Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-05-19
EXPOSING THE GREAT wHIS-
ky RING.

]
is the accomplishment of q scheme
highly creditable to our Secretary of
the Treasury and the officers of the
Government with whom he cooper
ated. Secretary Bristow received in
formation some time during the last
winter which led him to believe that
the law was being evaded by whis.
ky ring, and that the Government
was being defrauded out of an i'm
mense revenue. He also became cog.
infant of the fact that the nothing
which transpired IN the office of the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue,
looking to the exposure of fraud and
the suppression of these illicit dis
tilleries, was kept secret from the
ring. This led him to take steps in
dependent of the Commissioner of In
ternal Revenue, Mr.. Douglass, for a
thorough investigation. He was cor
daily supported in all he did by the
President. In unearthing the frauds
in st. Louis, he was aided by the &C
complished editor and proprietor of
the st. Louis Democrat, Mr.. George
w. Fishback, who informed him IN
February last that if he would APP
point an agent whom he would desig-
nate, and give him such assistance as
required, that he, Fishback, would
answer for breaking up the ring in
that city. His suggestion was imme-
diately complied with by telegraph.
Mr.. Myron Colony, commercial edi-
tor of the Democrat, was commissioned
as special agent of the Treasury De.
partment, receiving his commission
on the 9TH of March. He immedi-
ately set about his work, having been
empowered to employ whatever cleri-
cal and detective force he thought
necessary for the accomplishment of
his purpose. The whole programme
was kept profound secret from the
commissioner, Mr.. Douglass. After
n little more than two months arduous
labor, those engaged in the great I'M
dertaking have the pleasure of seeing
their efforts crowned with a success
that must call forth the encomiums of
law abiding men all over the land.
A Washington special to the Cincin-
natl Gazette says Of the result
Thus the wide notifications of the ring
were laid bare. With its center at ST. Louis,
it touched every point ofimportance reach
ed by a radius sweeping from New York
around to New Orleans
1t is easily seen that such transactions
proved the collision of nearly all revenue
officials, and the deliberate perjury of many
of them.
AS some of the distillers found out that
they were all watched, they dropped their
receipts of grain to about quarter of what
they had been taking and sent out only
about one-third as much whisky. The
watchmen were then taken off and discharg-
ed. They had, however, ascertaned' the
number of loads of grain, and the capaci>
ty of the wagons being known, the amounts
raceived nvnr q oonCidoral1a nar;oJ ,varo
ascertained. A comparison of these re-
ceipts, with the amount sworn to in their
formal returns exposed the approximate
amount of their Illicit manufacture.
When the establishments reduced their
: capacity, many men were thrown out o.
employment. Some of these were giver
work, and by casual conversations with
them as to the modes of business pursued
in the distilleries, the methods of removin {
and re>using stamps and packages wer,
discovered, and much other valuable infor
nation of similar character
OF the dishonest officials, who per
jured themselves and aided in de
. frauding the Government, the same
5 dispatch says:
| Under existing arrangements, about for
5 ty per cent Of the amount Of tax out o
, which the government is defrauded goes to
the revenue officials of various grades, tC
officers 10 the ring from other branches o
the service, and to the outside men Of each
This part Of the spo's Las reached, a
2 near MS those engaged for several years il
trying to get at secrets Of the ring can esti
, mate, about 100000 annually, aud will
. what the distillers themselves pay extra T.
. minor officials and tAeir own employees la
certainly amounted to more than $j00,0O
annually.
The stealing from the Government
/, by this ring is estimated to have beer
! not less than s1,2oO,OOO per annum
and it has carried on its operation
three or four years.
: - a.. r.. H., 4 L.. $3.50