The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-07
AN ILLICIT D|ST|LLERY
The Revenue Officers Hunting
for a Still in San Fran
cisco.
Large Quantities of Whisky and Gin
Bought That Has Paid
No Tax.

There is an illicit distillery in San Fran
cisco. The Internal Revenue officers know "
of its existence, but they are ignorant of
its locality and the name of the local moon
sinner. The revenue officers have been
hunting for the still for a long time but so
far in vain.
The discovery that such an institution is
in operationi was made in this way: In
their rounds among the retail liquor
dealers the officers noticed scattered all
over the town. principally in low grog-
geries, Irish, Scotch and rye whisky and
gin in quantities less than five gallons. So
much was thus found that they became
suspicious. Under the law packages of
spirituous liquors of over five gallons
capacity must bear the internal revenue
stamp, and these packages pay tax of
about 81 10 per gallon. Packages less than
five gallons do not require to have this
stamp.
In the legitimate trade the officers are
always able to find the barrels from which
the small quantities for bar use have been
taken. Besides the retailers books show
something of his business.
In the case of the moonshiner article it is
different as shown by the inquiry of rev.
had found several suspicious small lots in
gallon and 2H-gallon demljohns, all con-
tanning different kinds of liquor.
Where did you get this iiquor?" asked
the revenue officer.
'Oh, that is some that had left out of q
cask bought short time ago, answered
the saloon-keeper. The officer went to the
had been purchased months before, and
according to the business done by the
saloon-keeper the supply could not have
lasted more than short time. The saloon
keeper persisted in the statement that the
small quantities of liquor he carried was
"some that had been left over from the
Darrell
Later on the revenue officer returned and
found the saloon-keeper carrying about the
same amount of stock all in small pack
ages, and his books failed to show that he
had made purchases from wholesale deal
ers that would anywhere near meet the
requirements of his trade.
In the meantime similar cases were
called to the attention of Uncle Sans off,
GERS, and their experience was about the
same as in the instance cited. Another
suspicious circumstance was that in COM
pairing the Irish, Scotch and rye WHISTLES
and the gin there was found a remarkable
similarity in the quality, grade and proof.
All of these and other circumstances con-
vince the officers that an enterprising
moonshiner is at work supplying certain
men in the retail trade whom he can trust.
Judging from the members of the retail
trade who are being supplied it is believed
that the Illicit still has capacity of thirty
gallons day. Even if it is only of ten
gallons capacity it would yield the moon
sinner Sill a day, the revenue tax as stated
being 81 10 gallon, if he only sold the
stuff for the amount of the tax, but that is
not likely. The revenue officers are sorely
puzzled but they are determined to find
the illicit distiller and his still. 1t is we'll
known that in the mountain counties of
this State there are many small moon
sinners stills that turn out small quantities
of liquor, but the revenue officers are salts
fed that but little of the stuff reaches this
City. Hence it is believed that the dis
tillery must be in San Francisco.