The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-11-13
MEMORY OF THE MASH.
Freysinger & Son Satisfy SAG, 200
Judgment by the Pay
ment Of 81.
A Mixture of Politician and Whisky
The Result of the Case.

contains the following interesting article
on whisky suit of long standing, in
which several Rock Island parties were
implicated:
A formal motion to set aside the iudg-
ment against Freysinger and others, made
by District Attorney Leake before Judge
Blodgett, Friday, brings up chapter in
political history that has never been writ
ten. During the days of the whisky ring
steals, j. p. Freysinger & Son ran dis
tillery at Milan, ILL.,, town four miles
from Rock Island They were one of the
many firms composing the whisky ring,
and when the operations of that organi-
cation became known the proofs that the
Freysingers had defrauded the govern
ment out of large SUMS, due as internal
revenue was clear Their distillerv was
confscated and hte United States secured
additional judgments against them for
$4,000 For this amount these bonds
men were liable.
The. Freysingers bondsmen were
| George Wagner. brewer, and Peter
Fries, IA wholesale liquor dealer, both res
| idents of Rock Island, and both wealthy
men. Their liability seemed clear, and
there was no legal way to escape it. So
they hired James NJ Beardsley, g Rock
Island attorney, gave him SEQ, 600 in cash,
and tol3 him to go to Chicago and see if
could not compromise the case. Beardsley
is well known all over the state of Illinois.
| He is the present postmaster of Rock
Island, member now, as he was at the
| time just referred to, of the state repubIi-
can committee. He has been for years the
chief factotum of John A. Logan, and
wields more political influence than any
man in the western border of the state.
He is known Familiarity as Jim" Boards
ley, and vicariously as Maj. Jim" Ga
account of his political associations alone
was he chosen by Wagner and Fries to
conduct their case, aid they would have
employed better lawyer had they had
any hope of winning by legal methods.
Bea dsley came to Chicago with $40.
00O in his pocket, willing to pay the gov
eminent that amount if his clients could
be released from the remainder of the
| judgment, and he walked in the Grand
Pacific hotel on that mission early in
December. 1876. There he ran into 6
curious congregation. 1t was near the
middle of the Tilden- Hayes presidential
contest, and the visiting statesmen" were
there congregated ready to take theil
famous Louisiana trip. Assembled thert
were Oliver P. Morton, John A. Logan
James A. Garfield, Long" Jones' Col
Babcock and all the lesser lights Wher
Beardsley appeared he was hailed with
delight.
Jim! You must come with US tC
Louisiana" Major You are Just the
man we want. and similar expressions
entreat!es, and requests were showereC
on Beardsley from all sides.
But, gentlemen, can't CO." expostu
lated the entreated one, Il have import
ant suits now pending in the Unitet
States courts, and to leave them woulG
prejudice my clients interests -
Bother the suitsl Well get then
continued" argued the visiting statesmen
Beardsley would not consent to a con
tinuance; he wanted more than that
These suits must be fixed, he said, 81
you want me to go to Louisiana. Their
they told him to wait till next day.
During the night United States Attor
ney Bangs was seen, and in the morning
this proposition was submitted to Boards
ley: The cases were to be taken out OF
the courts and entrusted to n revenue
agent named Miller-he is so far lost il
oblivion that his first name is forgotten
and he was to examine into the cases d.
novo, Notwithstanding the fact tina
judgements had already been entered, anC
report on them. Whatever that repor
was both parties were to accept it a.
final Would Beardsley accept Miller
arbitration" Beardsley looked into thu
faces of his questioners and decided Il
90 to Louisiana. He would abide by
Miller.
In Louisiana his services were valuable
He discovered Eliza Pinkston, and he
pathetic story and its effect upon the sym
pathetic souls Of the Louisiana commits
sion was Beardsley's contribution to thu
history of that contest. Whether it wa
his by right of discovery or of inventor
has never been discovered, but his most
intimate associates incline to the latter
opinion. In the meantime Miller wa
working on the case of the United States
against Freysinger.
As already related, judgments for S46,
900 had been secured against Freysinger
and the only question in the case was
are the bondsmen liable? Miller dix
better than the electoral commission; h,
went back of the returns. Simple revenue
agent that he was, he proceeded to Sc
aside the findings of the United State!
courts and decided that Judge DrummonC
had been altogether wrong in his rulings
He reported that it was true that tn
Freysingers had manufactured a grea
deal of whisky on which they haC
avoided the payment of taxes, but OF
the other hand he discovered-what M
one, not even the Freysingers, had eve
known before-that IN some mysterious
and indefnable way they had paid tn
government too much on some whisk'
: on which taxes had been collected, an,
decided that if the Freysingers would pa,
the United States 81 the thing would b.
square. It's needless to say that the 81
was at once paid and the remainin,
3d. 99 which the bondsmen had origin
/ ally expected to pay was taken back t.
Rock Island.
This remarkable finding of Revenue
Agent Miller was accepted by District AT
torney Bangs without question; the judg
ment of 81 was entered on the cour
dockcts and marked satisfied, and tn
United States retired from the contest
loser of $4,000; but Beardsley had gon
! to Louisiana and Eliza Pinkstcn had bee
discovered. The case was ended, and TO
seven years nothing was heard of it, bu
recently the treasury officials at Washing
ton woke up to the fact that there wa
something rotten in Denmark. COMM
T into Office since the date of the event
narrated it is probable that they wer
totally ignorant of the reason leading u
to it; but the records of the department
showed them that valid judgment 70
$4,000, against perfectly responsible
parties, had been compromised for 81, an
no explanations given. They at ono
wrote to Gen. Leake, and told him to tr
and have the Indictment raonnnad TaaL