The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-11-24
RING MASTERS.
THEIR REIGN IN ST. LOUIS.
TESTIMONY OF THEIR FORMER
SLAVES

Z BATCH OF AMUSING CORRESPONDENTS.
ST. LOUIS, Nov. lS.-The Mcdonald trial is
still the center of attraction here and the
court room was again crowded TO excess to-day.
The first witness was b. II. Engelke, rectiher,
who testified to having talked with Joyce at va
rious times since 1871 about doing business. The
crooked whisky and wonld be protected In so
doing. In fact he was urged 10 do so and sew
ali he could handle. He was always notified in
advance Of gents coming from WASHINGTON or
elsewhere to investigate and was ordered TO
.straighten up" "get the house in order, abe
prepared to receive company: etc. etc;
Information Of any movement that 10 5ked
dangerous Joyce on ons occasion said TO the
witness. any friend Babeock writes me that
n9se se S cut Of The witness paid his share
OF the various assessments made for the benefit
S we %eT o h to raise Money there Was little
salts &C ion given US. We were told TO do II,
John Leavenworth , two assessments
Sixth Ward fund and $3.50 to the state fund. He
9nd de that the apehins fund reached e.
From 1877 TO 1875 the ring was composed OF Nc
Donald, Joyce, FitZroy, Mckee, Mcguire, Pad
rick, Newcomb and GIosvenor, OF the DE mocrat.
the lstter was seeking the nomination for the
mayor OF the city. ConcannOn, Everst and per-
gave considerable information about the
manner OF doing crooked busi-
ness. He had trouble at diff
his way or purchasing crooked WHISKY, and at
one time he was assessed $500 for IL which he re-
fused to pay, They then threatened TO shut him
zp and he told them that If he did they would
have to close up others too The matter was
conversations with Q. w. Ford about the bust
ness, and also talked with Mckee about 4. He
regard to the matter. He understood that
twenty thousand dollars had to be raised for
THE CAMPAIGN FUND IN 1872.
Ford closed his house once in 1871 for two
days, and then he was allowed to proceed
The witness admitted to being a party to sew
eral indictments here and had plead guilty to
some of them, but had not considered and did
know what effect his testimony to-day
would have upon the indictments still pending
against him. Jno. F. Eiedenkoff, foreman at r
work for U rici in isi2 WHISKY was SO low in
price, and at That time the market was so glut.
ted that hey either had TO close or run crooked
it, but finally yielded and began IN August,
lc72. Their augerS were changed and the new
ones tod thedistiers TO run TO their full ca
ebs they ran baF Siragh but the
they had to run crooked. Again they were re-
quiTed 10 make from ~ TO 81 barrels OF crooked
per wee st by Joycs's direcions and they haa
not. Joyce was well posted as to the market
price, and increased the assessment when the
no6ke at Is to CENTS used to and e w sas
difficult 10 get rid of all OF it at those prices,
the market was so giqtted. They paid 50 cents
the tax rose 10 ninety cents they demanded
forty-five cents, which the distillers refused to
sSs Sf and she ser we're Ie o one i'm che
cold. IL was then agreed that the distillers
should be permitted to make six or seven
make no levy. Whenever the witness did not
put money enough In the weekly packages for
the ring In satisfy IOVpa ha called QrOund
denly and made 1t hot for the witness. Three
revenue, at Washington, We're introduced in
evidence and read. The first one, dated
10 Commissioner Douglass by District Attorney
Patrick, regarding alleged violations OF the
revenue law by Beyis Frazer and says that
mentiOne ed in Mr.. Padrick's letter had been ex-
amined into on several occasions and found
without foundation. In fact, the same charges
were made against the firm in 1872 and exam
lined by NJ; Ford and Mr. Patrick, who found
nothing TO justify action. Subsequen thy Reve-
nue. Agents 6avitt, Brasher and Yaryan made
A THOROUGH EXAMINATION
of the establishment Of the firm, and while they
found a technical violation OF the law In the
manner OF keeping book form ifty-two, no evil
dence of fraud was discovered. The gen.
eral further staLes that the affairs OF the
firm were frequently investigated by him.
self, Revenue Agent Joyce, Collector Ford and
Others but no evidence OF fraud was ever found
Closed clipping from the New York sum nu in Sh
mating that Gen. Mcdonald was at the head of
the whisky frauds in Illinois and other places.
This, the general says, he would not notice,
were it not that the st. Louis papers N ade
wild and unfonnded charges against the tax
called upon for facts, to aid him in prosecuting
the violations Of tn law they had utterly failed
fers to the fact that the department had re-
peatedly sent agents 10 that district to ferret out
been made na Without
fraud. He also states that he had paid particu-
lar attention to the enforcement Of the law
as Evidence Of his dgenee eS that snG dHries
January and February, 1874, the collections in
months OF the previous year by about $4,000.
he closes by saying: 81 court CHALLENGE and defy
investigation into my integrity as man I and
my conduct as public officer" The third lettf r
Is dated March 81, 1874, and is In re-
lass that some books and papers of Be e1s
Frazer & Co. were destroyed by fire, IL was sup
posed by desis n, while their affairs were under
investigation upon charge Of fraud. To this
the general says In substance that he with Col
made a thorough examination into the circum-
stances attending the burning of the books and
papers referred 10, and they all fully agreed that
their destruction was accidental. He further
states that, In consequence OF several COM
plants against this firm, he and
Fitzroy had repeatedly made a thorough in
spection OF the books OF this firm pat had never
been able TO detect anything illegal or fraudu-
lent in their dealings with the government
The reading OF these etters was listened to very
eagerly, and In view Of the developments
brought out so far in this trial, caused much
smiling, and occa sionslly Laughter. The de-
fendant, however, betrayed no confusion.
THE NEXT WITNESS
was w. r. Jouett, who was superintendent al
Chouteaus distillery in 1878 and 1874, and then
went into distiIling for himself. His testimony
was generally similar to others who preceded
He made crooked whisky both Al
Chouteau'e and when operating for him
self. He was In the ring aud PAID
money 10 different parties for the ring. Both
Mcdonald and Coliector Ford visited and ex
amined Chouteau's distilery while he wal
there. but found nothing wrong. He did no
run crooked all the time. Louis Teuscher testi
fed that he engaged in distilling from February