The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1870-07-19
Romance of the Whisky Ring.

city announced with telegraphic breyity
the arrest of three persons charged with
whisky and revenue frauds extending over
two years and aggregating 100000.
TO New-Yorkers this despatch convey
ed nothing of more than passing interest
but to the knowing few it was the
sequel to the story of marvellous success
and ingenious triumph. OF success hav-
ing its rise in nothing, and Of triumph
over the most persistent efforts of reve-
nue. officials for the detection Of fraud
One Of the persons named was Peter
Schwab, citizen of Hamilton, Butler
county, Aourshing n auuiacturing city,
% miles north of G ncinnat. Seven
years ago Schwab was poor and indus
trous mechanic, earning daily wages,
with growing family, and little pros
pcct in life beyond hard work and the
ordinary competence OF AT artisan. The
county was, and still is Democratic
stronghold, and Schwab one the firmcst
adherents Of unterrilicd faith In 1868 be
was rewarded for his party devotion by
election to the office Of con stable, aud
the sun Of his prosperity rose. He or
ganized Ring, and, by shrc',d twisting
Of the law relative to Criminal Costs made
his Office pay him at the rate Oh $4,000
year, whereas it had scarcely been worth
as many cents to his stupid pred ecessors,
who had served warrants and chased
horse thieves ever since the days OF Sym
mess purchase, in Ignorance OF the rich
mine they were ncglecting. In short Pc
ter managed to save about $4,000, and
his success was only checked by passage
Of a law expressly framed by the Legis-
lature at its next session to meet the pro
pensities Of like ingenious constablcs.
Schwab had ny nature plenty of nerve,
and having acquired by art $4,000 cap
ital, he determined to back his natural
nerve with his artful capital. He put
his money in his pocket, and went into
Northern Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois,
In Il short time he was back home, with
no money, but the holder Of 100, 900 gal
Ions of whisky, on which he paid 10 cts.
a gallon margin with his $4,000. just
in the nick of time for him, Congress
capped on the additional tax Of 81 per
gallon, and Peter found himself the win
ner of Il snug 100000 on the 100000
gallons he held. Ambition grows by
what it feeds on, and Schwab resolved to
be the head of the greatest whisky ring
in the country-in fact to be ring Of
himself and alone The Great Miami
valley in which he lives is famed as one
of the fairest in the West. and the coun-
ty Of Butler stands in the census returns
as among the richest rural counties in the
Union Through this valley and county
runs the Miami Canal, connecting the
lakes at Toledo with the Ohio at Cincin-
natl, and POP miles in its entire length.
Along this line are numerous distillerics,
, Schwab went to work quietly He show
ed great discernment in the selection of
his agents. His men never betrayed
him, and he always stood by them in
case they got into any snarl with the rev.
, enue officials Indeed, it was for time
| difficult to say whether he was not run
ming the revenue department in that sec
ton himself. He also had the rare gift
of talking a great deal, and talking very
r frankly, and yet not saying anything that
any body could turn to his serious disad
vantage. A detective swore in a trial
: before Judge Leavitt that Schwab once
;. told him that if he wished to " he could
, sit on pile Of Five-Twenties and cut
the coupons" That was all that the de
tective had to show for some weeks o.
hard trial to trap Peter, and he couldn't
c swear what that expression really meant
+ 1t was the nearest any body ever came tC
|, getting any criminal committal out o
9 him.
t But to return to the distillories. One
o by one controlling interest in those
e along the line of the canal was bough
h up, until this individual Ring conducted
g the operations of most of them between
S Troy and Cincinnati. One by one thc
c old managers of those dstilleries were
won over, or removed or replaced by new
men. The lock-tenders and other off
cials, whose duty it was to scrutinize tn,
e manifest of passing boats, were taker
, from their posts and others substituted
through some unseen and mysterious re
If commendation. The distillery watchmeI