The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-07-10
Alleged That Bottled in
Bond Bottles are an
pered v it'll.
THIS is VIOLA ZION
OF REVENUE LA w
Information Given to Chairman
of House Committee That
Hole Is Bored in Bottom of
Bottle and Stuck Back
After Inferior Whskey
Is Substituted.
Especial to The limes-Dispatch.

Especial to The Times Dispatch.l
Washington. July e.-Old Sol con-
tinued to beat down on Washington
ians to-day in relentless manner.
and those high officials and members
OF Congress who had not gone with
President Taft on the Maynower or
to mountain or to seashore, had TO
make the hest Of IT. There was little
going on in the national capital. but
one story leaked out which may give
Royal L. Cabell. Commissioner of In
ternal Revenue. a few hard nuts to
crack. Mr.. Cabell enjoys the distinc-
ton OF being one of the most pro-
fusely polite and engaging of all Uncle
sans public servants. and since he
came into office here he has had some
extra hard problems to solve The
one which is likely TO be put up 10
him in the near future, however. VIII
tax his ingenuity to the furthest
well-known Washing tonian has
discovered what he believes TO be one
Of the biggest internal revenue frauds
OF the age, as the following letter
which he addressed to Representative
w. E. Cox. chairman of the House
committee on Expenditures in the
Treasury Department. will show:
Six men," he says. "one Treasury
official, some nights ago sat about a
table in Washington and partook OF
sundry drinks, mostly concocted from
corn and rye. One of these men, ap-
parenuy OF great learning. proposed
10 show the Treasury official a piece
OF work that would keep him busy
through the hot weather and result in
the enrichment of the government,
For this man maintained, the govern
ment was being done out of large
sums due II through the internal rev.
enue office.
Hole In Bottom.
The enl!ghtener called for a half
dozen bottles of whiskey that bore
the governments guarantee that the
liquor they contained hal been bot.
tied in bond. On the bottom OF each
OF these bottles the wise one showed
circle as big as a quarter. He main
tanned that this circle was but the
outward showing of hole that had
been bored in the bottle. He stated
that all bottled in bond bottles would
snow this evidence OF a hole having
been bored in them. and the piece
having been stuck back. after inferior
whiskey had been substituted. He
dehed any man TO go to any bar and
examine any bottled In bond bottle
and fail 10 find the obvious evidence
or Its having been thus tempered with
He called for half dozen bottles that
bore no bottled in bond stamp. and
none Of these had been bored. He de-
fed all corners to find the betraying
circle upon any bottle that had not
contained the supposable bottled in
bond whiskey
IF the contention of this man that
these bottles had been tempered with:
that all bottled in bond bottles are so
tampered with; that 1t Is the rule
rather than the exception for the in
ternal revenue law to be thus yio-
lated. is correct, then there Is scan
DIAL In the Treasury Department which
you are investigating, and a large nos
siniiity OF becoming the magnet thar
VIII draw vast amounts OF attention
There seems much prima facie evil
dence to support this claim. Perhaps
the committee might ascertain lust
what are the facts, and perhaps those
facts might be the best find of the
season. I wish you luck with It,"
Writer Invited 20 Appear.
To this letter Mr.. Cox has repIied
inviting the writer to appear before
the committee tomorrow morning, ami
IN the event he does not appear.
subpoena will he issued for him. Tho
whole matter as outlined in the letter
VIII then be placed before the com
nittee
There is little reason to believe that
me man who originally made the
statements concerning the false bot
toms to the bottles was snea,,inr
otherwise than In earnest. and If his
assertions are correct, Commissioner
Caoeil. former Commissioners Yerkes
and Capers and other high Treasury
ofticials Will at once be called upon TO
tel what they know a bout the matter
should II turn out to be true that the
bottled in bond whiskey has been
tempered with. investiga ton will be
made s to who received the millions
or dollars which have probably gon.