Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-05-19
TEMPERANCE DEPARTMENT
WHISKY FRAUDS,
over Thirty Prominent DistiIIeri-s
and RectIfytng Houses Seized.

over ThIrty Prominent DistiIIert-s
aud RectIfytng Houses Seized.
Especial D spatch to he Cincinnati Ga1ette.l
WASHINGTON, May l0.--1he heavi.
est blow ever struck at the whisky ring
of the country fell upon 1t to-day with
telling effect. Over thirty prominent
distilleries end rectifying houses have
been seized at st. Louis, Chicago and
Milwaukee, and a mass of unimpeach
able evidence has been collected " hich
will insure the downfall Of the strong
holds of the ring at the East, the West
and the South.
The result has been attained after
nearly nine weeks work, performed by
the Secretary of the Treasury through
the Solicitor of the Treasury, no other
officers of the Department, not even
in the Secretary's office, being intrus-
ted with the secret. 1t was kept most
scrupulously from all in the office of
Internal Revenue, it having been as
certained before any active steps had
been taken that all important official
secrets affecting the whisky ring were
telegraphed to It's members immediate
ly. During the last ten days of the
operations it became necessary to open
the outlines ofthe case to a small num-
Der in the office of Internal Revenue.
and almost Immediately the secrets
which had been successfully kept for
eight weeks began to leak out. For
the last week, the chief work perform
ed has been to prevent such premature
publications ms would serious
ly affect the movement. Fortunate
ly, ali record evidence needed was OBJ
tanned before any hint of the moves
ment was MAZE public. Sufficient
warning however, was conveyed to all
points by one or two irrepressible cor
respondents to enable owners of distil.
leries tOput all things in order for a
visit. But fortunately the evidence OF
their gross frauds is in the written
records, and can not in any way be
Obliterated.
THE REAL CAUSE OF MR.. DOUGLASS
RETIREMENT.
In this move aud its results are
found the true causes of the change In
the head of the Internal Revenue Of
flee. Mr.. Douglass was not believed
to be in any way personally connected
with the transactions brought to light
but it was so apparent that frauds o
long standing had been able to prosper
through the neglect of many in The
bureau, and for lack OF applying suf1i
cient checks and guards, or through
constant omission to vigorously us,
those adopted to prevent frauds, anC
this decided the change.
Upon learning the facts developed
by the secret in vestigatiou, it is just t
Mr.. Douglass to say that he took hole
of the matter with earnestness, fur
nished all Information which his oflic,
contained, did his best to prevent pub
licity, and issued all the needed Orders
to his officers to cooperate, and alst
the orders for the seizures.
The night the officers left here fo
their posts, the ring in st. Louis wa
fully advised by some one in the secret
through telegram to Supervisor Me
Donald, reading as follows:
Lightning will strike Monday. D.
prepared for it,"
This came too late, however, as M
amount of preparation could blot on
the legal record evidence obtained.
AS yet open steps have only beef
taken in regard to the points alread,
named Records have been collected
however, in regard to the whisky bus
mess at Cincinnati, Louisville, Peoria
and Pekin, and all of this is now un
dergoing rigid examinations and com
parsons. The papers in relation T.
Pekin have thus far had most atten
ton, and the showing made for tn
distillers and rectifiers there is, in tn
main, satisfactory.