Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-11-26
A THIEVES CARNIVAL.

RING r. Il ON INFORMATION FROM
wAsHINGToN-''MY FRIEND BABCoCK"
SPEECH OF A CONVICTED RINGER
CERTIFICATE OF CHARACTER OF sBAB"
FROM ONE OF THE RING.
sc. &c. &C.
The evidence in the st. Louis trials Of
whiskey frauds has astounded the country
with revelations of corruption in the
execution of the laws that lad hardly
been dreamed Of. The parties in the
prisoners box were Col James A. Joyce,
agent, member of the
Republican State committee and
coming candidate of the party for Congress
from the st. Louis district, .(he was con-
victed and sentenced to the penitentiary.)
VIM. Mckee, proprietor of the "Globe
Democrat" the Administration organ Of
Missouri. VIM .. Avery, late Chief Clerk
of the s. Treasury at Washington, Gen.
Mcdonald, Supervisor and Mcguire Col
lector of Revenue and candidate for may
or of st. Louis. We give below extracts
regarding the ring promising that the
"Bab'' mentioned is Gen. Babcock OF
Presidents Grants household staff.
GETTING AN ''oRGAN."
Col. W. NJ. Grosvenor, former editor Of
the ST. Louis Democrat writes to the
New York Herald" these partic ulars Of
how they secured that paper
Early in 1871 Mckee said to me, at that
time editor of the Democrat" that rea-
sons had been presented to HIM for chang
ing the course of the paper that the OPP
position to Grant ought to cease; that
there were very important arrangements
on foot which would he highly profitable
to all of US if we could be on good terms
with the Federal officials Naturally in-
at last, after many significant winks and
mods, that the matter in question c. ncern-
ed the revenue service. and that we could
ust as well make 100000 each if we
would let him arrange it and say nothing
more in the paper against Grant. L de-
clined to change my political opinions so
readily, and was presently notified that my
services rs editor We're 70 longer needed.
| demanded reasons, but was peremptorily
refused any explanation. This was in i,
February, 1871. The paper did suddenly
wheel around to the support of Grant, and
in March the first general assessment Ct
whisky distillers was made. According to
testimony given at ST.. Louis. a regular
share of the money collected from distlll-
& rs was from the first paid to John Lea
venworth, since deceased, for delivery tu
William Mckee. How far the promise of
this share III the profits OF ILLICIT dlstilllng
influenced the sudden conversion in the
political opinions OF Mckee and his paper
others can judge.
THE FoLKEs AT WASHINGTON"
Sehou D. Thorpe was sworn and testi.
fed:
I was appointed United States store.
keeper in 1863: Joyce told me that
this house (Chouteau's distillery) had to
make some "crooked'' wi iskey, and the
money must be paid to him; Juyce told me
he was taking care of the officers at Wash
ington-Babcock, Avery and others and
it was being used for political purposes /
ALWAYS understood that we were working
under ord ers from headquarters laugh
teri; he would come around and make
special assessments, saying that 'sthe folks
at Washington wanted some money, and
must have it, [laughterl; he assessed me
800 occasionally for 1.-The folks at Wash
ington :" the parties he named as receiv.
ing the money here were District-AttOr-
ney Patrick. United States Marshal New
comb, Gen Mcdonald, Major Gunthor
Fitzroy, Con. Megrue, and VIM. Mckee
do not know how the money was dis
tributed, because, after the money passed
out of my hands, never got a sip at it
again [laughterl did not testify this all
before the Grand Jury. because l was in.
structed by Joyce, not to testify according
to the law III the bcpk but according to
the revenue law, as | received it from my
su,erior officer, Joyce and Mcdonald.
TIauphterl
E. B. Frazer, of the firm of Bevis Il Fra
ger, testified to having manufactured
''crooked'' whisky, with the knowledge
and approval of Mcdonald and Joyce. He
said:
We understood that other distillers were
dong likewise we, the diStillers, had sew
eral meetings t. raise money for the reve-
nue. agents; once we raised $4,000 for
Joyce; [ paid the money to him at the
Planters lInuse: he said that Mcdonald
WAS going to take it to Washington to use
it for stopping an investigation McDnn-
aid went to Washington and remaiH ed
about a week: this occdrrpd in the month
of : ugust, 1875; [ don't know to whom
the money was to be given did not care
Joyce came to see me and told me that he
had to have S. 600; our firm paid half and
Bingham Brothers half: in May $4,000
fuore were raised, at Fitzroys suggestion ;
''to wipe out the past, and let bygones be
bygones;" | raised some money once for
Mr.. Hogue, a revenue agent, who was he re
in the Spring of 1871 investigating revenue
matters; paid Fl, que $4,000; once Beyis
showed me /. letter signed "Bab,' which
Joyce had given him to re-assure me; it
purported to come from Babcock at Wash,
jngton in my conversations with Joyce
about being in danger. he always told me
to go ahead and run, because we were all
right: he said that he had communication
with Washington, which would enable him
to let us know if any bo'ly was coming.
''BAB" WRITES THAT THERE is H-.TO
YIN WASHINGTON.
Mr.. Grosvenor, it is ascertained from
one of the witnesses. whose testimony on
that point is given below, received 81 900
from the Ring while editor of "The Dem
ocrat," in consideration of disseminating
his opposition to Constantine Megrue, can
didate for Mayor in 1874. Barnet H. En-
gelke was the first witness. He testified
to having carried on a rectifying busin ess
in an Illicit manner, and to having de-
frauded the Government out of the taxes
due. He said in substance:
I paid money to Joyce, Barton, Fitzroy,
and Leavenworth. to stop further inter-
ference of the officers; also paid money to
the Hutchins, or Sixth Ward fund, just
before the election in 1872: Leavenworth
told me that in II the Ring men were
Megrue, Mcdonald, Joyce, Mckee and
Ford subs quent to ", as l learned from
Leavenwortl, the Ring was composed of
Mcdonald. Joyce, Everest, Fitzroy, Con-
cannon, Mckee Mcguire, Patrick, New
comb, and Grosvenor received 81 900 to let
up on Mcguire about the time Mcguire ex-
pected the nomination for the Mayoralty {;
the money was not raise >" but Joyce