28 The Fue Traders. 



future. There was no course now open, apart from exten- 

 sive smuggling which was an extremely perilous business 

 for the company at that time, except to carry out an 

 ingenious and radical measure which for some time had 

 been developing in McKenzie's mind. This was nothing 

 less than to open up a distillery at Fort William and com- 

 mence the manufacture of liquor on his own account. He 

 would be within the law he reasoned, because that forbade 

 only the importation of liquor into the Indian country. 

 To such feeble subterfuges did the exigencies of the fur 

 trade drive men of real and unquestioned ability. The 

 house in St. Louis took legal advice in the matter and 

 astonishing as it may seem succeeded in getting an opinion 

 in favor of the project; and in 1833, in spite of strong 

 opposition on the part of some of the members of the com- 

 pany, the distillery was set up and put in operation at Fort 

 William. 



"There is abundant evidence that the experiment was a 

 complete success. McKenzie was greatly elated over the 

 results for it placed him on a footing of independence and 

 unquestioned superiority over his rivals. In writing to 

 Crooks he said: 'I have a good corn mill, a respectable dis- 

 tillery, and can produce as fine liquor as need be drunk. 

 I believe no law of the United States is broken by us, though 

 perhaps one may be made to break up my distillery; but 

 liquor I must have or quit any pretension to trade in these 

 parts.' But alas, at the very moment that McKenzie was 

 writing his exultant letter to his chief in St. Louis the 

 latter was agitated with very different emotions, for he 

 had but lately experienced in a forcible way the px'oof of 

 the adage that 'The way of the transgressor is hard.' 



' ' The distillery business had been reported to the United 

 States government and mischief was to pay. The gov- 

 ernment authorities were highly incensed at this obvious 

 contempt of law. The company had a life and death strug- 

 gle and it was only by a dangerously narrow margin that 

 it saved its life." 



Mr. Astor retired from the American Fur Company on 

 the first of June, 1834, when the Northern Department re- 

 taining the name of the American Fur Company, was sold 

 to a company of which Ramsey Crooks was the principal 

 partner, and the Western Department to Pratt, Chouteau 

 & Co., of St. Louis. 



