Wilmington journal., 1876-01-28
THE ST. LOUIS WHlSkEX hAN0-

ANOTHER MAN ON TRIAL.
The Whiskey Ring trials at st.
Louis have been resumed before Judge
Dillon of the Federal Court. Mr..
William Mckee, the party now before
the Court, is the editor of the st.
Louis Democrat, the leading Radical
paper in that city, and indeed the
leading Radical organ west OF the
Mississippi. The Democrat boasts
very much of its prosperity, having
recently announ need that it had re-
ceived ana put up one of Hoes great
printing presses that cost fifty thou
sand dollars. Mr.. Mckee has indig-
nantly denied his guilt, but to this
denial neither the Grand jury nor the
District Attorney have paid much at
tention. .....f
The following synopsis of the open
ing speech of District Attorney Dyer
presents the main points in the case
expected to be laid before the jury.
There we're but few challenges and
the Jury was selected without difficulty
from mea from the Western counties
of the State and consists of merchants,
farmers and mechanics:
District Attorney Dyer opened the
case with a statement OF what the
| prosecution expected to prove, the
material points being that he would
| show that Mckee was not only mem
ber of the ring but the cause which
| led to his being taken into 1t. de was
a man of influence at Washington, and
in the paImy days of the ring he con-
trolled one of the principal party Or
gans here.
1t would be shown that each week
while the ring fourished money OBJ
tanned from the distillers was, after
the gaugers and storekeepers had been
paid, divided into five parts, one OF
which went to Mcdonald, one to Joyce
& McGrue and two to Mckee, he to di-
vide with tie collector. 1t may be
shown that duIing the time from Sep
tember, 1871, to November, 1873, each
of the benefciaries realized about $40,
900 from stealings. AS new feature
of the details of carrying on the frauds,
he would show that on one occasion
four books, containing 800 rectltlcr
stamps, worth % cents each, were SO q
from the collectors Office to the recti-
fying firm of Bevis & Frazer for the
large price of S. each or Sc, 400 for all
The stamps were not regularly ac-
counted for to the government, but were
charged against the account OF one OF
the clerks of the collectors Office as
though he had spoiled them. Why
this was done, and why Bevis Il Fra
zer were willing to pay Sc, 400 for $4OO
worth of stamps would seem when IT
was explained that the affxing OF one
of the stamps to a package of rectitied
spirits is certificate that such spirits
has been properly tax paid before rec
tifying. The advanced price of S.,
400 for S4OO worth of stamps enabled
the collectors Office to realize a N,
little $500 profit. The possession OF
l 900 8, amps enabled Bevis & Frazer
to place upon the market properly
certified ], 900 packages of spirits ou
which no taxes had been paid before
rectification, each stamp thus saving
them anywhere from $50 to $50.
The stubs, it would be shown, were
thrown into the furnace at Bevis 4
FraZer's establishment and burned
and no inquiry by the Department re
suited because of the explanation ol
the collectors books. We will show
you also that the defendant now under
trial was one of the parties interested
in the suppression OF evidence before
the grand jury; that the con
spiracy was not only a combination tt
defraud the government. but also be
came a combination to keep evidence
from the grand jury. I'VE will als'
show that, when Conduce MegrEe wa
brought here upon a ca1oias, Mckee
had three interviews with Megrue, ant
plead with that gentleman to save him
for disclosure would ruin him, an.
that when these proved unsuccessful
} proposition was made by members O
the ring, Mckee being one of them, t.
buy off Megrue, and that this was no
accomplished because the money coui'
not be raised.