Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1875-07-11
The whisky Ring ON the Pacific
Coast.

The whisky frauds in some of the
States east of the Rocky Mountains hay
ing created great excitement, little in
formation as to the whisky ring on this
coast may be of interest to our readers.
If Secretary Bristow wishes TO follow up
the good work he has so ably begun, let
him send some official here in whom he
has the fullest confidence, and upon
whom he can depend, and he will dis
cover frauds before which those of st.
Louis and Chicago will pale. There is
not distillery on this coast to-day that
pays more than half the taxes on the
liquor they manufacture, and the revenue
officials and distillers are virtually in
partnership, which is easily traced, as
follows: The Pacific Refinery" is the
largest distillery, George Oulton, Sena.
tor Sargent's particular friend, and the
former Collector of this District, being
the principal proprietor; the Bay View
il owned by Gushing, Lauderbach and
VIM. b. Carr; and the Antioch distillery
is run by Joost. who so conveniently set
tied with the Government when Sedg-
wick was Collector of that district. In
the face of those extensive frauds, Joost
still runs his distillery, and Sedgwick
was promoted to this district. With
Foulke, Sedgwick's former partner, as
Supervisor for the coast, and Van Dyke,
q perfectly plant District Attorney,
and with Sargent as general patron, strong
enough in his influence at Washington to
prevent any investigation, they have had
things their own way and done their
business in the most open manner. Ly-
man was sent out here as special agent,
and got on the right scent, but at that
time Sargent was all-powerful with Doug
lass, Internal Revenue Commissioner,
and he was Immediately removed The
case OF the Bay View Distillery was so
plain, however, that mock seizure of
few packages was made, the same being
spirited away and disappearing over
night, destroying the actual evidence,
and Louis Franconi, who was paid a
salary for the use of his name as propri-
etor of the Refinery, was arrested,
promptly bailed out, and the matter
finally settled with the convenient Dis
trict Attorney. Colonel Joyce of St.
Louis was then sent out as special agent.
but was Immediately taken in hand on
his arrival, dined, wined and taken to
the Geysers, Yosemite and Oregon, one
excursion following another until he left
for home, perfectly satisfied" that
everything was all straight here. This
same Joyce has since been indicted for
the st. Louis frauds, and s now among
the missing.
1t is notorious fact that spirits have
for q long time and still are selling in
this market at prices far below the ac-
tual cost of manufacture, provided the
tax was paid, and packages are constant
ly being used over and over again, the
tax upon which has only been paid once.
The right kind of a man could start in
and unravel the whole thing without apy
trouble, examine the books of every
wholesale liquor dealer in San Fran.
cisco, compare them with the book re-
quired by law to be kept both BY them
and the distiller, and it would be found
that not over one-half of the spirits sold
were accounted for in the latter book. or
had ever paid taxes. The authorities at
Washington are convinced that frauds
are going on here, and at one time the
orders were made out transferring Foulke
to Richmond, Va, but Sargent inter-
fered and kept him here. When the
Gorham- Sargent ticket shall have been
defeated, of which there is no doubt.
then Sargent will have lost his influence.
and he will be powerless to longer pro.
tect this internal combination; and if the
distillers are weakened now they can not
contribute 30 literally for campaign ex-
penses as formerly. All the facts stated
herein can be verified, and an agent high
enough in grade to be unapproachable
should be sent ont here and the frauds
unearthed, for which the Gorham- Sar-
gent-Carr combination is responsible. -
8. F. Chronicle, g.