The Indianapolis journal., 1895-07-07
Hundreds Of Illicit stills I'm Operation
In New York and Brooklyn and
over 1000 in the Country.
WORK OF THE~LITTLE GIANT
SMALL STILL THAT CANNOT BE DE-
TECTED BY THE ssNELLERs.-
Ventilation of War ships worryins
the Navy Department-No Negro
Colonfsts Killed I'm Mexico.
speeial to the Indianapolis sournal.

Special TO the Indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON, July 6.-One of the sur
prising developments in connection with the
enactment Of the new tariff law is that the
seizures Of Illicit stills for the past year
have been far in excess OF those for any
year Immediately preceding. For number
OF years past the seizures have numbered
about two hundred yearly. but since the
new tariff law has been put into effect the
seizures for the year have been over Two
thousand. This abnormal increase Is I'M
doubtedly due TO the increase i'm the tax on
whisky. which raised the existing tax from
80 cents a gallon to $li0 gallon. Under
the old tax there a premium OF at
least 400 per cent. for Illicit distiilers. but
under the new order OF things the govern
ment raised its bid and made il worth so
per cent. to the lawbreaker. This induce
ment was simply Irresistible and many peo-
pie In the Northern States who could not
have been induced 10 go into the business
when the tax was at the lower rate have
embarked in Illicit distilling TO such al ex-
tent as TO make life one long continued
misery for the Commissioner of Internal
Revenue He knows, as do all his men,
that there are illicit stills all over Brooklyn
and New York and the very lowest esti-
mate given is that there are over two
hundred stills operating in those places.
Formerly all the secret stills were in the
Southern States. principally in the noun
famous regions Of Kentucky and the Caro-
linas, but now moonshiners are TO be looked
for in the Northern States as well. and
many of the people in the cities are going
into the business, and they are becoming
far more troublesome than the men I'm the
mountains The revenue agents are begin
ming to find that IL is an easy thing TO md
a man making moonshine in the mountains
compared with the discovery OF small,
three-gallon still in some cellar In q crowd
ffe Hf Bowery Saloon n % where the maker s
poses Of mis- wares over the par three nours
after making.
been responsible for all the increase in IL
licit whisky making, and people who would
never have thought of going into business
their scruples stilled by the prospects OF
large gain in the hidden manufacture or
liquor. An invention which made its ap-
pearnce about the same time the tarin bill
was under consideration may also have
had much to do with the increase OF this
sort of crime Some inventor having , put
against whisky making In the dark. pat
ented a portable still which has come into
use among urban moonshiners- IL Is q
dainty little thing and can be carried about
and set up in any odd corner without con-
veying any idea as TO the purpose for which
ii is used. IL turns out goodly number
of gallons day, and altogether has given
the revenues" more cause for profanity
than any invention chronicled in the past
ten decades. 1t does its work, moreover
without odor of any kind. and in this way
battles the sleuths of the revenue office, as
many of them make their discoveries OF
hidden stills by their keen scent Commis-
sioner Miller is responsible for the state
ment that they go along the streets OF New
York and Brooklyn and sniff for odors
some hidden whisky distilling apparatus
they hold UP a moistened finger. and by
observing the slight chill upon the side
OF the finger to windward they note the
direction OF the wind. and by following
not as big as Tammany politicians breath
to its hidden lair In some dank cellar.
where a secret still is in operation. The
Little Giant" as the portable still Is known.
battles them. however, for IL is odorless
and sends out no trace OF the spirit within.
The Northern moonshiner has made many
improvements In the way OF disposng OF
his wares after they are made. An in
genious New Yorker fooled the revenues
ton with dairy. He had the still located
in the dairy and sent the product out 10 his
patrons in milk cans.
number of stills have also been found
located in sugar refineries, where they use
the waste products from the refining mills.
This is rot very nice stuff 10 make whisky
out of, but ii is cheap. and whisky, or. at
least alcohol masQuerading as whisky.
can be made from this mess at 20 cents
gallon. 80 cents less than the legitimate
maker pays for his license on the same
amount At the office of the Commissioner
Of Internal Revenue Ii is estimated that at
least two thousand secret stills are running
in this country at the present time. and
IL is estimated that over four million
gallons of untaxed spirits have been made
in the past year