Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-08-18
HOW AN OTTUMWA MAN MISSED A
FORTUNE

Internal Revenue Agent on duty In
Supervisor Hedrick's district, seized
last May the distillery of Sheahan &
Son, st. joe, Mo, and the rectifyine
house Of d. A. Feineman & Co.
Kansas City, for fraudulent collision
in robbing the Government of it's jus,
revenues.
The evidence that high wine barrels
had passed and been reused between
these establishments with the stamps
intact and INCREASED, was conclusive al
the time of the seizure, and the proof
to that effect has been constantly in
creasing.
Since then and during a recent Of
fetal visit of Revenue Agent Brown
to st. 10, the extensive wholesale
liquor house OF s. Adler Il Co., was
seized on similar charges and the Col
lcctor and chief Gauger of that city
were arrested and held in heavy bonds
for connivance with said fraudulent
transaction.
Adler and Feineman will be rccollect-
ed as former dry goods merchants OF
this city. They went to s.. Jo.. and
Kansas City, however, about fifteen
years ago, where they have accumu-
lated great wealth and highly reputa-
Bile business and social standing up to
the late onpleasantness.
Among other unpleasant develope-
ments in the case, is the fact that a
Gauger and Storekceper have both
turned States evidence and testify
that the Gauger was to get Sl.OO and
the Storekeeper fifty cents each on
every frandulently reused and stamp
cd barrel.
The first visit made by Captain
Brown created lively CONSERVATION
among the thieves of Kansas City and
st: Joseph, and the Ring proceeded
to raise ten thousand dollars, which
was deposited in bank to be paid out
to him, as is now well known by the
Revenue officers, but but before its
tender, the Milwaukee whisky war
broke out and Supervisor Hedrick
telegraphed Brown to join him there,
80 that the opportunity to bribe him
was not offered until the frauds at st.
Jo., Kansas City. st. Louis, Chicago
and Milwaukee were fully developed
to the country.
The following article from the st.
Joseph Gazette upon this point may
be interesting to the reader, showing,
as II does, how near an Ottumwa man
came to having . handsome fortune Of
fered him for simply leaving q town
"The knowledge of the whisky
frauds in st. Louis and neighboring
cities, of course, lead the government
al authorities to suspect that similar
Irregularities might and probably did
exist in st. Joseph. These suspicious
were strengthened by q certain COM
munication written from this city to
the Secretary of the United States
Treasury by . gentleman we'll known
In political circles, whose name we
will not mention, as being irrelevant.
On the fifth day of last May the
whisky distillery of Edward Sheehan
was seized by Charles P. Brown, one
of the government agents of the Iowa
District. About the same time large
amount of high wines, about sixty
barrels, was seized in q storehouse as
it was about to be shipped to st.
Louis. No reason, we learn from
young Sheshan, was at the time as
| signed for the seizure of tho distillery.
but It is known fact that the distil-
lery was seized and the proprietor
thereof placed under 5000 bonds to
anawer at Jefferson City on the 9th
DAY OF september next, at which time
the charges would be preferred before
the Grand Jury. The intelligence OF
the closing up of Sneahan's distillory,
followed as 1t was BY the development
Of the great whisky frauds through.
out the West, created a profound
sensation here. However, it was no,
yet generally known that here in st.
Joseph there had all along existed pi-
gsntic frauds, as stupendoue, compar-
| atively, as any yet developed. The
reader can perhaps imagine, for we
cannot describe, the feelings OF those
| who had been party to these ''irregu-
larities." There was an almost uni.
versal trembling in their boots of the
whisky ring, for that such a ring has
been In existence in ST. Joseph, time
has proven hey ond the peradventure
of a doubt.
The ring were in great tribulation.
The disasters to their Salient partners
In st. Louis and Chicago seemed to
prognosticate similar fate for them
Who knew but that the government
officers were already upon the trail OF
each and every individual connected
with the ring, and would swoop down
upon them at any moment? Was II
possible for this work of exposure 10
be nipped in the bud? Could il be
stopped? How could it be stopped !!
The remedy must be applied at once.
| The cause was a hazardous one. in
volving, as it did, the reputation OF
men who stood high in the estimation
of the business and social world for
years. The remedy must be a bold
one, and ii must be applied with the
same boldness that had conceived and
executed the whisky frauds. The
remedy was money. The government
agent must be bought. Tho almighty
dollar for which the ring has risked
reputation and honor aud all, could
rid them of that government agent,
who, like a horlid incubus, haunted
their sleeping and waking moments.
Accordingly sum of money was
raised to squelch further investigation.
Addition and division had not been
unknown to the ring-they now
sought silence. Tho sum of money
subscribed toward this object was be-
tween 5000 and $4,000. The exact
figures we do not know, but we do
know that such sum was raised by
the ring to purchase the silence OF
Government Agent Brown.
Now, then, the cat and the bell had
been provided, but who so audacious
- to fasten the bell about the cats
neck9 This was stickler, and while
the ring were frettipg and Tuning,
Mr.. Brown left the city, and whittier
he went, deponent saith not. OF this