New-York tribune., 1870-10-19
TAFBROOKLYN WHISKY RING
ITS POWER AND INFLUENCE--EFFORTs FOR ITS
SUPPBESSION-LEGAL STATUS OF THE CASE
YESTERDAYS CONFLICT-TWO MEN SHOT.


YESTERDAYS CoNFLICT-TwO MEN SHOT.
just now, the Fifth Ward of Brooklyn is alb
sorbing good deal of the attention Of newspaper
readers who watch with interest the struggle between
the law-enforer and the awbreakers, and the occa
siona raids Of the former upon the offending dstI''
occupied by the latter. The Fifth Ward (chieny ,.''
part known as "IrishtOwn" in the Third Couecuon -
tricO has long been notorious as the quarter ''ou
is distributed annually an unknown but immense - ,
tif, Of ilicit ylJ.y In portions OF the Wafu suns o.
all necessary apparatus may be found In he'i9 -,
building by any curious ana eou"Soo 49,, o,oryh
10 penetrate into these dark places an" SUI a.. low
TO observe them. Here the ev"u'is - ,r,doa
flourish in defiance OF Tax Dil'S' anu a., ,a,
hy the pcnalty which, they are rerfect! "w"o .'I
1a 20 A. ,,ld infict upon them. Their Danger Ho"
49, i nat 80 great after ALL and lies less III INC soi"s
than in the ma king, since the operation VI Ve Ia" " '
tar5v and ND TO the present time yer! H''V mas '''
dome 10 sirl rcss permanently, this nuisance 1ic ''
80 % an these whisky disers are 20 closely allied
ber prlon I'm resistance is firm and general ana her
trc fhood Is so well established. thai the ihVa-
sons of the officers Of the law are but slight cheek
evon If successful. tO these determined outlaws
qo,ar tlc demand for the whisky doubtless continues
,s .r, ever 10 is certain that the traffic now is
not so great few years ago, before the persistent
cer ma s to suppress ii within tie last last two years
The manufacturers were enabled to sell theH lll'i'
whisky vcly readily either by shipping it on the hudson
River boats go Albany Troy, and cities in that Vicinity
ar ceiling t 10 le,tfers in this city. When, finally the
tarsero .,ns AGAINST the law became 50 haerht as no
loucr 20 M ids9ci they were reporcdt9 the Internal
Ieyeuu. Department at Washington
TIE FIRST RAID
To CON ,,,.onton at the time Collector Of the Fourth
District wa, dcuted the duty of breaking up these
cstab lueuts Armed with special authority from the
Dcu.r;r .ut 20 make seizures in the Fifth Ward OF
Brooklyn 40 being out Of his District, he organized
force of about 100 WHO, commanded by COL lhom-
son AID Co Iulard went into the District one morning
seized Lire st...s and destroyed great quantity OF
mash cE mOa,ses and other ingredients III process
OF fermentation the spirit is extracted The stills
which they had seized they were, however, unable TO
hold and much less TO carry away, for few moments
suiccd To- bring around them an immense mob OF infu-
ated uou Who boldly attacked the Revenue officers WIN
clubs and lrckbats and drove them literally TO the wall
of the Nasy-Yard The fight was so serious that de-
tgcmcu uf plce was forward and with them Tor
an escort tlc whisky dcsroyers entered the Navy
gate and subsequently took steamboat for TINS city 10
avoid the mob that fingered at The Maynard gate.
Thus thc expedition successful only in interrupt
losse were repaired aud the manufactures were again
in full operation. Inducements u continue thS nanu
given by officers who should have been the very ones to
prevent the business Captains and sergeants OF pOce
ture OF illicit whisky. and IL was difficult TO obtain thelr
aid sgbgrdluate officers in the second Ponce freciHGt
In viii the FIh Ward is, were pointed at as having
invested the full extent of Their means IN Ihe iGt
stills great luke"almness Nh the ai,lsdue ~ Oi t tno
guardians ui the peace apparent aud lhe uanuIac
fnrrs were cnholdrned form a connection with some
prominent reciIt,rs in Boston, where there was de
iland I.s more whisky than could be supplied. The
scboouers. steamboats,. DC. soon became so open ana
euOruOus as 10 provoke another Iad.
TIE SECOND RAID.
