Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-08-23
VOL. 10.
Baggilg M0OlSlilGrS
Uncle Sans Revenue Agents Are
Kept Busy-Illicit Whiskey
Dlstilling Is on the
Increase.

terS l propose TO wIlte showing
some of the curious ways in wblct
Uncle Sam is robbed. He does one
of the biggest businesses III the
world. His ordinary expenditures
have for years been between three
and four hundred million dollars
annually. He has on hand today
in Washing on, in the shape OF
bonds, bank notes ana DnlliOn, more
than $500, 100000, and the gold
and silver coin stacked up in the
treasury cellars weighs 5000 tons.
The sums IN which he deals are
large enough TO tempt lhe widest
dreams Of criminal aYarice, and
thousands of men are plotting &
now they can in some way break
in and carry away part OF the
pile. This money is surrounded,
however, both by day and night
by truSty watchmen, whose revOlv
erS are always ready. The strong.
est Of wrought iron and of welded
steel incIOSe. his bags of gold and
silver, and the heavy doors which
form the entrances TO his vaults
have time LOCKS which DEFY the
most expert of burglars. Tue Ordi-
nary hef has little chance hele.
The checks on the treasury are le.
giOn, and the ehlef money stolen
from the government is shipped ou:
IN other ways. And yet there is
no doubt that vast sums are stolen.
Uncle Sans receipts amount to al.
most a million dollars a day, and
he undoubtedly loses millions of
dollars in one way or another every
year.
Take tbc matter of the whiskey
tax. Since its increase to S1l0 a
gallon m0OnShine stills have been
springing up like weeds III all parts
Of the country. They have flour
lshed for years in the mountains OF
he south, but they are now begin
ming TO sprout up in the big cities
of the uorth. Within the past few
weeks number OF lll;clt stills have
been discovered in New York and
Philadelphia. The business is be
leg carried on 10y Polish Jews in
attlcS and cellars. They are max
Ing whiskey from black strap mo-
lasses, for which they pay in bulk
about ! cents per gallon. 1t prOOa-
by costs them less than % cents TO
make a gallon of whiskey, and their
profits are FROM 400 to 800 per cent.
THIS business Is entirely different
from that Of the mOOnShiners. Col.
w. w. ColQuitt, the chief of the
special agents Of the Treasury De-
partmeut, has gwen me the de-
tails, ard have before me the
drawing Of one of these northern
whisky stills, which has juSt been
received by the treasury depart
ment. The still was captured only
a few days ago in one of the big
cities of the east. tn of the sort
used in Russia, and it consists of
two galvanized iron boxes or bar
rels with fire boxes beneath them.
The mOlasseS is mixed with water
aud is fermented into a kind OF
sugar beer. 1t is then pat into
these boilers and cooked into
vapor. This is conducted through
pipes IntO a second still and cold
water from the city water works
acts as the condenser. The sugar
to,o ~, tu-o 1,,tillotiOuc 0Onnoc
out in the shape of whisky, and as
such 1t is ready for The market.
Such a still costs but few dollars.
II makes practically no smell, and
it can be put lin any room where
here are water works. The only
ways that the treasury detectives
can know of It's existence are
through the selling of the whisky
aud the purchasing of the mo!asses
and yeast. A large amount OF
east has to be used to lerment the
beer, and the yeast factories OF
all the big eastern cities are row
being watched by the treasury
detectives. Every one who buys
much yeast has to give All account
of himself, and all suspiciaus Dur-
chasers are carefully shadO~ed.
The whlskey robbers use all
kinds of means = to escape the de.
tectives. A week or so ago one of
the treasury agents saw jew buy
large bundle OF yeast. lie took
it from the factory and walked of
with 1t under his arm. He saw
the yeast gwen 1t to third man,
Who took it into q cellar. About
fl teen minutes later this man came
out with what seemed to he four
base ball clubs wrapped in brown
! manor i'm his arms. This was the