Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-12-26

ioItuer testiutS tnat SnOftiy before the
Senatorial election, early in January,
MIR. Nunemacher, the owner Of the
largest dirtillery in Milwaukee, who
was afterwards prosecuted for frauds
| on the revenue and ran away, came
to him and exhibited letter or dis
patch--he does not remember which
signed BY E. w. Reyes. "He
wanted me-" says Rindskopf,"t con.
tribute to make up certain sums OF
money that Mr.. Reyes demanded OF
him in that dispatch or letter;
think it was dispatch" He says his
firm was paying various revenue off.
cials, gaugers, inspectors, &C.. "hush
money" at the rate Of 500 to 5000 a
month, and that they paid from $780,
900 to $4,000 in this way, charging
1T to expense account. He heard the
officials say that some OF the money
they SO received they had to pay to
Keyes and others, and "they often
grumbled that they were assessed SO
much"
THE DIsTILLERs RAISE MONEY FOR
KEYEs AND CARPENTER.
Leopold Wirth, a dlstiller in Mil.
waukee, who had been indicted for
running his distillery in violation Of
law, and plead guilty, testified that he
was in the habit of paying "hush
money to the Government officers,
and that he also collected money from
such officers and from distillers ssfor
political and electioneering purposes. .
The following is a part of his testimo-
ny in reply to questions by Judge
Cate, OF the Congressional committee
about the 22ud or 2srd (of January, 1875,
pending the Senatorial contest) Conklin came
back from Madison and said to me and Nune-
macher, 'We have got to have some money 2
Conklin said: We must get money
anyhow for the running of this machine Mr.
Keyes needs some money for political affairs.
Question After Conklin told you all this
what did you do?
Anscer. We went around collectng-I
and Herman Nulemacher we collected from
distillers and United States officers.
=. Did you collect from any persons except
those connected with the whisky business?
A. No, Sir; we collected from gaugers,
store,keepers and distillers.
Q. Did you tell the parties form whom you
collected this money the reason for collecting
it, and what was to be done with it?
A. Nunemacher and went around to some
parties and said that we needed some money
in this election affair for Mr. Keyes, in order
to have Senator Carpenter reelected; so some
gave US $50 and some 500 and so on, and we
collected $1,000 We took that money--my-
self and Nunemacher-and gave it to Mr..
Conklin in an envelope. Conkin asked me if
l wanted to give 1T to keyes myself. / said
No, you can do it; don't want to give il to
him myself because l amt acquainted With
him. So gave the money to Conklin, and
he walked along, and saw him give the en-
velope to Keyes; and. about ten minutes after
wards, Conklin and Mr.. Reyes came out, and
Conklin gave Keyes an introduction to Names
macher and myself. Said he, Mr.. Keyes, these
are the gentlemen that collected that 81 800
that gave you excused myself and said.
Mr.. Reyes, that is all we could collect at pres
ent because we were in hurry, Conkln hur-
ried us up So but if there is any more needed,
we will get some more money Mr.. Keyes
said, That will do; will let you know if we
want any more
O. What did you give that money to
Reyes for
A. E.ectioneering purposes.
e. But you were not interested in the re-
election of Mr.. Carpenter?
A. Well, we thought Senator Carpenter
| ought to be reelected, because he was good
man, and we wanted to see hun in again.
O. Was one of the reasons why you gave
Reyes that money that you expected Reyes
would stand between you and the Govern
ment?
A. cannot tell that.
CARPENTER WANTED "FoR GENERAL PURPOSES ALL
AROUND"
Q What motive actuated you?
A. Well, We all felt kind of warmly to-
wards Senator Carpenter, and we thought be
ought to be elected for general purposes all
around because lie was a man from Milwau
kee; and another thing, he scoasld not do any
harm 10 certain extent
Y What do You mean when you say that
he would not do any harm to certain extent?'
A. Think he would ibid hand over ,ss more
han anybody else
q. Was not this the reason that governed
the distillers in raising that money: the ex-
pectation that if they did assist in Carpenters
election. he, and the Government officials
would favor them?
A. WE'LL could not say that as a fact.
Q. Yves not that one OF the reasons that
you paid the money!
A. 1t was feeling that we thought our of.
jscers could be in better condition If Mr.. Car
pointer waS reelected
Q. Do you know that Conklin knew at that
time that you were running your dstlleries in
violation oflaw?
A. | guess he knew it.
THE WHISKY MEN EXPECTED RECIPROCAL AID,
O. Did you have any conversation with
Keyes about it afterward?
A. After the seizure, the latter part of
May, or the early part of June, met MIR.
Reyes at the depot, and / said, Mr.. Keycs.
now is the time to pull off your coat and assist
us, because we are in trouble, and you must
try to do all you can for us' He said, Let
this thing blow over, and then we will see
= y
=. When you raised that money for them,
it was with the expectation on your part that
if you got into difficulty they would favor you.
O. Have you ever been instrumental in
collecting any sum of money for such pur-
poses, aside from the 81 500?
A. Well, we used to collect money now
and then for delegates and for electioneering
purposes.
T~eSttoHS Oy -Hf. CdSGeH Do you know
that Mr.. Reyes knew that you we're engaged
in Illicit distillng at that time when the ST.
500 was paid ,
A. don't know il he knew. didn't have
any conversation with him about it,
O. How long had you been acquainted with
him then?
A. got acquainted with him that dav, the
26 January guess it was. He kaew sotsre The
money came from.
O. Do you think he knew each one that
| contributed?
A. I think l put list of the names with
the money; don't swear that positively, but
| think So
Here is, perhaps, no absolute proof
that Carpenter and Reyes were PRIV
to the whiskey frauds. But when
Reyes wanted money-if this witness
and others do not perjure themselves,
and there is no apparent reason why
they should on this subject-for the
purpose of maintaining a great Car.
penter lobby at Madison to make the
Legislature believe that the people
demanded Carpenters reelection. his
creature, Conklin, goes to Milwaukee
and calls on the whiskey men for it.
| The whiskey men paw it because thew