National Republican., 1883-09-19
THE SHAM STILLS,

Report OF Revenue Agent Powers Com
ccrning the Recent Seizures I'm South
Carolina.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue Evans
received yesterday the report of Revenue
Agent Thomas Powers, who has been invosti-
eating the alleged seizures of SHAM" stills
in South Carolina. The report says that the
charge of fraudulent practices rs far as it re-
latos to officers of tho internal revenue
service is entirely without foundation.
Agent Powers reports, however, three cases,
in which, he says, there is evidence that there
was an attempt at fraud on the part of United
States deputy marshals, and he says that
owing to the fact that deputy marshals are
looked upon ana spoken of rs revenue officers
in that part of the country the fraudulent
practices were ascribed to internal revenue
officers.
Tho first of the threc cases referred to was
the capture of an illicit distillery on Juno IL,
1888, by Deputy Collector StOlbrand and
party at the port of Bald Knob, in Pickens
county, which was reported as boing owned
and operated by one Youngblood. fifty
gallon copper still and worm were destroyed
on this raid In this case the informer was
citizen named w. Baldwin, living in that
locality. After destroying the still Stolbrand
went to Prices registered distillery, near
where the capture was made, and asked Store
keeper Looper to pay Baldwin for his services
as nformer he (Stolbrand) not having tho
funds with him to pay Baldwin. Neither
Looper nor Mr.. Price, tho owner Of the dis
tllory. were satisfied of tho genuinenoss
of tho still that had been captured,
thinking IL was impossible that one should
have been running in their immediate neigh
borhood without their knowledge. Stolbran
had not discovered anything suspicious about
the still when he found and destroyed the
same, rs it was quite dark and impossible to
make a careful examination of the premises.
The suspicious of Looper and Price were con-
firmed by the strange conduct OF Deputy Mar
shal John Fisher, who arrived at the place
shortly aftor the seizure, and who appeared
very angry that Stolbrand had been there
before him and destroyed the still, his lam
guage and conduct leading listeners TO believe
that the still was only "planp to obtain the
fees incidental in such cases by arresting sus-
pected persons and for numerous witnesses
An employe of Mr.. Price also said
that when he was assisting Stolbrand
to bring out the captured still the informer,
Baldwin, offered him 81 to steal it from Stol-
brand. The day after the capture Price and
Looper found evidence that the operation of
the still was sham, as the beer destroyed
was only spent beer with little meal mixed
with it, and that the flake stand was useless,
as it was full of holes. These facts having
informer was not paid, SO that the govern
ment was at no expense.
Agent Powers says he was informed that
Baldwin said he had been employed by Deputy
Marshal Fisher to set up the still, the latter
stating that he would sec that it was not in
.jured much and that it could be used again.
He says also that other evidence can be OBJ
tanned to show conspiracy in this case
The second case was that of an illicit dis
tillery captured by Deputy Collector Ensor
and party on July IL, 1883, near Wine Times
Pickens coutny, where copper still and worm
were destroyed. Ensor discovered that this
was put up job and refused to pay for the
services Of the informer. Deputy Marshal
John Fisher was one of the party in this raid,
There were suspicious of fraud in another
case, the capture of distillery by Deputy
Collector Ensor and party on Aug 0, 1885,
but not enough to prevent the payment OF
$40 to the informer for his services.
Agent Powers says he believes that the
planting Of each of these stills was instigated
by the same parties, and he says he was in
formed that a proposition had been made to
A. J. Walker by Deputy Marshal Fisher to
put up a still as plant" Fisher saying that
Walker could make $40, and put the still up
again and work it three times before court
time, and that he (Fisher) would see that
there were only two or three holes cut in il
each time, and that any old still would do.
he had been arrested four times and brought
before the United States commissioner fol
the same offense by the two Fisher brothers
who are both deputy marshals. He says that
out Of twenty-eight captures of illicit stills
in South Carolina since January last, the
three mentioned are the only ones about
which there is any suspicion of fraud. The
greatest cause of complaint in that locality,
he says, is the great number Of trivial arrests
made by deputy marshals for the obvious pur-
pose of obtaining fees. He says also that there
seems to be q great many warrants out in
the hands of deputy marshals in cases that
have been in allegiance for some time, and the
great majority seem on matters of little i'm.
portance, as 80 many are dismissed upon hear
ing, owing often to their being so old that
parties have forgotten the circumstances con.
nected with them. He suggests tho procuring
of an order from the court calling in all war
rants now out and reissung them after they
have been carefully investigated.