The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-05-13


named as a secret agent, and give him sucn
assistance as he required, he, Fl5hDack,
would answer for the breaking up of the ring
in St Louis. The secretary authorized an
immediate reply by telegraph, promising 10
appoint the man whom Fisbbsek would IN
dicate, upon the receipt OF his ZANE py
return disDatch. So thorough was the
espionage of the ring in st. Louis believed to
be that it was not deemed safe to communi-
cate upon the matter by telegraph, nor In
fact directly with the treasury department
at all, and so the name was forwarded py
mail. Even these precautions were not
sufficient to prevent some inkliDg OF what
was intended from reaching the ring, and
man was dispatched to Washington TO as
certain ifpossible what was going on, and he
actually reached this city, and had had inter
views both with the commissioner and the
secretary before the name OF the man finally
selected for the work was communicated
TO the secretary. The man who came pre-
tended to be desirous Of working against
the ring, and to be in the confidence OF the
very men who were promising the secretary
help; and so plausible was he, that ne was
on the point of discovering the plan by
which it was proposed to
MOVE ON THE RING,
when he was exposed, thrown off the track
and shrewdIy disposed of, when he imagined
himself in possession OF the very secrets
which the ring desired to obtain Mr.. Fish
back was then requested by the secretary to
come here in person. The whole matter was
talked over, and a commission issued to Mr..
Myron Colony, secretary of the cotton eX-
change, and commercial editor OF the Demo
crat as special agent of the treasury, and he
was authorized to employ such clerical and
detective force as was necessary to perform
the work agreed upon. The utmost secrecy
was observed in issuing Mr.. Colony's COM
mission and Instructions. The whole case
in the depal tment was placed in the hands
OF Major Bluford Wilson, solicitor of the
treasury. II had been ascertained beyond
doubt that all the orders and NOV, ments of
the internal revenue bureau and OF the
treasury department were instantly and
regularly telegraphed to the agent of the
whisky ring, and that even the contents of
cipher dispatches in regard to important
operations-and in short, everything
ring to know, was at once communi-
Gated, and of course, by those holding
the most confidential relations in the depsri-
ment. A new cipher, unknown in WASH
ingtOn, was therefore agreed upon, and 1t
was arranged for certain security that all
these should be addressed to a gentleman in
Washington having no connection with the
department. The official correspondence
upon the subject and the kilograms were
not entered upon the files of the Office. In
the department, only the secretary and
solicitor and one confidential writer knew
anything of the affair. Outside, but two
special revenue agents knew the iulI
EXTENT AND MEANING OF THE MOVEMENT.
Mr.. Colopy's commission and instructions
reached him in st. Louis on the 9TH of
March, and on the following day, after full
with MIR. Fishback, their pre-
liminary plans were perfected and work was
begun. There are in st. Louis six distiller-
ies and 20 rectifyinS establishments. The
distilleries all are known by :he following
n1.nes and firms: The Aurora, Teuscher's,
RIiCy's, Brigham Bros, Ulrici and Bevis IL
Frazer. The first step was to pro-
cure watchmen TO note every move
ll,ent of grain and whisky st those distill-
cries. and especially to keep close eye
upon them at night. ltwas difficult thing
to find men who could be trusted, the ring,
and even all its workme1, being exceedingly
watchful, and accustomed either TO buy up
or drive off all set 10 note their proceedings.
But as fast as two suitable men could be
found they were placed at one OF the six
distilleries. To lessen the chances of their
being discovered as watchers, they were
kept but one day at the same post, and the
next all were changed to other distilleries.
Full reports of all transactions were rem
dered daily. 1t was at.opce discovered that
being enlarged so as to
GIVE IT GREATER CAPACITY,
were running at their full capacity, though
MANY tubs in each were locked up; that
they all continued through the night; that
they worked late Saturday night and began
early Sunday morning thus cutting off botn
ends OF the Sabbath, and thst all both re-
ceived grain and shipped whisky O ter dark,
in flsgrant violation of the law. and, as is
readily seen, requiring collision az every
step on the part of the revenue officers and
employees of the various departments. The
watchers were TO note the number OF loads OF
grain brought in, and to obtain in each case
the number of the bulk-grain wagons bring
ing it. This number must, by law, be
either upon the box of the wagon or the bar
ness. This. taking the number OF wagons by
strange parties first led TO the discovery by
the distillers that they were watched. The
drivers of the grain wagons being one Gay al
one distillery and the next at another
! finally met in their rounds the men who haC
| been changed from other posts and began x
report that the men watching were those
that they had seen at other distllleries the
day before. At first the attempt wa
made 10 throw thsm off the track, by rem0v-
ing the numbers from the wagons and put
| ting I'll EN- on the traces, and spattering then
over with mud. But the watchmen per
sisted, and while load was being removed
hunted the box and the harness over till th'
number was found. Finally, to ascertain II
what extent these wagons were watched
the owner of most of then, one Woltinger
sent the same driver to drive one load t.
each distillery, and note the men watching
| In this way the whole force of watchmeI
were recognized and identified. Then be
gan
| A SERIES OF ASSAULTS UPON THEN,
and several were beaten severely in oper
day, and many more at night. Some wer'
so badly injured as to be laid up. Ther
strong men with capacity for fighting wer'
put in their places, aud SONS of these finally
commanded immunity from attack. Th'
| city police gave them 10 protection. and a
| first acted as If they had orders from tb'
chief OF police to allO them to be beaten
| and To make them ..noYa on, at night q.