The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-11-26


tue stan Of Gen. Burbridge, and unquestion-
ably bore himself right gallantly through many
ments, and was most bountlfullv gifted with
CAB" There was. however, little breadth or
depth @ OF either mental abillty o, moral .har-
gether with his penchant for making grandilo- |
quent speeches gained MN an unenylaole repu-
tatiou % bore. At the close Of the war he set |
tied ln Dubuque, Iowa. whore he road law with |
brother Of Senator Allison, and through the in
nuence of that gentleman, then member OF the |
House OF Representatives, Joyce secured a |
clerkship in the Revenue bureau OF the |
Treasury Department. His relation with Gen. |
Babcock appears to have been cordial prior to |
hts settling In this city, and this close and init
mate friendship, begun IN Washington, lost mono |
OF its ardor JOyoo grew rich At the expense |
of the Government.
now GRANT PAtp sOME OLD DEBrs.
When Gen. Grant lived in this city, prlor to
the war, he was an applicant Tor the otiic OF
County Surveyor an ONCE that was nlled by
the County Commissioners. lie received only
bcine given bv Major A. X. Easton, who doubt
less owes hts present lucrative ofice Of Pension
Agent TO this dlsinterostcd act OF friendship
one Of the four Commissioners who deemed
him unnt for tho responsible oihce OF County
pcned that this gentleman was Collector Of In
ternal Revenue when Grant became President
In 1859. and the debt of ten years standing was
paid, principal and interest, bv the prompt re-
mova OF the unappreciatiye Taussig. In the
choice of collector Grant Cunsulted only his
own personal predictions, and c. W. Ford be-
came the successor ot 1aussg. Mr.. Ford was
not known as politician, but his reputation as
an upright and cauable business man in this
COMMUNITY was universally acknowledged.
There WAS no stain on his character until he
surrendered the responsible once OF supcrin-
tendent OF one OF the principal express compa-
nes and became revenue officer and an asso-
ctate OF Mcdonald and joyce. i.is friendship
for Grant, when friends were few, and far be-
tween, was at once his fortune and his ruin.
THE RISE AND PROGRESS or THE RING.
I now proceed to sketch the rise and pro-
gress, as well a. the decline and fall, OF tho
| great hskcy Ring. As soon a. Mcdonald and
his chief clerk, Joyce, got fairly installed In Of
Gaaau Ian Hf.IN NNn 81
| subordinate Offices, they began to approach the
distlllers and recines, and to suggest the feast
| hility OF Increasing their revenues by running
" crooked " ana laying the revenue officers aud
their friends thirty-hve cents per gallon, instead
| OF giving the Government seventy cents. The
whiskey manufacturers were not unwilling
but they wanted to be certain that the Ring was
perfect and without flaw. They were not pre-
pIred TO risk their property as well as leopard
| lac their personal freedom on the assurance of
rers who had neither properly nor personal
| honor 70 forfeit They believed the Col;
of either Mcdonald or Joyce, and as test
| OF the truthfulness of the statements msde oy
these two worthios, that they had =" liked
| Things" nt Washington, some evidence OF FOrd's
| Acquiescsnce IN the arrangemont was required.
In order TO satisfy all parties. It was ARRANGED
that Z. q. Megrue Of Cincinnati should be
| brought here to act ~ the general manager OF
the Ring. Megrue was known to have re liuus
| with Hahcock as well as the confidence OF the
| President, from the simple fact that lie had
served the san Domingo Ring as a confidential
bearer Of dispatches from the White House and
state Department TO BabcOck, fabens Casneau.
and Bier. Inc proposition to make Mcerue the
collector and disburser Of the corruption fund
was therefore acceptable TO the distiliers aud
rectifiers, and accordingly MePrue, shortly after
lie swears. how ever, in the Mcdonald csse. that
he lad nothing to do with the orgnntzattOn OF
the Ring that lie found all tn details arranged,
and his duty was solely to receive and parcel
out tue proceeds among the different ccnsplra-
tors; lie had interviews. at various times with
money designed for those oficials was divided
equally among the three. and at tho same time
fIa IL lF F4fa
erly cared for.
THE PROFITS OF rHR RISo.
