The Little River news., 1915-10-23
Fl. SMITH MEN
 ARE, INDICTED
Among the Number of Headers was John L. Casper, an Officer of
 the Distilling Company.

Fort Smith, Oct 21.-Seven men on trial here, charged with a conspiracy to defraud the government in the manufacture of whiskey, pleaded guilty yesterday
 John L. Casper, the alleged head ot the moonshine whiskey conspiracy, today, was sentenced to nine years in the federal penitentiary.
 The six others whc, confessed at the same time were given sentences of from six months in jail to two years in the federal penitentiary. Casper was also demanded to pay a
 amounting to $333,000.
 a Judge Youmans in sentencing Cas- CT said, T doubt whether ever In
 e history of the country there has een a more open and defiant viola ion of the law than the one in which you engaged"
 The case against Fred Bowles, the eighth person implicated, was dismiss ed on a motion of nolle prcsse by the governments attorney prosecuting the cases.
 Those pleading guilty were John L. Casper, George Hartman, Chas Brew baker, and John Farrabee, all of Kan sas City, and J. ii. Brown, Harrison, Arkansas, 5. L. Williams, Winston Salem, North Carolina, and John Cor- fey, of Fort Smith.
 John l.. Casper was an officer in the Rush Distilling Co.,, of Kansas City. J. H. Brown was former gov ernment gaugcr still in the service .when arrested S. l.. Williams was |, former revenue agent, resigned sever al years ago, and became associated with Casper in the distilling business.
 When the discovery of this still was made last June the government off cers did not have to ride into wooded hills inhabited by rough men of the "Moonshine" type tc' uncover the still" where it is alleged the illici, liquor was made. They found it standing boldly on one of Fort Smiths streets-a delapidated old building, as innocent locking as some deserted Ar kansas farm houses. But inside, ma> chinery modern to the minute, the government alleges, manufactured ''SiX Year Old Kentucky Burbon" "Fine Old Private Stock" and "Seve1, Year Old Rye" from pure alcohol in fifty hours, the sparkle and blend be- ing given by means of chemicals. With the aid of attractive labels, the gov ernment alleges, the conspirators sole their products through agents in Kan sas City to the southwestern trade.
 The Fort Smith plant was once a legal distilery. In March, 1914, now ever, it's owners advised the revenue department at Washington of their ln- tenticn to cease business. The gov ernment immediately withdrew its of- ficial gauger and sealed the doors of the plant.
 The seals, it is alleged, were soon broken, the old machinery removed and new machinery set up.
 One day the government officials got an anonymous letter that started an investigation. David A. Gates, De- putty Internal Revenue Commissioner, took charge of the inquiry. His men quickly covered Missouri, Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennes- see, and picked up clews here and there, which finally resulted in the seizure of the distillery. Among the discoveries they made was that tine plant was connected with large sew er with outlets so arranged that the contents of it's eight thousand gall lon tubs could be discharged into the Arkansas river with few minutes.
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