The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-06-08
Distiller Arrested, Gov
eminent Agent
Is Sought
LIQUOR MEN SAID
TO HAVE CHEATED
Some Plants Paid Tax
On But % Per Cent
of Output

WASHINGTON. June S.-By al.
mission at the treasury department
that search is being made by
the secret service for Knox Booth,
division revenue agent for Tennes.
sec and Alabama with head quar-
ters a. Nashville. light was Lat into
revenue scandal. extending through
three administrations Booth has
been missing two weeks. his disap-
pearanCe being coincident. II Is said,
Nth the arrest OF John l. Caspar az
fort smith. Ark. on a charge OF
conspirirg TO defrand the govern
ment. Caspar H. head OF Dig dis
tili"ry that ~ said 20 nave eyaded
payment OF large part Of It's taxes
through alleged conspiracy With rev.
enye officers.
Ia fearch for Doth and the ar.
cs' al Caspar IL Is said, constitute
ONLY be beginning Of wide i read
inv stigation into this branch of tho
revenue service. several other
other southern states being involv-
Cd u VIII DE shown. IL is said. that
frauds against the government aver
Assd a. 100000 a year for the pas,
L. years.
FEe system was frat brought u
Tx I IN 1901, treasury department
leCor's reveal. In the fall OF that
j"r reports IA CordiiiJnS parttcu-
larly in Virginia and North Caro-
lta. reached in an investigation by
chief lnspec;Cr David A Gates and
tn the conviction Of a number OF
IaaE,rs and storokeepers The in
qriry VAS dropped, however. lnIl
the following spring when II was
called 20 Presidcu, Rooseve,t's At
t,ntion and was ,cportcd 20 have
lrcn the subject ui = cahinc' meet
ing. a cpn;ercuC-. participated n
- treasury officials and the district
attorneys from those .wo states WAS
held at The justice department. and
plans were laid for complete In
vestigatiDl. but the matter never
came 10 a head y" more prCsccn.
tons resulted Gates was transfe
rto 10 other work ahi nutly ant
%. service. accepting appointment
a. state TAX commissioner in Ar
Kansas
The present revenue commission
or. William H. Osborne. called Cat. =
back INTO the service and put HIM At
work on the distillery cases last
December Shortly afterward he Was
made deputy revenue commissioner
and work OF completing the case At
Fort smith %as lett TO Division
Agent Harkman. with the resulting
arrest os Csspar and the disappear
anCo OF Tooth. ii is said. II - The
fact that Gates has been made Com
missioner Osborne s Tighthand man.
that - taken TO G,dIcate an inteh.
ton 10 70 o the bottom OF the
whole natter and forecasts scan
dal that may silr ;hc whole south
Division Agent booths district
formerly embraced Arkansas. and
tho Iscts on which the prosecution
4. based came TO light. II Is said,
immediately after The change in dis-
tricts Nas made
The treasury department alleges
that for years 1t has teen the prac'
tice OF some d'stl.lery operators 10
make tax payments OF only 30 o ~
per cent OF the amount due the CIV
eminent. The principal method OF
eyaGiug is saiu 20 be "crowding the
mash. thar Is to say by turning out
a much larger quantity of whisky
then the apI aren't capacity OF the
! ant This is possible, II is said.
only ty collusion with the revenue
offcers--the Kuagcrs and storekeap-
ers
While It Is not hoped TO recover a
very large part ~ the taxes lost. Il
Is said tn" department expects to col
lect some Of the money.