Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-09-19
SHAM STILLS IN CAROLINA
THREE FRAUDS BY DEPUTY
MARSHALS LAID BARE.

] agent Powers StumDleS on Few In
stances Where the Government is
/ Robbed by Republican Raseality-At-
tention Also Called to- the Outrageous
Petty Arrests Made in the south.
/ WASHINGTON, d. c., Sept. 1S.-Com-
missioner Of Internal Revenue Evans re-
ceived to-day the report of Revenue Agent
Thomas Powers, who has been investi-
| eating the alleged seizures of "sham,
| stills in South Carolina. The report saws
that the charge of fraudulent practices
as far as it relates to the offices of the In
ternal Revenue service is entirely without
| foundation. Agent Powers reports.
/ however, three cases in which he
says that there is evidence
that there was an attempt
at fraud on the part of
/ United States Marshals, and he SAYS that
owing to the fact that Deputy Marshals
are looked upon and spoken of as revenue
officers in that part of the county. fraudu-
/ lent practices were aScribed to internal
revenue officers. The first of the three
/ cases referred to was the capyurt. of an
/ Illicit distillery on June II, 1888. bv
Deputy Collector St0lbrand and party at
the foot of Bald Knob, in Pickens county,
/ which was reported as being owned and
| operated by man named IOungbloOd.
A fifty gallon copper still and worm were
| destroyed on this raid. In this case the
informer was citizen named
Baldwin living in that local-
ty. After destroying the still
Stolbrand went to Price, registered dis
tlllery near where the capture was made.
and asked the storkeeper, LoOper, to pay
Baldwin for his services as informer, he
(Stolbrand) not having the funds with
him, neither LOOper nor Price, the own
ers of the distillery, were satisfied of the
genuineness of the still that had been cap
tured. thinking it was impossible that one
should have been running in their imme-
diate neighborhOod without their knowl-
edge. Stolbrand had not discovered any
thing suspicious about the still when he
found and destroyed it, as it was quite
dark and impossible to make careful ex-
animation of the premises. The
suspicious of LoOper and Price
were confirmed by the strange
conduct of Deputy Marshal John Fisher, |
who arrived at the place shortly after the
seizure, and who appeared very angry
that StOlbrand had been there before him
and DESTROYED the still. His language |
and conduct led the listeners to believe !
that the still was only a plan to obtain
the fees incidental to such cases by ar
resting suspected persons and for numer- /
Gus witnesses. An employe of Price /
also said that when he was assisting StOl- |
brand to bring out the captured still, In |
former Baldwin offered him 81 to steal it |
from StOlbrand the day after the capture. |
Price and Looper found evidence |
that the operations 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 fun of holes /
These facts having been brought to the /
notice of StOlbrand the infOImer was not /
paid, so that the government was at no |
expense. Agent Powers SAYS that 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 see that ii was not injured much |
and that it could be used again. He saws |
also that other evidence can be obtained /
to show conspiracy in this case.
The second case was that of an illicit |
distiilery captured by Deputy Collector |
Ensor and party on July Il, 1888, near
Wine Times, Pickens county, where a |
copper still and worm We're destroyed. /
Collector EnsOr discovered that this was
put-up job and refused to pay for the |
services of the intOrmer. Deputy Mar |
shal John Fisher was one of the party in /
this raid. There were suspicious of fraud /
in another case. The capture of dis |
tillery by Deputy Collector Ensor and |
party on August ., 1883, but not enough |
to prevent the payment of the $40 to the |
infOrmer for his services. Agent Powers I
says that he believes that the planting of /
each of these stills was instigated bv the |
same parties, and he says that he was I
informed that a proposition had been |
made to \. j. Walker by Deputy Marshal !
Fisher to put up still as plant, Fisher /
saying that Walker could make $40, and /
put the still up again and work three |
times before court time, and that he
(tlsher) would see that there were only /
TWO or three holes cut in it each time, and |
that any old still would do. Powers says |
that Walker told him that he had been /
arrested four times and brought before |
United States Commissioners for the /
same oneuse by the two Fisher |
brothers, who are both Deputy /
Marshals. He says that out Of /
twenty-elght captures of illicit stills in |
South Carolina since January last, the !
three mentioned are about the only ones |
about which there is any suspicion of I
fraud. The greatest cause of complaint /
in that loclaity, he says, is the great number
OF trivial arrests made by Deputy Mar
shals for the obvious purpose of obtaining
fees. He SAYS, also, that there seems to
be great many warrants out in the
hands of Deputy Marshals in cases
that have been in abeyance for some time,
and the great majority seem on matters of
little Importance, as so many are dis
missed upon the hearing, owing often to
their being so old that the parties have
forgotten the circumstances connected |
with them. He suggests procuring an
order from the court calling in all war
rants now out and ressuing them after
they have been carefully investigated.