The storekeepers and Gsugers appear 10 have
the Illicit N manuiactufed ed,whiie Mcdonald Jo,cc,
Ford and his d-paty. Leavenwor!h, and William
than tl,O0 yer week, and about an equal amount
was regularly set apart for Washington. Aegrue
cording 10 his statement the active operations
In illicit covered only ABOUT twelve months
During this time he SAYS the amount Of money
realized approximAted 100000, ope-haf of
which was retaioed 10y the manufacturers, and
tho otner half was divided in the prOpori ion
above stated. In the fall or winter Of 1872 all
parties determined to dispense with Megrue's
services, nnd he was accordingly told that as
Orant mad teen reelected there was no longer
fore the watchword was 10 be " reform" lie
seems TO have been little incred ulous, and TO
have interpreted the professions Of reformation
to mean nothing M r. thsn determination TO
"gobble' his share OF the weekly tbeft. lie ac-
cOrdnIly gave them notice that n this talk
about reform iroved measure To get nd Of him
|
at their Kidding. They smiiingly tod him they
were never more sincere IN their lives, hut II
WAS immateTiai whether he cleared out or not,
his diyNy would t.e no longer forthcoming. The
reform went no further than Aegrue, who dis
covered thtt the combination was stronger than
he imagined: He WAS not only frozen out here,
but he found an unexUected GOODNESS pervadiug
the official atm mosphere al Washington.
DIAMONDS IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
Tho men who were prosperinR here at the eI-
pence Of the national Treasury were not alarmed
, by MeErues threats Of exposure They were
too well fortified ss they again and again de-
elhred, az Washington. 10 fear anything or any
body. Their conduct in this community was
that Of men who were confident Of their AGILITY
TO defy all assaults from treacherous foes out
side. and to laugh TO scorn every cfort that
honest ofiicials outside their combinstlon might
and denantly Haunted the evidences oftheir III.
: gotten wealth IN public. There was apparentlS
a disposition on their part to court crlticism-to
challonge ihqliry. They lived at nrst- class ho-
z tels, and occupied suites OF rooms that cost
: them ten times their monthly salaries
2 blazed on their shirt bosoms and theli
I wives, we're gorgeous In silks and satins
l man OF Jaccards, joyce purchased more
: than $500 worth OF diamonds and hcDonald's
j investments in this line, 0rst and last, were not
. less than t2j,OJ0, Joyce gave liaOcock solitaire
I pin that cost MIN more than one years salary
House receptions by flashing gems that were
: bestowed by he same hand. Mcdonald Pur
; chased span OF bloOded horses OF Joe Hickey
! the famous fancy stock raiser OF Galloway
. county, NO, Tor tho eyowed purpose OF present.
= almost every day drawing the Presidents ian
g daule. In Pennsylvania avenue. Dazzling Jewel:
: from the Orient, by the hand Of the late steam.
u boat bully oamo To the ladies Oft White House
j. and among the many costly wedding presents
@ Piled up IN the llluo Room on the occasion o
Mi NclAe's marriage, that Of Mr.. and Mrs. Gen
= Mcdonald was not he least conspicuous. These
T. things were not done In a corner, but with inde
o cent publicity. and they excited public com
u ment.
t A'DoSALD AND GRANT.
a Whenever the President visited 81. Louis, Nc
4 Donald erroited hlm &c and from the depot. anC
a 10 all public places. Everywnere, In puhc and II
d, | private, tnis Ignorant ana uuuccomplished par
> venue Was the recipient Of marked attention
=. from the President. II lie visited Wash
~ ington, as he did last spring, bearing $500
r. that had bron collected from the distillers L
q secure the revocation OF B isi0w's order taus
\, fcfrinc all revenue officers, he was cordially wei
;, c1med al the White House, and he rode side b.
N Side vi the President ia lennsy wanna avenue
n behind tho .aiiy cap1risoued fpur-in hand.
l. forseFeih yt1gt Grant ana his hOuaenold have
L. reg l-riY ateH4ed the state Agricultural Fair a
~ 81. l. ul5.
IS Ihls f4i a yoar ago. when the President at
II tended the f-I be appeared Oh the grand stanl
II arm IN um with Mcdonald, and the statemen
,r that ho refused 10 zee hia old friend the tin
a. Of his last reit here q few weeks since Is no
ia true. lie did zee McDouaid and the meetin
was Ms cordial G8 In the Olden time. | max