National Republican., 1885-04-20
stan ROUTE nrplvivus.
The Trial OF william Dickson for
Reading u Newspaper In the Jury
Room Set for To-day.

The Trial OF william Dickson for
Reading Newspaper in the Jury
Room Set for To-day.
After two years waiting and three at
tempts to obtain trial, Mr.. William
Dickson expects to be able to get before
jury of his countrymen to-day, and havo
them make decision as to his guilt or
innocence Of tho charge under which he
has been resting for so many months.
The defense has always been ready, and
tho government has intimated that 10 will
be prepared to proceed. This trial will
doubtless have the effect of roviving the
star route days" as the prosecution
grows out of that litigation. On May 90,
1882, S. w. Dorsey and others were in
dicted for conspiracy to defraud the gov
ernment and on June of the same year
their trial was entered upon In the crimi-
nal court. The jury selected was Mossrs.
| William Dickson, Matthew McNelley.
John B. Mccarthy, Il. j. McLain, w. X.
Brown, Il. ID. Doniphan, II. A. Olcott,
! VIM. Holmead, Thos. Martin, G.. w. Cox,
| II. T. Murray, and Zacharlah Tobriner.
| The trial was long and tedious.
The government employed Messrs. Bliss,
Ker, and Merrick, and Attorney General
Brewster gave tho case his personal at
tention. In addition men were engaged
to watch the jurors, witnesses, and every
person on the side of the defense con-
nected with the trial. Among the coun-
sci for tho defense were Col. Robert G..
Ingersoll, Judge Jore Wilson, Mr.. Joil
Chandler, Judge Carpenter, and Mr.. A.
Il. Williams. The trial took place before
Justice Wylie, and IL was nonr Septemb ber
before the case reached the jury, which
disagreed as TO the verdict, ConvictinR
Miner and Rerdell and not reaching an
agreement rs to the others. They were
finally discharged, and on motion OF the
government new trial was granted as tC
the two men convicted.
Immediately after tho jury had been
dismissed came the hue and cry that
the jury had been tampered with
and verdict prevented. Tho matter
was laid before the grand jury, and
strenuous efforts made to lndict Messrs
Dickson and Brown, who held out fol
acquittal. The first effort proved fail
ure, and the warrant came down from the
grand jury room indorsed "lgnoramus
Charles Dodge, foreman" An attempt
was made to keep this action secret, and
the papers we're Immediately returned tc
the inqusitorial body. Mr.. Kor was
designated as an assistant district at
torney, and, going into the grand jury
room, conducted the investigation and
succeeded in obtaining an indictment
against Mr.. Dickson charging him with
trying to corruptly influence the Jurors
in tho jury room by reading q paper tC
thom.
The paper was statement Of the at
tempt made at Drivers Garden by Henry
A. Bowen and Brewster Cameron to in
fluence Mr.. Dickson to vote for convic
tion in the case being tried. Mr.. Dick
son went to Judge Wylie and informed
him of the improper proposition made t
him and by whom, and accepted his ad
vice. This was the paper by which it j
claimed Mr.. Dickson, as foreman, wa'
trying to use to influence tho jurors. I'm
mediately after the finding of the indict
ment Mr.. Dickson furnished bail for hi
appearance, entered his plea, and dc
manded trial. He has repeated tina
demand and it was not until Justic
Macarthur came on the bench that da,
was peremptorily set for trial. 1t
surmised that the hearing will not las
long,