The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-05-17
THE WHISKY WAR.
An Attack all Along the Line in
New York.


New York.
TWENTY INDICTMENTS AND SIX
ARRESTS.
]. o. BOYD, Z. p. HILL. w. 9. MILLER, ED
WARD A. BoURY AND oTHERS ARRESTED
ON CHARGES OF FRAUD-ALLEGED CON-
PLICITY WITH THE WESTERN RING
CHARGES OF LARGE TRANSACTIONS BY A
STRONG RING IN THIS CITY.
The New York Tribune tells how
the whisky war struck the metropolis:
The anniversary of the opening of the war
against thu whisky ring, the account of
which was published in the Tribune one
year ago to-day, was celebrated yesterday
by the arrest OF members OF six leading
whisky firms of this city, and the issue OF
war ants tor fifteen others. These men,
government officials declare, composs q
New York whisky ring of great strength,
whose transactions in illicit WHISKY are
alleged to have been very large.
This movement on the part OF the govern
ment is the sequel to Assistant Distric
Attorney Shermsn's investigations in the
West aud elsewhere, which have been in
progress TOR more than year. 1t is as
serted that frauds on the revenue have
been carried on in this city by the accused
dealers tor three and halt years, aud that
| the existence of fraud
HAS BEEN WELL KNOWN TO THE AUTHOR
Tiles
here, but that the ring has BEEN so strong
in all it's qualifications, and so much diff
| Guilty has been found In Obtaining evidence,
that the prosecution has been delayed I'M
I'll the present time. During the three and
half wears it is estimated by the govern
ment officials that from 1000. 600 TO 5000,
600 gallons of CROOKED" whisky have been
sold in this market. Since the breaking
up of the western ring, Mr.. Sherman
has been pushing his search for evil
dence against New York firms with better
success. important witnesses were Sc
| cured in the persons of Bingham and
other Western distillers and dealers, and
it is stated that evidence OF an overwhelm-
| ing character has been adduced to show
| The guilty completely of many New York
houses with the ring in ST. Louis, Mil
waukee, Peoria and elsewhere. On the
strength OF this evidence, the UniteJ States
grand jury on Tuesday returned twenty
indictments against liquor dealers in this
city, six of whom were brought before
Commissioner Shields YESTERDAY, and sd-
mitted to bail in sums varying from
$40, 900 to $4,000. the persons arrested
were: +. o. B,.yd and Edgar p. Hill, OF
the firm OF 4. D. Boyd d Co., liquor COM
mission merchants, of No. SO Broad street;
| w .. VI W. .. nllttT o w.. COI1-
mission merchants, of No 81 Broad street;
Edward A. Boury, the secretary of the
New York Rectiiylng Company, of No. 10
| Cedar street; j. A. Anthony, rectifier, OF
No. go East Thirty-eighth street; Will
liam NJ. Rice, dealer in alcohol, OF No. 2l5
| Pearl street. Some of the
/ INDICTED MIN SURRENDERED THEMSELVES
before the warrants were served, and
others were arrested by Deputy Msrshsls
Robinson, Crowley, Deubert, Newcomb
| ana HARRISON. A large part of the day
| was consumed In arranging satisfactory
/ oail- bonds, but all we're finally released Oh
bonds in the following sums: +. o. Boyd,
$4,000; Edgar p. Hill, $4,000; J. A.
Anthony, $40, 600; Edward A Boury, SIS
600; w. s. Miller, SIC, 900; w. NJ. Rice, SlO,-
900. Boyd is indicted on 26 counts, Hill on
Is, Boury on 25, Miller on 10. and
Anthony on 8. These counts cover al
most as many different kinds of alleged
frauds, all In connection with Western
rings. Most of the arrested men declined
to make any detailed statements yester-
day. All asserted that they had only
bought whisky which was duly stamped
in accordance with law, and had mol
knowingly been guilty of any frauds
Messrs. Boury and Boyd said that it was
probable that some whisky received
Dy their firms had not had the
proper tax, but they never bought
any which was not stamped, and
they had no means of knowing the
" straight" from the crooked " whisky
in cases where the fraud had been pefps.
trsted in sffixing the stamps at the distil-
leries. They claim that the stamp is to be
accepted as guaranty that the tax has
been paid, and that they are justified liz
purchasing in open market any duly
stamped goods without going behind the
stamp to inquire as to the legitimate man
nfacture OF the spirits. All the other in
dicted firms make in substances the same
statement. The government officials are
CLAIM TO HAVE EVIDENCE row
to show that the New York consignees OF
the rings In st. Louis, Milwaukee, Chi
csgo, and Peoria had distinct understand
ings with the Western disthlers as to the
character of their consignments, by which
| 1t was arranged that lots of Illicit whisky
were TO be distributed through shipments
that had paid duty; than these Illicit
goods were known in New York by GER
4 tain distinctive mark, and were sold ,Dy
the indicted firms with full knowledge OF
| their fraudulent character It Is alleged
that q thorough understanding ex-
listed between the New York firms, and
that to facilitate their business and to
avoid suspicion, Illicit consignments in
tended for one firm. were often sent to an
other. Assistant District Attorney Sber-
4 man said to a Tribune reporter yesterday
that no case had been presented to the
grand jury without ample evidence to Sc
sure conviction. He declared that the rec
root of the whisky ring vas la this city, and
that the Western manufacturers OF Illicit
tn~.4 ia 4