Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-07-29
THE FRAUDS AND TRICKS OF THE DIsTIL.
LERs-HOw THE GOVERNMENT Is SWIM.
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THE FRAUDS AND TRICKS OF THE DISTIL
LERs-HOw THE GOVERNMENT Is SWIM
DIED.
The quantity of liquor distilled in the United
StNes IN 1850, IS reported in the Census Return:
oil that year, was 5000 988 gallons. IL /, sup
posed that the production since that period has
rather increased than diminished. If the excise
duty of - per gallon was in all cases hJnesily
paid the G vernment would derive an annual
revenue of Sl76OO0 O0O from this source alone
Bat in reality only about one-tentn of this sun
has been realized. II IL evident therefore, that a
system OF fraud and deception on the most gigsl.
tic scale has been organized. The ingenious d..
vices Ivy which the prohibitory liquor laws were
eVaded have been entirely &c ipsed by the in e.
NOUS schemes devised 10 hoodwink the assessors
and collectors of internal revenue.
The magician's trick of serving liquors of all
descriptions from single bottle has been tn ned
10 practical account, by the invention Of barrels
with separate compartments. some of which con.
tain ale or beer, on which a small tax Is p nd and
others thu precious whisky. Mysterious under
ground pipe-laying has been in vogue, by which
the largest portion of the products Of some distl.
leries has been disc large at concealed points
distant from the main building. II il even said
that underground distiller'es have sprung into
existence. Ali the concelmen.s and subterfuges
by which the g4useis and inspectors of Great
Britain have BEEN baffed in iceland, scotland and
England have already II is reported, been called
into requ sltion IN our country. - Philadelphia
Press.
An article in the Chicago Tribune on this sub.
ject says
Among the inuumerable methods devised by dis.
honest men to ch=atthe Treasury. We have heard
OF this one rents his dlstillery ~ for briei
time. B fires up ard runs it day and night on
high wioes. Alter he has ma Iufactured q thou.
sand barrels, or some large quantity, the owner
Of the distilery has sudden attack of patriotism
and ru,hes TO tax collector and Uniforms" on
3, and makes the necessary proof of the intended
fraud the onicer teizes the whole lot has il con-
dsmned and Id, and pays over one-hslf of the
proceeds to the informer, who In turn passes over
two.thrds Of his share to the lessee, b, who lets
the case 20 against himself by default. The law
gives uslf the money 10 the infOrmer. The whs'
KY se Is In the market at two dollars per gallon.
The conederates realize o 1e dollar between them,
for what costs them but forty cents to make-s
clear profit By the transaction Of sixty cents per
lllon; and the distilsry not confscated because
il is the property of honest A
Ano her method is hat where the owner of the
distillery, ter making sufficient quantity, gets
a ues hbor TO complain Of him. and he proceeds
of the inform alton money being divided, as pre-.
yiolsly agreed upon by the co-splrators third
method and II 1, believed the most frequent one,
1, by COLLISION with the Iuter0el Revenue officer,
by W hicn false returns are allowed to be made,
aud certificates Of insp elton Issued for more
whisky tnan is req lired 10 pay thu excise. One
OF the recent whisky frauds in Iowa was Of this
character. Two thousand banels were manufac-
tured by q con ern and duly stamped and certi-
fed by the assessor and inspector, but only one
thousand OF the barrels had paid the tax. The
other thousand was thrown on the market and
the proceeds divit ed with the dish nest and per
jured officials. detective Of the Treasury De-
partment, who not had been bribed discovered the
fraud, and caused q seizure of the contrabAnd Ii
Cuor to be made.