The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-11-25
THE WHISKY FRAUDS.
THE METHODS EXPLAINED BY
ONE WHO WAS IN THE RING

sr. LOUIS, Mo-, Nov l6.-The United
States District Court room was crowded
.to,dayto hear the testimony in the case
of General John D. Mcdonald, ex Super
visor of Internal Revenue for this Dis
trict, who is charged with conspiracy to
deiraud the Government, &o9 In connee-
ton with the.whisky frauds. The ! RIM
cipal witlessva c, g. McGrue, and the
main part of his evidence wasas follows
| came here in June, 1871, and re-
mained until November, 1877; had re,
peated conversations with MeDonaeid. AZ! ana
joyce about making money out OF lIlicit
distilling, the substance of when was
that distillers should be protected IN
making crooked whisky on condition
that they should give a certain part O
tiie saved ito certain parties from
about Septembefllj 1871, to November,
1879. Il collected the money from the
distillers Bevis & Frazer, Thompson,
Curran Ubrici, to pay to the other parties
| had talk with all Of the dlstllleeirss
mentioned, and assured them they couiie
run in violation Of law, and they would
be protected by the.Goyernment officers
on the conditions mentioned. | did this
ON the authority of Joyce and Melon
aid. The money was collected usually
on Saturday of each week, the amounts
collected ff0m Ubrici varying from S2,t
900 to $4,000; from Thompson from S550O
to 81 800 from Currin from 5000 to Sl,'
500; from Bevis & Frazer $1,000 to S3,-
0OO' the total average being about $500
berJweek. iaThe9 distilers brought 1T to
me at my roomigenerally aboutnoon and
| disbursed it; a certain amount was Ia
ken out to pay gaugers, assistant coIlec-
| tors. assistant assessors and sterekeepers'
The balance was divided in five parts.
The money for subordinates was gwen
to John Leavenworth for disbursement
Ofthe other FIVE packages | kept one,
Mcdonald got one, Joyce got one, and
the other two were given to Leaven-
worth with the understanding that Nc
Kee should get one and Ford the other.
This work began in the first part OF Sep
tember. 1871 Mcdonald complained
once that Joyce ought not to receive as
much as the rest, and so on one occasion
gave him $4,000 more than the rest,
without giving Joyce his full one-fifth.
He took it. The arrangement was that
the distiHers, were'to retain about one
half Of the profits on Cooked" whisky:
Leavenworth was gauger and part of
the time storekeeper. The tax on
whiskywas at, this time fifty cents per
gallon, and I collected about thirty cents
Ter gallon. 1t was, understood at the
Supervisors Office that gaugers, store
keepers and other subordinates were to
receive 81 to ST 80 per barrel, but Leav.
enworth generally paid them more.
took money for the main members OF the
Supervisors office, and there was no par
ticular disguise about my delivering it
there. | always set aside portion of
the money part of the time 500 per
week, and part of the time $500 per week
for VIM. o. Avery, Chief Clerk of the
Internal Revenue Bureau at Washing
ton. This increase was made at the in
stance of Joyce, who came from Wash
ington once and said that Avery was
complaining of not receiving enough Of
the money hence we increased it to $500
per week. .ponIl .i
The witness. was cross-examlned at
some length, and stoutly maintained all
the positions taken in his direct exami-
nation, .NN[IE 3th I'D