The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-05-18
HOW 1T Is DONE.
The Way the Western Distillers Came 1t
Over the Government.
The Gaugers and Storekeepers are the
Chaps Responsible.
From the Chicago Times.

In proof of the assertion made by govern
ment officials that no frauds can be committed
without the connivance of the gauQers and
storekeepers, 1t may be remarked that they
have absolute control over the still to which
they are assigned. Every vat and grain box
is under lock, and the keys are held by these
officials. So is the warehouse key. The dis
tiller is absolutely powerless without them,
and hence the law takes their guilt fol
granted when it is shown that fraud has been
committed.
According to the revenue law, three days
are allowed for q mash, and the stills are
charged on that basis. Our officials hold that
as a rule our establishments have worked at
even slower rate, consuming sometimes four
and five days for mash, in order to increase
the yield. They allege that the three days
process will not extract all the juice in the
corn, and that the extra yield will fully cover
the loss sustained on account of the govern
ment rating them to their full capacity every
three days.
The detectives, on the other hand, most of
whom are practical distillers, or,jat all events
know all about the business, rather boot at
this theory, and allege that where fraud is
made easy and placed on a good paying basis,
every twelve hours, and they hint that some
thing of the sort has been going on here.
During the night before the seizure every
distillery under suspicion was closely watched.
In one case work was begun at l o'clock on
Monday morning, and at o'clock the third
mash was in. The still was then seized.
When the storekeeper was Intercepted he
declared that bat one mash had been put in
that morning, but the foreman confessed to
three, thus sabstautisting the observations OF
the detectives.
According to the law, when barrel has
been filled with spirits it must be stamped.
This form is generally complied with, at
least in the first instance. Now, for the pur
pose of calculating the manner in which
frauds are committed, let the reader accom-
pany lot of fifty barrels to o rectifying es-
adjustment.
When it arrives there the proprietor is sup
posed to notify the Collector that he is ready
to rectify the lot The contents of the casks
are then emptied, and the official detailed by
the Collector Immediately destroys and oblit-
crates the stamps. This is the legal way of
doing it. Now, let the reader rise before day
light and take note how it is done illegally.
The stamped casks containing the spirits
are hastily loaded, rapidly transferred to .
neighboring rectifying establishment the con-
tents withdrawn without the obliteration of
the stamps, the empty casks returned, refilled,
and there they stand as innocent of fraud as if
they had never left the establishment.
The storekeeper meanwhile is conveniently
absent, because it might go hard with him if
he was detected on the premises by the Off
GERS of the law during such an operation. Bat
in no event can he offer an excuse for not
having knowledge of such doings, since, in
the first place, the still is altogether under
his control, and the law assumes that he is al
ways present. There are two, one for day
and another for night duty; and further than
this, he is supposed to know precisely what
quantities of spirits are in the establishment,
and not single cask full can be distracted
without his full knowledge unless he willfully
neglects his business.
Frauds are also committed with "soaked
stamps, and distiIlers pay from ten to twelve
dollars fof them. The "soaked" stamp is
one that has been used. The modus operandi
highwines. While the liquid remains in the
cask the stamp must not be dis6gured for
it may be seized as fraudulently OBJ
tanned. But when the contents are all drawn
of, the law provides that the stamp must be
destroyed. Now, instead of complying with
the law in this particular, some people are in
the habit of 'soaking" the stamps, and then
dexterously removing the same.
When their efforts are crowned with sue
cess they experience no difficulty in exchang-
ing it for greenback with saw-buck in the
corner. But the early morning jaunt is the
favorite method, and in some distilleries, not
q thousand miles from Chicago, the thing
worked so easily and the same casks were
used SO repeatedly, that an honest Teuton,
speaking to detective whom he took for one
in the ring, remarked that ''them barrels,
pointing to lot with evident pride, shave
been 80 often to rectifers' in the dark that
they can feel their way there all by them
selves"
This is the kind of work the government
detectives have been unearthing all over the
West, and they estimate that the auds per-
petrated in this city and Milwaukee have
annu Ally to $4,000, 900.