Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-05-10
WHISKY wICKEDNEss.
The Government IN Possession of Evidence
of Frauds to the IMl0MMt of u Million and

a Quarter.
Washington Telegram Chicago Tribune.
Commissioner Raum has been watching
the Cincinnati whisky ring for six months.
The result is the discovery of fraud on the
government which he estimates will reach
81, 100000. This explains the reason why
Cincinnati distillers have been able to under
sell those in every other city. This ring is
supposed at the department to have been in
operation for one year. The process of dis
covering it has been very difficult one for
six months. The department has been
watching that city, and a number
of agents of various grades have
been at work there most of the time.
But two persons in the employ of the reve-
nue. service have had any knowledge of the
matter. 1t was not even known until lately
to the President OF Secretary Sherman. The
presence of agents in Cincinnati was not
suspected there until the seizure of the DELI
fenfield distillery and the rectifying house
of Pfiefer. Subsequently agents were close
ly watching, and at one distillery, which was
in an isolated locality, the approaches to
which could be readily observed from the
distillerv, the agents were driven away.
The methods practiced by the Cincinnati
ring have not been as varied as those adopt
ed by former whisky rings, but the aggre-
gate of small stealings, it will be seen, is
estimated to reach the enormous sum of
81 ,25OOOO. The following methods appear
to have been adopted: Refilling packages,
use of stamps more than once, fraudu-
lent gauging, and use of peculiar-shaped
barrels, which would permit the dis
tillers to gain two or three gallons on
each barrel. The evidence in possession of
the Government az to the frauds is conclu-
sive, and any attempts of the distillers to
destroy the evidence by mutilating the books
will be useless. While some of the largest
houses appear to have contented themselves
with the moderate gains of two or three
gallons Oh barrel, several of the establish
ments involved have made it practice to
make way with an average of ten to twelve
barrels per day. There have been extensive
and continuous sales of small lots of the
crooked whisky to retail dealers.
The evidence shows that several gauge rs
and number of subordinates in Collector
Weitzel's Office, including some of his depu-
ties, were in collision with the ring. The
secrets of the government were withheld
from Weitzel. Neither is it intended to di-
rect him to seize the distilleries, as a new
collector will be appointed in short time.
Direct proof has been discovered of the COM
plicity of store keepers. At one of the large
distilieries the storekeeper found it conven
lent to be regularly absent at
certain time. He would indicate his absence
by entering an adjacent beer saloon, making
peculiar sign by extending his hand so that
it could be seen by man standing near the
gate; then the storekeeper would be absent
long enough to enable the employees of the
distillery to load wagon with Illicit whisky
and leave the distillery. The next day the
same barrels would be found at the distillery.
The numbers have all been preserved. SO
that the evidence is conclusive.
During the progress Of the investigation
the commissioner has received ali anony
nous letter discovered to have been written
at the instance of Diefenfeld, in which the
latter proposed to betray the secrets of the
ring, evidently to secure immunity for HIM
self.