New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-05-08
Vol. XXXvIH.. NO. ,578'
WASHINGTON.
,r,r prvrx1rE ROBBED OF s1,25o,oOO.

.,,aryrR DETAILS OF THE CINCINNATI ,,opr
SPEECH AGAINST TIE TARIFF DE-
a. mn cvxTs TAKEX-GENERAL 1T EMS
rho vrb;s,ev frauds in Cincinnati amour. ~ ~
Anv "i'', "a = quarter. 1t is stated that tle
co,,or,uent has ample PROOF 10 0oH'ie -
y. a,,oorned Several Government eii-
u,''ii'' 80 in the ring. The Tariff Dill was
P,V'N9.', cor discussion in the House YESTERDAY
,oto Of 100 TO 1OS. General BANKS spoNe
aI.oinst the bill. Nothing was done yeS'eiu"y
oSo,t tbe Florida election. Kulnor says 'ii"'
-, viii he taken to-day. MI AalhacOn"
o.. boon presented to the President. Inc
S'rnaicoto has subscribed for $5,0OOOoo more
Of the 4la per cents. Greece agrees ~ 49, 81
tho Monetary Conference he" oS 49,
tobacco stamp is proposed, when VIII pie.en'
fraud aud he of certain oenen' ~
ufactureIs
THE WAYS OF THE CINCINNATI RING
.,,,. ,,,,rrs 81. go 900 IN EXTENT-MEN IN THE
,,I-r,roR's OFFICE IN COMPLETELY WITH DIS
TiLLERs.
10y TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l
y,,erIyGT,N. May 7.-Commissioner Raum mas
,.,,,,,..ico,. Of the Cincinnati Whiskey Ring for
about ,y months and has been watching 1or an OPP
nortunity TO discover its operations. III Is ho"
leorsi that the extent of the frauds upon inc ouN
ornment has amounted TO about S1,2oO,oou. Inc
toct that Cincinnati distillers have been placing
,ylisl.ey on the market without paying the TAX
evplams how they have been able 10 uhdefscii ui'-
filters of every other part OF the country
The ring is supposed 10 have been Ill operation
ohoTt one year. and the process of detecting Its
",tols hos becn very difficult one Agents have
hen at work in Cincinnati searching for evidence
lint civ months. Only two persons in the employ
oftbo Pevenue- Department have had any knowl-
o1oo of the matter and nothing was known about
;+u,+il lately even by the President or Secretary
cbor,Don The presence of the Treasury agents IN
Cincinnati was not suspected there until the seizure
f the Dieenfeld dstillery and the rectlylng mouse
of pfeifer Subsequently the agents were CLOS ely
watched bv the distillers, and they were driven
AWAY from one establishment which was situated ID
an isolated locality the approaches to which could
be observed.
The frauds of the Cincinnati ring have not been MS
extensive or as ingenious as those committed by the
Chicago and ST. Louis rings, but the aggregate OF
small stealngs has been considerable The frauds
have been committed by retilling packages, the
reuse Of stamps fraudulent guaging, and the use
of a peculiarly shaped barrel which would permit
the dstler to place in the barrel three or four gal
Ions more than it appeared TO hold. The evidence
in the possession of the Government officers in
regard to these frauds is conclusive, and no attempts
Of the disters to destroy this evidence by mutiat-
ing books will be successful.
1t has been discovered that several gaugers and a
number of subOrdinates in Collector WeitzePs
Office, including one of his deputies were in col
fusion with the ring. The secrets of the Government
were withheld from Weitzel and it Is not intended
TO direct him to make the seizures as new Collector
will be appointed within few days. Direct proof
has been discovered of the completely OF store
keepers At one of the large distilleries the
storekeeper found it convenient to be regu-
larly absent at certain times. He would indi-
cate his absence by entering adjacent beer saloon
and making peculiar signal with his hands so that
it could be seen by man standing near gate ana
then the storekeeper would absent himself long
enough to enable the employees of the dlstllleTy to
load wagon with whskey on which the tax was
not paid and leave the distilleTy.
During the progress of the investigation, the
Commissioner has received anonymous letters, which
are discovered have been written by the wife OF
Dieffenfeld, in which il proposed TO betray the
secrets of the ring in order TO immunity for
her husband. While some of the largest houses ap-
pear TO have cOntented themselves with the mOder-
ate gains of two three gallons barrel several
of the establishments involved have made II pTac-
tce to make away with an average of ten or twelve
barrels day. There have been extensive and con-
tnuOus sales of small lots of the crooked whiskey
TO retail buyers.