Union and American. [volume] (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1875-1877, 1875-11-24

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The st. Louis Tinss Publishes
interviews with members OF the
United States Grand Jury, now
sitting in that city, in which occurs
the following.
Reporter-Do you expect to find
any new indictm=nts against prom
ineut citizeosf
Grand Juror-I am not authoriz-
ed TO answer thai question. Still,
I think it is qiite likely that the
preparatory work on which the
government officials are now en-
gagged viii lead TO the indictment
of other prominent persons.
R.--Of Babeoek and Orville
Grant
G. G-Perhaps.
RI desire to know whether
the statements respecting Babcock
and Orvills Grant were true or
faisef
"a. J.-NsesAes : ss:eelz 4sas-nor
entirely false; that is to say. that
indictments have not yet been found
against those two parties, nor is it
certain that there will be, though it
must be admitted that every prob
ability points to the belief that some
parties high in power ut Washing
ton and near In person to the White
House viii be implicated.
R-Babcocki
G. J.-Well. I don't like to speak
freely upon the subject. for it is too
grave and delicate. There ia no
doubt in the world that the whisky
ring could never have been ORGANIC
ed, conld never have existed, and
centainly would not have fourished
so many years as it did, without di-
rect connection, countenance and
support from Washington. In fact,
the unparalleled success of the ring,
both in duration and in the exalted
degree of their robbery, was only
made possible by some direct ar
rangement with the administration
at Washington. 1t is on record
that for years remonstrances were
fiequently made at the Revenue De-
partment in Washington against
the ring. It is on record that
members of Congress frequently
protested agsinst the manner in
which revenue officials failed to dis
charge their duties aud disgraecd
their positions. 1t is on record that
over q year ago Commissioner
Douglas, the head of the Revenue
Department, received the most cir
cumstantiaf offer of proof from a
prominent lawyer in st. Louis, Mr..
Jesse Woodward, which offer Mr..
Douglas silently pocketed. It is
on record that other parties fire.
quently urged and implored Com
missioner Douglas to order at
least an investigation into the st.
Louis ring, which he declined to do.
1t is on record that when the order
transferring the supervisors from
their respective districts was issued,
which if carried out most probably
would have broken up the ring all
over the country, that order was
countermanded over the heads of
both Commissioner Douglas and
Secretary Bristow by President
Grant himself It is on record that
Gen. Mcdonald, the supervisor in
this city, and head of the ring, in
stantly went to Washington as soon
as that order was telegraphed, saw
Gen. Grant at the white house be-
fore the reversal OF the order, and
openly boasted of having secured
the latter. 1t is on record that De-
lano, for years commissioner of the
revenue department and afterward
secretary OF the interior, had most
intimate relations with Joyce and
Mcdonald. 1t is on record that
Ford, the late collector of this dis
trict, and the predecessor of Col.
Con Mcguire, was in the ring when
it was first organized and. that
Ford's g relations with the President
were of the most confidential and
intimate character. It is on record
that the confidence which Gen.
Grant placed in Collector Ford was
SO great that he offered him Della
nos place in the C.binet, and that
but for Ford's- sudden death he
would to-day sit in the Cabinet. It
is on record that Gen. Babcock,
the right hand Of Gen. Grant, was
on most confidential terms with
Joyce, and that Gen. Mcdonald 8
intimacy with President Grant was
sufficiently great for the latter to
accept as q present span Of horses
bought by Gen. Mcdonald, in CAL
laway county, in this State, which
are still in poFsession Of the Presi
dent -
R.-Do You think that any OF the
distillers who have pleaded guilty
will be sent to penitentiary, too!
/ G. Quite likely. They cer-
tainly cannot escape imprisonment,
but the judge may, as n special
mitigation and lenienoy. order their
imprisonment to take. place in the
county jail instead of in the peni-
tentiary. Still, upon the whole,
chances rather favor the latter time
honored institution.