This time Gen PleasOntOu reported that useless
to 20 into the district with small force; that they must
ght # necessary, and not merely seize, but find
cut positive information regarding the owners Of the
Stills and OF the property which they were located.
one thousand men, under Gen. NOSgcs, assembled on
Governors Island one night steamboat landed them
az the NdyyNdrd while Gen. PleaSonOn, Col. Thomson
and Col BulaTd. with 80 men, took boat at Canal-St
and roUed over To the Yard. The movement was exc
Cuted with great pr0mptneSs and the calculations were
well ugod that the whole force landed at the same
tme The troops were then organized silently the 1dea
h"ng to gain possession of the streets and lanes con
tIphed by e whisky men, aud then in the language oi
Out the NayyYard and iudicously posted, and the
working paIes then oIsnemced destroy had beer
previously determined upon, every thng connected VIII
the nciaIIuu, Iailc. The WORK was done enectuaiy
The victims of The raid admitted atterward that $1,000
would replace the loss. thirteen suns were de
suoyed and 50 barrel, of whisky were seized As may
supposed Ills INVASION wa, ltechlCu on lhc pL VI " W. m
"whisky pe0pe' Uhe majority of whom were lHoEj
more especially as the invaders we're German troops
LEGAL PEOCEEDINGs.
Immediately after this raid the importance OF still
more decisive measures began 10 be realized Gen. Pleas
advised that proceedings be instituted for the for
fcurc OF real estate upon which Illicit stills were
located ispiOvicod by law He took the ground thai
where the traffic notorious as IL was in Brooklyn
the persons who owned The properly on when the s'
found were P0rtcepS GtDtHtS, that man Is sup
W.
his property aui tine commencement OF suits against
tAes persons and TIE coul.,a.on Of their property,
and or what purposes they rented their premises Upon
L, su--,stiOn suits were brought IN BROOKLYN and one
by default IL found, however, very difficult
matter prove guilty knowledge ON the part Of the
oVIcrs cf tb,- premises one "l the remarkable things
about the mteuai Revenue law is, that though
providing penalty I'm the cUniscdtlOn OF property
and also fiI IN, prosecution OF the criminals
yet the authorities never seem 10 get beyond
the pclalto- I've criminal prosecutions I'm these eases
have fcen nd,ulousy few. rIe law fails to work both
a-
who viii convict Great difficulty has also been en-
couuteied in serving warrants upon persons IN the dis
tItt, alu C,Itdu umIuIJy and uhcWdrmuess nave
been observed The actions of the authorities Who is
said have preferred 10 dcputIe Otncrs 10 perform "ha'
properly ici0Lrs 90 thcr own department.
Proceedings have been commenced against premises
bordering od Jackson s,iltl' bet"eGn Hudsohave ior-
mciy ia, a,,I. tad NaNy-st and also against other
promises % d~0u-ayc. nearly opposite FrOnt-st The
let,r premises arc dIttty ulutI tnS Wds gl tlc
Yard and u That Locality the LlrdcOus OF the law have
@ 1e'n NvIS & Ii,i Inns 'i he iowltE 1dIIduaIs: Jane
Kearney premise sept. 20, 1862 lying Hudson
uJratiyey decent one and is not infested 10 such
e1tc9 az som, others, The I'e,gi.es Of Catherine Car
Pfar T, tno corner seized % de Gted S'atss is5 i s
block il extent and shaped ike tTapsz0ld is dotted all
time the very G0t-ped OF tle whisky rebellion Here
time their plans fur ntme movements Harrison's
Alley not far Tie locality just mentioned, and rum
ming nom Lyaus,t. nearly TO FrOnt-st, was another
tuc wall, OF the NaEyIaTd piece OF land bounded
10y YORK, Navy. ana PrO,pect-ats. and Hudsonaye.,
district larger tau the notorious one previously men
TONED, ana rNaug possibly SURPRISING, II IN the num-
Der Of stills contained aud extent Of manufacture. In
this place the premises Of Mary Callahan seized Nov D.
1862 those OF Mary Fitzpatrick, Margaret Graham James
Callahan seized Dec. g. Bridget Decatur, Peter Mclean,
and James D nen were proceeded against by L. :. Dis
trctAutOrney Tracy, by whom numerous offers OF com
promise and settlement have been received. Even in
these places Ie O"rs pretended 10 be ignorant of the
criminal trc pns which every day happened in their
buIdIugs, In which some OF them lived. Ed. Brady
owned premises n the neighborhood Of Plymouth and
GOlds;s, WA're in M spng OF 1899 large quantity OF
apparatus ami ingredients and whisky itself seized
admitting ownership denies his share
In the business, and claims immunity from punishment
on the common ground Oi ignorance.
Efforts 20 compromise wth the authorities have been