
put in o der for the purpose Of bringing civil
suits in the fall of 1888. He sent
| the Attorney General full and abundant
letters on the subject, together with the pa
| papers in the cases. The Attorney General
says that Col. Bliss then wrote him several
| letters on the subject, in which he showed
| great anxiety to Z ct possession of those cases
I
| with the Postmaster General it was concluded
| that it would be better not to give them tC
| Col. Bliss. that he had his hands full with the
| criminal suits, and, then againit might be an
| expensive thing 10 let him take charge Of
these civil suits. At any rate, it was not con-
sidered the proper or polite thing to DO. The
| Attorney General caused the papers in the
| case to be referred to Simons, who examined
| them.
SEEKING FOR COUNSEL.
The Attorney General made several efforts
| to employ counsel in these cases, but had MOI
| succeeded in securing the services of COmpe-
| tent persons to take charge Of them at the
| time. He testified before your committee
| July 8, 1884, and SAID that no civil suits had
! been instituted at that time in the star route
| casts. The report continues relative to the
| removal of local officers in the District of O.
! lumbia who were hinderng the prosecution
| of star route cases and were
| giving aid and comfort to the defendants
! and says that Marshal Henry, according to
| the testimony of the Attorney General, was
| removed 'iOr fragrant violation of his duty
| in aiding the defendants" At the beginning
| of the prosecution an effort was made to Sc
| cure the removal of District Attorney Cork
| hill upon the alleged ground that he sympa-
| thiZed with the star route contractors at
| was objected to his removal that he was then
| engaged in the trial of the case and should be
/ continued till that case was concluded, but
/ after the conclusion Mr.. COrkhill continued in
| the Office Of District Attorney, but he was not
| allowed to appear before the grand jury or
| before the petit jury in any of the star route
! cases.N
MERELY SIGNS HIS NA1IE.
| He merely signed his name officially to the
/ indictment when found. He continued In
office till the expiration Of his term in the lat
| ter part Of 1888. Mr.. MacVeagh thought that
| it was misfortune to have NJ. COrkhill IN
| that Office for his retention presented the
/ anOmOly of having District Attorney in the
/ district in which these defendants were to be
! prosecuted who never was allowed to
| know anything about the prose-
| cutlon or take any part whatever in
/ it, Dir. MacNeagh retired from the office
| OF Attorney General. and also declined to act
| as chief prosecutor in the star route cases
! upOn the ground that he did not see how ne
/ could hope to have moral support in the cases,
/ aud il was moral support alone in the District
/ of Columbia for which he cared.
! After taking up and passing separately.
/ in the same manner, upon each feature of
the star route frauds, and the litigation
! connected Herewith, the report con-
! cludes as follows:
Your committee Is OF the opinion that there
4 were many causes which operated to prevent
/ successful prosecution OF the star route
| offenders. Whatever these causes NAV have
| been, IL Is doubtless true that those who will
I take pains 10 read carefully the testimony
| taken by your committee on this subject.
| comprising nearly thousand pages Of printed
1 matter viii reach different cOnrfusiOns
| There vas great diversity in the testimony
! and many contradictions will be
| found wholly irrecOncilable. 1t is
| sufficient, however, for the purpose Of
| this Investigation to state that while the evi-
| dence against the star route contractors and
| public officials was strong ami conclusive as TO
| their guilt, and that the government was de-
/ frauded Of large sums Of money, and that
| large sums We're also expended to secure in
| dlctmr ruts and convictions, vet no person was