New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-05-11
snce iNl to III, brilliant results attained at Chicago
SUD Milwaukee,
Tnr CAMPAIGN AGAINST TIE ENG.

TIE CAMPAIGN AGAINST TIE EING.
now ruE CASE WAS wORSED UT--NEcEssiTY PoS
sxCEECY--A sVEcIAL AGENT coMMi'sioNfh-
wAT,HEGs AT TnH pIs lille ns-A siiahS OF
IMPORTANT DIsC)vERiES.
Tho history of this admirably planned AID
slinfuly executed campaign against the WHISKY
E,ug at st. Louis IA aS follows Early
List Winter the Secretary Of the Treasury be-
came convinced that the Illicit WHISKY traffic was
rapidly increasing that the rcvcnucs % tho Govern
p,ent were far lcss from this article than they sonll
he. and that the honest manufacturers and d'a'ers
were suff ring from this condition - affairs to an
extent that seriously threatened Their hlSin"'F'
Vigorous attempts made through tho Tceul2r
machinery of the Internal Rvenue oid'o
to correct those abuses ahd tho Con''S-
sinncr the Secretary, and tho President came l"
IN, conclusion that the Supervisors and other sub
s,tern officers in several sec;ons Of the country
must certainly be in COLLISION with thc dealers II
"orookcd whisky" the Illicit article iH called
This conviction led 10 the order which was phb-
lished at tao time. Transferring al supervisors ana
special agents to posts. INT thos' thus Sn"-
denly and unexpectedly ordered to new folds "t
labor were able 90 concentrate upor tho President
political influence strong enough TO induce RIM 7"
suspond his own order and allow tho officers to re-
main at their old posts
The Secrctary then began TO examine the whoe
subject with the aid of some OF the most trust
ocrnfs of his own Office; but while all his 'n'esi-
cations seemed IT, deepen the conviction that several
extonsiyo and powerful rings working in colin
sion with revenns officers and officials Of other
branches Of the Government they scamN 50 So
curely intrenched, and their combinations were 50
perfect and powerful, that th, means Of sncceSS-
fully graphing with them appeared to be lacking
An EDITOR TAXES HOLD.
Matters continued in this condition until near tho
middle of February last. when George W. iishh" H.
pyopriotor OF Tie 81. LOR Democrat. sent letter 10
friend in Washington, giving his views in reg II 10
the Whisky Ring in that city, and asking the gentle
man to whom he sent it 10 say to Mr.. RrSsow' that
if he wonld appoint man who couli be named as
special agent and give him such assistance as no
rconircd he (Fishbaoh) won,d answer for the orcah-
ing MP of the Whisky Ring in It. LoniS. The Hocro-
tary authorized an Immediate reply by telegraph
,ro,,;s,c 70 appoint tho man whom Fishback would
indicate upon tho receipt Of his uame by return dis
patch.
So thorough was tie Rings system o, espionage IN
ST. Ions believed to be- that it WAS not deemed sale
70 communicate in regard to the Tnatcr by telegraph
nor in fact directly with the Treasury Department
at all and so the name was forwarded by mail Even
these precautions not suli lent TO rfevenf
some inkling of what Intended 10 he done iIcru
reaching the Ring. and an agent of the combination
was dispatched to Washington to ascertain. if
possible. what was going on. He actually reached
this city, and had had interviews both with the
Commissioner and the Secretary OF the treasury b.
fore the name Of the agent finally selected foT the
work was communicated TO the Secretary.
The aren't OF the Ring pretended to he DESTROYS
of working against the Ring and to he in The conf
dence of the very men who we're promising the Sec
rotary help: and 50 plausible dd his representations
apDear flat he was actually on the point Of dis
covering the Plan BY which it WIS proposed TO
move Oh the Ring, when he exposed thrown OF
the track and shrcwdly disposed of. although he
imagined himself TO be in possession Of the very
secrets which the Ping desired to obtain.
4 SPECIAL AGENT SECRETLY COMMISSIONED.
Dir. Fishback was then requested by the Secretary
to come 10 Washington in person. Tho whole mai
ter was talked over. and commission issued to
Nyron Colony, Secretary of the Cotton Exchange
and commercial editor of The Democrat He was
made a special agent of the Treasury, and WAS
authorized tn emDloy sncl clerical and detective
force us was necessary to perform the work agreed
upon The greatest secrecy was observed III Issuing
Dir. Coony's commission and instructions. The
whole case in the Department was placed in tho
hands of Major Bluford Wilson, Solicitor of the
Treasury.
1t had been asccrtained beyond doubt that al the
orders and movements Of the internal Revenue
Bureau and Of the Treasury Department were
Instantly and regularly tecgraphcd 10 tie agent of
The Whisky Ring and that even the contents of
cipher dispatches in regard to important operations
az well az everything else that tho Whisky Ring
would be anxious 10 know, was 40 oHco cOmmun-
Gated to its members. OF cOnrse this information
could only be given by those holding the most conf
DENTAL relations in The Department \ new cipher
unknown in Washington, WAS therefore agreed u2on
and il WAS arranged 10 insac certain security ;aat
all dispatches relating TO ths matte: ebol,d De adj
dressed 10 q gentleman in Washington WHO hal no
connection with the Departments. The oij:cial ror-
rcsyul,lonco upon tho subi"ct nrd tho kilograms
were not onteIcd upon The files Of thc cihco In The
Department only tho Secretary the :ohciior' aEJ
one confidential writer knew anything OF the affair.
4 l,. II Ice,