See 1854. The Star Route prosecutions for conspiracy furnished large material for the newspapers in 1881–2.
1854. A “star bid” is where a party agrees to carry the whole mail on a certain route for a certain sum of money.—Mr. Jones of Louisiana, House of Repr., April 20: Cong. Globe, p. 959.
1862. He [Mr. Gurley] flew from Fremont to Ohio, with the “certainty, celerity, and security” of a star bid in the Post Office Department.—S. S. Cox, ‘Eight Years in Congress,’ p. 224 (1865).
1881. “How soon will the Star Route cases be brought to trial?” is the question heard on all sides.—Washington Post, June 4.
1881. The contest of the Star Route men to extricate themselves from the prosecutions at Washington begins to look tragical.—Cincinnati Enquirer, June 24.
1881. If the star route thieves are not pushed to the wall and convicted, the people of the U.S. will blame the Government.—N.Y. Times, Oct. 28.
1881. The Star Route Frauds. How justice is made to miscarry.—N.Y. Sun, Nov. 16.
1882. The Star Route cases involve a great many people in a great many places,—including both ends of the Capitol.—Philadelphia Press, March 18.
1882. Mr. John A. Walsh, whose name has become prominent in connection with the star route trials in Washington, was in town yesterday.—N.Y. Herald, Aug. 23.
