The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-04-22
THr rrnRrvnAcH CASE.
rllNryA T7ON OF COLLECTOR yoHr
COCKREM AND OF SPEtI1L
AGENT BROOKS.
second Day.

|
second Day.
Pursuant to adjournment on Ihurs-
dav. court was opened promptly at ten
o'clock Yesterday morning by his honor
Judge Woods. :,
The first witness examined in behali
OF the prosecution was
COL. JOHN CoCKREM,
Collector OF Internal Revenue for me
first district Of Louisiana, position ne
holds since the first day OF July, 1874
the marshes Of Orleans and Jefferson
are comprised in his collection district,
and the records of the Fehrenbach dis
tillerv. situated In McDonoghyille, par
ish OF Jefferson, properly belong to his
office: some OF said records are on flle
in the revenue office, but after dlllgent
search he has failed to find the notiilca-
ton wherein the accused expressed the
intention Of beginning distillation; he
has, however, the notification for change
of capacity, dated January IA, 1874; the
bond under which the distillery was
running was identified by witness SAID
bond, dated January 10, 1874, and exc
cuted for $4,000, with Messrs. .. FL.
Karstendiek and Patrick Keenan, as
sureties, was then read to the jury by
Major New, Of special counsel for the
government; connected with the
bonds were certificates Of registry
and affidavits Of solvency of the sure
ties, the whole registered in the parish
OF jefferson. Gen. Sheldon filed an
affidavit, on the part OF Paul Bruce, one
Of the defendants, averring his inability
TO pay the expenses OF certain material
witnesses for that attendance, and ask
/ 4 t,., AI Inv no
United States as provided by statute.
The affidavit was returned to counsel
for amendment The testimony was re-
sumed, witness identifying form 1913, the
survey of the capacity OF the distiltery.
This document, very lengthy ono, was
read to the jury by District Attorney
Bcclwith and offered in evidence by the
prosecution.
Mr.. Semmes objected, on the ground
that il was not stated that the report
related to the Fehrenbach distillery.
Mr.. Beckwith answered that the facts
would be established by other evidence
and was allowed, to read the form with
specifications, the total assessed capa-
CITY of the distillery per day being
1855. 46 gallons. The form was certified
to by Q. w. Wills, Deputy Collector.
| Form 1876, relative to the decrease OF
capacity from 7S5 gallons to 527, by
closing tubs Z, and ., on January II,
1874, was not on file in the Collector s
office, as his deputy had searched for it
in vain. 1t was produced by Special
Agent Brooks and offered in evidence.
Cross examined-The Government de-
tectives generally had the freedom Of
the Office and access to the documents
relative to the distilleries, which are
kept in pigeon-holes in the office.
! ,hnn Had rconrla I
upon a book, but simply placed in the
pigeon holes. The missing documents
may have been used by the Government
agents. The gaugers returns have been
forwarded to Washington by order OF
the Government. The form relative to
the reduction Of capacity is on file also
the records OF the removal Of spirits to
warehouse and of withdrawal entries
from warehouse; also application Of
entry for warehousing bonds for spirits
remaining over a month in the dis.
tillery warehouse.
The District Attorney then read the
warehousing bonds, which contains the
description Of the packages of liquor
deposited in the bonded warehouse
The search for documents and general
inspection was not his personal work
but that OF his deputy, Mr.. Sumner
and does not know what portion of the
papers have been in the possession o
the District Attorney or of the specia
agents for the last two years, it not be
ing customary to ask a receipt for docu
-ments. Questioned upon the number o.
Government officials attached to dis
tillery, he said there was deputy col
lector. a gauger, a day and night store
keeper. Custom has made of the night
| Storekeeper a mere Waterman. the re
ports being all made by the day store
keeper every twenty-four hours. Upor
examination witness found that the
gauger's returns had not been sent &c
Washington. but were in the possession
of the prosecution, but properly be
longed to his office.
Col. Cockrem having given his tes-
timony. was followed upon the witness
stand by
COL. JAS. ]. BROOKS,
assistant chief of the secret service OF
the United States. Col. Brooks was in
the service in 1874. and was a revenue
agent from January to May of that year
has been in the employ of the Govern
ment in the internal revenue branch of
the service for the last nine years. has
applied himself more particularly to
the laws and regulations thereupon,
and the checks and counterchecks de-
yised by the Government to prevent
fraud, and has large experience in
that line, being most familiar with all
the details of the business.
At the request of the District Attor-
ney, Col. Brooks went into minute and
detailed description of the process of
distillation, which we omit, as the same
ground was covered by Major News ar
gument, synopsis of which was pub
lished yesterday
Certain distilleries have as many as
two and three day storekeepers, and as
many at night, but distilleries Of this
calibre have only had one for the day,
the other for the night. Their duties
are identical, but deplorable custom
has made Of the night storekeeper a
mere Waterman, the day storekeeper
making up all the daily returns.
Witness is familiar with the Fehren-
bach distillery. The plan shown him
correctly represents the location Of the
still, mash tubs, fermenters, etc, but
knows nothing Of the bonded warehouse
or Of the receiving room. The grain
when mashed in the mash tub is run
into the fermenters. where it remains
for forty-eight hours, being distilled
after that time, the tubs remaining
empty twenty-four hours after being
emptied. When the distillery opened
the whole nine tubs of the distillery
were to be used producing 1856 46 proof
gallons of spirits from S2 bushels of
grain. Form 126 reduced the capacity
TO 5D7 Al alIOpc NOR fwapty fo,,r h 2,,,,