The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-12-27
Another Unsuccessful Attempt TO Connect
Secretary BristOw with the Whiskey

Another Unsuccessful Attempt TO Connect
Secretary Bristow with the Whiskey
Frauds.
Inter- Oceans charges and insinuations relative
to Secretary Bristow, which were published at
length on Saturday last, were reproduced in the
Courier Journal to-day. AS it was we'll known
here that Bristow is not, nor never has been,
connected with, or counsel for Louisville whis-
key firms, statements to the contrary only re-
ceive ridicule in Kentucky. 1t is alleged in
the Inter-Ocean's report that when Bristow
visits Louisville he Invariably makes his stay
at the house of Mr.. Jacob Weller, his brother
in-law, and brother of w. L. Weller, whis-
key dealer and rectiier. Both the Wellers de-
ny this and say that while Bristow and his
brother-in-law have always been friendly, they
are not at all intimate further than that Bris-
tow always puts up at the Calf House, votes in
the ward in which all the residents of the hotel
mentioned are required to do their voting. AS
far as Mr.. w. L. Weller is concerned, he says
Mr. Bristow has never acted as counsel for him
but at one time assisted, as in duty bound, in
the prosecution of his firm for an alleged tech
nical violation of the revenue law.
In reference to the whiskey of j. A. Gun
ningham, seized at Peoria and referred to by
the Inter-Ocean, the facts are that the whiskey
was sold by Monks & Cobb Of this city to j.
A. Cunningham. After the seizure Bristow,
while here, and before he became Secretary of
the Treasury as friendly act for Monks &
Cobb, wrote to the District attorney at Chicago
requesting that he defer action until all the
facts were ascertaiDed.
Subsequently that whisky and part of the
same lot seized at Chicago were forfeited. The
parties interested in the defence having been
taken by surprise new trial was granted and
the case is still pending. j. A. Cunningham
has refused the compromise offered because
they insist that the whisky was all right. AZ
ter Bristow became Secretary of the Treasury
he was applied to by Cobb to order
the release of the whisky, but declined
to give any order on the subject for
the reason that he had been consulted
by Cobb prior to becoming Secretary, unless the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue and Solicit
or of the Treasury should recommend the re-
lease. These are the facts as gathered from
Cobb gentleman of the highest standing here.
He also says that an agent of the government
investigated the whole case and reported moth
ing wrong about the whiskey. He has really
complained that Bristow's sensitiveness as to
official propriety has prevented him from doing
what the facts would have justified him in do
ing.
Mr.. Cunningham says there was no excuse
for the seizure his wkiskey; that exCommis-
sioner Douglass was apprised of the facts con-
corning it and intimated that money would Sc
cure its restoration. Mr. Cunningham says he
has paid nothing and does not intend to use
money to secure what property belongs to him.
All the other whiskey men named in the Inter-
Oceans article as having employed BristOw,
including Newcomb, Buchanan & Co., deny
such statements. The Democrats here are in
dgnant at the Inter-Ocean's attempt to ally
them with the scheme to aid the whiskey ring
and Babcock