Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-07-19
The st. Louis whisky Frauds.


From Information received yesterday at
the Internal Revenue Bureau, telegraphed
by District Attorney Dyer, of st. Louis it
appears that twenty eight men have been
indicted by the grand jury for completely in
the whisky frauds. The names will be with
he d until bench warrants are issued. Mr..
BristOW returns this afternoon. when IL ia
expected he will be placed in the possession
OF positive Information as TO the list Of in
dicted ones.
y st. Louis special OF the 18th TO the Chica-
so Times says. AT late hour this afternoon
The United States grand jury brought in the
first fruits of their investigation into the
workings OF the whisky ring. They return
20 Indictments, and will go on with the in
yeStlgatiOn. = Very few as vet know
who have been indicted, but the fact that
true bills have been found, falls like a bomb
The accused parties have actually persua!-
ed their friends and the st. Louis public
into the belief that the whole thing would
end In moke; that il was all put up job,
and that il would never be heard from after
the grand jury had dOre with il. One-third
or these % indictments are against Gen. John
Mcdonald and Col. John A. Joyce, the ex-
supervisor of internal revenue, and ex-reve-
rue agent for this district. The other bills
were against the distillerS and dismissed
gaugers. The latter are l.. Killcrman, j. f..
Howard, j. W. BasSett. A. NJ. Everist. y. w
kinneaT, John A. Mead, and f.. w. Warne
None of the parties were under arrest when
the returns were made, and hence capiaSeS
were tonight placed in the hands of L. 8.
will he arrested and brought before the court
in the morning. Until the arrests are male,
all of the indicted parties will not be known
but the above information is furnished your
correspondent from reliable sources. Short
" before making the returns, the Jury had
Joyce before them. and asked him to eX-
pain certain kilograms from Washington
signed 'Sylpha,' and other fictitious names
He refused TO tell who sent the dispatches
and he Jurors threatened TO commit MIN un-
less he did. He replied that he could not be
obliged 10 give evidence which might crimi-
nate himself under an Indictment which had
been found against him. THE issue was
taken before Judge Treat. and ne ruled that
Joyce must testify unless the answer would
tend 10 directly crimina,e himself. joyce
then told the grand jury that he hai 2 mum
Der of political friends in WASHINGTON and
that these kilograms were to inform him of q
mutual friend coming To 81. Louis. wnon he
must receive and entertain. McDOuIlI was
also put upon the stand and show sOna OF
The contrahand kilograms to himself from
Washington. He testified ithat he hal no
knowledge of any such dispatches having
come To him, aud lett the jury, sOlamnly rs
Surlng them that h. was going over h see
me western Union superintendent, and ask
why In hell these messages hal never been
delivered 10 him. So far, VIM. Mckee OF
Inc Globe democrat, and Constantine
hcGrew, the late collector have not been in
GlCted. McGraw was the diSburS-
ing agent, and he .ays hatduriug this period.
ana up To November. 1872. the weekly pay
ms ntS, as he understood their diSp1Sifion
were something like This: Mckee, : /. Gaa and
part Of the time II so; Ford, 500: joyce,
80, Mcdonald, son; Avery, S1Do; Mctirew,
i,'N'- These figures We're cbasgeI from
time 10 time as some of the parties grew res
tive under the unequal division. Part OF the
TINE Avery got $500 weekly. = The
ring grew border and holder. and during tho
zenith Of it's glory divided s75 900 a week
StnTekeeIerS and gaugerS were either forced
ITO the band or starved ont by their Supe-
TlOTs AT -. Louis"
AVERY SAID TO BE INDICTED.
special 10 the same paper dated st.
Louis July IL SAYS: The UniteI states
grand jury returned eight more indictments
today against the whisky ring. One OF
these is against VIM. .. Avery. No arrests
nave been made today, and the names OF
the indictei parties exc kept secret. l have
the best OF authority, however. for the state
m"nt that Avery is Indicted in TO days lot
TIE Indictments against Col. John A Jovce
and John Mcdonald cover over A. fbO'scap
pages. There is one bill against each, and
I'm each Of these bills there are 20 counts
each count specifying "a distinct dereliction
OF duty. One of the indictments against
10th Joyce and Mcdonald is for DESTROYING
accounts and records i'm the office OF the col
lector OF Internal revenue, and these are
sworn To by COrcannOn, the deputy cOIlec-
tor. one link In the chain against \ verc is
The following telegram sent from here lust
before The raid:
" o. Arery:-7Are our friends going to
visit the west? Let us know. JOYCE
The reply Ia this WIS from \ very and was
signed "Sylph." Last year when Mcdonald
was about To he transferred To another su-
Iervlsing district. he went on to Washing
ton, and, securing a revocation of the in
Tended order, notified Joyce OF the fact as
follows:
"a. J25ce: Dog dead. Goose hangs aIti-
tunlium. sun shines. MCDONALD.
This was Immediately OllOwcd by auo- her.
Jos'ce;.i rode out with the President to
gay. Write tomorrow. MCDoSALD.
Last spring. before the raid, when trouble
was anticipated. Joyce went on 10 Wash
ington 10 look after things, and telegraphed
back:
McDonoId:-Evcrything looks all hunkey.
Later, when Joyce found that lightning
was sure To strike. he telegraphcd:
NcIon0N: - Damned company busted
They feel bad Hold things level. JOYCE
There are in the possession of the grand
jury probably - Of the kilograms. which
when taken in their order and in connection
with the attending circumstance form "A
ring have been hurt from sources they will
not know until arrested and shown the in
dictments against them"
CARD FROM COL. JOHN A.JOYCE.
1ONtc f'iajtsc;-hy attention has been called
10 publication in the Evening Dispatch Of
July 10Th, lin the nature of a special teIe-
gram TO the Cincinnati Times which da-
mantS al my hands denial as public rs the
widespread accusations of the article itself
,, Inc rnbliicatio1 1 purnorts TO give state
ton. as TO matters disclosed by him b fore
the United States grand Jury. now in session
in this city. The question of prrprieJy in
matters which have tTanSpired before a Grand
jury, leave 10 be solved by the willing wit
ness himself, who, by his own conduct has
shown himself TO be lost 10 all sense of hon
eStE, decency and upright conduct.
but i pronounce each and every accuse
lion made by Megrue, which affects Gen.
McDoi aid, Mr.. Avery, the late Charles w.
Ford, VIM. Mckee, Daniel VI. Houser or
myself. to he a false and williul fabrication
. Neither Gen. Mcdonald nor myself has
been connected with a ''whisky ring" in this
city or elsewhere. No arrangement for
fraudulent information was ever made by
me with Chief Clerk Avery. Megrue never
paid me money for Avery, or for any other
person. In fact, the whole statement Of Me-
grue Il absurd upon its face. He is a con
fessed culprit, If his statement be taken as
true. He has declared his own guilt, IL his
accusations are TO be believed, fos purposes
OF revenge upon parties with whom he
claimed To have been connected.
Those who see fit 10 give crcdence to the
statements of falsifier like Megrue are at
liberty TO do so; but again pronounce each
and every one OF his accuse lions TO be false
and defy any man on earth to establis II the
TACT that. through the hands of Megrue, or
any one else ever received "a dollar in fraud
or the United States, or that ever was a
party TO any scheme which had for its object
the plunder OF the Treasury.
JOHN A. JOYCE.
Late Revenue Agent.
St Louis, July Is. LIS.