Description
Book SynopsisThe most flamboyant, consistently dishonest racketeer was Supervisor of Internal Revenue John McDonald, whose organization defrauded the federal government of millions of dollars. When President Grant was asked why he appointed McDonald supervisor of internal revenue he responded, “I was aware that he was not an educated man, but he was a man that had seen a great deal of the world and of people, and I would not call him ignorant exactly, he was illiterate.” McDonald organized and ran the Whiskey Ring but he always credited Grant with the initiation of the Ring declaring that the president “actually stood god-father at its christening.” The demise of the Ring rivals anything that the real or fictional Elliot Ness and his “Untouchables” ever accomplished during the prohibition era in America.
Trade ReviewUnreservedly recommended for community and academic library 19th Century American History collections and supplemental studies reading lists. * Midwest Book Review *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1 The Story 2 Cape Girardeau-Sainte Genevieve-Paducah 3 Forts Heiman, Henry, and Donelson 4 Court Martial and Profiteering 5 Supervisor of Internal Revenue 6 The Fraud 7 The Utes 8 The Operation 9 Grant’s Horses 10 The Unraveling 11 Indictments 12 Trials 13 St. Louis Jail 14 Grant Saves Babcock 15 Missouri State Penitentiary 16 Pardons 17 Domestic Troubles 18 Books Wars Biographical Notes Notes Bibliography Index About the Author
