The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-01-03
THE WHISKEY FRAUDS.
More Prominent Politicians I'm
plicated.
Ex-ComgressmanF arweN Deep i'm
the sfirP.
Interviews with Indicted Distillers.

New YORK, Jan. 2.-The Heralds Chicago
special says it :s&Tleged that other public men
Will be arrested Monday for completely in the
whiskey frauds. 1t is said that ex.Congress-
man Charles B. Farwell, District Attorney j.
ID. Ward, and City Marshall Goddell will meet
this fate. The principal allegations, according
to these statements, against Farwell are that
he was interested in Jake Rheims Northwest
ern Malt House; that moneys paid by the dis
tlllers to Rhem were traced into his hands, and
that some $50, OC0 were raised from the crooked
distillers in the campaign of 1874 for the bene-
ut of Farwell, who was running for Congress.
These rumors also charge Goodell with being
implicated in the assessments of crooked dis
tiers to the amount of $4,000 for the cam
paign fund of 1873 and in this connection
Hessing, Rhem and Miller are charged with
being principally responsible for the corrupt
raising OF the fund supposed to have been used
for the peoples party. District Attorney Ward
is supposed to have been implicated in the
south branch distillery.
1t is certain many further arrests will follow,
and among those likely are mentioned quite
number of prominent politicians ard officials
besides the above.
The Times Chicago special says the Chicago
Times to-day gives publicity to several inter-
views with indicted distillers caught in the first
seizure some weeks ago. W. s. GhOlsen says
the recently arrested distillers volunteered to
pay his fine if he would not tell what he knew
against them; that number of them advanced
him several thousand dollars dollars after his
seizure, with which. to start business again;
that there is documentary evidence enough to
convict Il. B. Miller, eX-county treasurer and
one of the arrested distillers, and that the
whole lot are in very bad predicament and
likely to go nnder at any moment
Another indicted distiller stated that III. B.
Millers distillery, the Black Hawcx, had been
dealing in crooked whiskey since the spring of
1872; that fully one-third of the whiskey man
ufactured by this house was crooked; that FL.
q. Hessing pretended to control the political
machinery as to appointing or discharging
gaugers, storekeepers and the like, and that if
any gauger was too impertinent and curious
about distilery Hessing had him transfer
red; that Jacob Rhem who run the malt BUSH
ness is implicated by reason of his influence
with politicians, that money ostensibly for
campaign purposes was paid to him by the dis
tllers.
Another distier details the proceedings of
McPherson's syndicate held two weeks ago of
distillers who had not up to that time been ar
rested. The meeting consisted of four gentle
men who had been caught in the meshes this
week, and it was suggested to pay GholseH
$4,000 to keep him from telling what he knew,
and delegation was appointed to go to WASH
ington to negotiate terms for them, such as
would save their property and prevent their
houses from being seized and themselves from
being indicted.
Another distiller places Miller's frauds at an
aggregate of half a million dollars He says
that Miller, Hessing and Rhem took money
from the distillers aggregating $4,000 for their
influence and divided it among themselves,
while the rectifiers took care of the gaugers
and other hangers on. This man also stated
that Hon. j. d. Ward, late q. S. Attorney for
this district. is one of the owners of the South
Branch distilery recently seized, and that that
house made fully 80 barrels per week of
crooked spirits. He also AYERS that Hon. G. B.
Farwell, Jacob Rbem and another prominent
politician were instrumental in eDdeavoring to
secure the release of large quantity of illicit
spirits in bond at the Chicago Dock Co.'S ware
house several months since. He was very pos.
tive in his statement.
Iu addition to these points it is positively
that the wholesale house of Gholsen & East
man acted as a ''tence" for illicit dislillers, re-
ceiving and disposing of fully 200 barrels
week, for which they paid mere nominal sum
and disposed of it at figures far below the mar
ket They were, it seems, the first to divulge
the secrets of the illicit operations for the pur-
pose of saving themselves. Eastman was at
the time one of the editors of the Chicago
Times and later state senator, and also post
master of this city.