The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-12-04
THE WHISKY FRAUDS:

| the Presidents contentious command 10 ne
no guilty person escape" seemed to inspire
the prosecution with courage almost reck
less. Bevis, one of the confessing st. Loui'
distillers, even undertook to soil the skirts o.
Bristow himself with the mud. Among TIT
numerous telegraph dispatches warning th'
ring at st. LOUIS Of the approach Of detect
ives, was one from New York signed b., ant
telling them "lightning will strike on Mon
day" Bevis SAID this dispatch came IRON
l Barnes, in New York, q partner in the wei
\ known house of Newcomb, Buchanan & Co.
I of Louisville, in which Bristow himself haC
! an interest. Bristow promptly denied bJ
telegraph that he ever had any interest in
! that or any other whisky house, and insisting
J that the investig cation shall be unsparing and
thorough IN all Its qualifications. ThereupoI
the prosecution "blcssed God and took cour
age" and put excommissioner Douglas up
on the stand. The ex-Com. proceeded to re
late a conversation he had had with Babcock
relating to the revocation OF the order Tor the
transfer of revenue supervisors, The CONVEX
sation WAS objected to by the defense as IN
admissible until Babcock's connection with
the ring should be proved. This challenge
was promptly accepted by the prosecuting
officer who at once offered letter from Gen
Babcock and the original copy of telegram,
and produced two acknowledged experts
who swore positively to the identity Of hand.
writing in the papers. The telegram was
signed "Sylph." Its date conceded with tina,
of the proposed RAID of Brooks and Hogue
upon the whisky ring in st. Louis, in las,
! December, which was countermanded. The
telegram was directed to Gen. Mcdonald, and
said, briefly: II have succeeded. They will
not 60 I will write you" This was
followed up by the production of a mass
of kilograms from the conspirators IN St
Louis to Gen. Ba6cock, all going to establish
the fact of his intimate confidential relations
with the ring, and his active interest in their
schemes.
Several other highly respectable" names
were dragged in. Holt Avery's successor as
chief clerk Of the treasury department, was
shown to be no better than his predecessor,
for whom the penitentary is gaping; and
even the Immaculate John A. Logan got q
dab of mud square in the face. One OF the
orders from Washington that overwhelmed
the ring with alarm was that ordering trans
fer of all the revenue inspectors and super.
visors The execution of that order would
probably have unearthed every whisky crook
cdness in the country in week. Among
others fearfully exercised by the order was
John Logan's faithful henchmen, Dan Mum,
of Springfield, Ill. At Dams persuasion Lo-
gan went with him to the President, and the
two together, with such aid as they doubtless
got from Mcdonald, Babcock and Joyce,
got the obnoxious and dangerous order
revoked
The evidence in the case Of Avery closed
on Monday, but the case was then iald over
on account of the sickness Of Judge Crum,
Averys counsel AS three of the four counts
in the indictment against Avery were quashed,
and the only one standing against him is
based on his giving information to the ring
1t is now regarded as doubtful whether he
will be convicted, seeing that men SO much
above him as Gen. Babcock were deeper in
volved than himself IN the same business.
OF course, after the developments on Satur-
day, the indictment Of Babcock is inevitable,
and that of Holt, and even John A. Logan,
may not be among the impossibilites.
While the interest is so deeply absorbed in
these St Louis trials, the public is liable en-.
tirely to overlook the trials going on at Mil
waukee, where, though on a smaller scale,
the operations of the ring were none behind
st. Louis in the quality of their deviltry.
The first batch of trials at Milwaukee termin.
ated in the conviction of John Schlitz and
August Bergenthal, who were fined $1,000
each and sentenced to pass four months each
behind the iron bars Of the county Jail. Half
a dozen more are awaiting their trial at Nil.
wsukee.
About the same time Wednesday, John
w. Bingham, who was intimately connected
with the whisky ring both at st, Louis and
Evansville, Ind, was arralgned before the
Y. s. Court at indianapolis and plead guilty
to five indictments. This has filled the St.
Louis ring and all their affiliations with dis
may. Bingham is regarded as knowing even
more than Joyce and Mcdonald, as he was
intimate with all the secrets of both the Indl.
ana and Missouri rings. Bingham is even
said to have letters from Senator Morton, in
sisting on the ring furnishing the national
republican committee with electioneering
funds.
If there could possibly be greater iallscy
in financial economy than the one urged by