The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1917-02-24

US party gwen ny Baroness Fauqueux,
ling her palace In Paree. Wine must
'ely to these happy convaiescents. .
accepted bribe of $4,000 from the
last August
This, ii Is alleged, was at the time
when the mayor entered a compromise
with the Billingsleys, agree,Sy to drop
all city cases pending against them
and return certain valuable documen-
tary evidence in HIS possession. =
Rockingham is alleged by grand jury
witnesses to have accepted several
substantial bribes from the Billings
leys IN furtherance of the alleged con.
spiracy, ard also to have assisted
them to obtain shipments of liquor
consigned to other persona.
The police chief also is charged with
entering conspiracy with Mayor Gill
and the Blllingsleys by which the lat.
ter were 10 receive police protection
for their Illicit business.
The federal charge against Hodge ia
thSt he cops9ired with the Billingsleys
and ether defendants to protect their
whisky shipments, turned them out OF
Jail. without guard whenever II waa
In his power, and later saw to Il that
LIQUOR seized was returned to them, al
though II ostensibly had been confis-
Gated.
q Ws,.ic Hodge Was Sheriff. I
hodges alleged acts In behalf OF the
bootlesglng ring, it is charged. were
performed while he was sheriff.
The government charges that
Hcdges's greatest use to the syndicate
came when there was danger that Ser.
goaat Putnam would seize one OF the
Bi! lngsleys' shipments. AZ those times.
II Is alleged. the former sheriff, upon
the ringleaaer's instructions, would
se.ye the liquor in order to save II
from Putnam and later cause II ., bo
retcrnod =
Between the three high officials and
tteir min.ons the protection Afforded
-he Billlngsloys is alleged to have
been so complete that OF the sec, 900
worth O. iQcor the D.liingsleys admit
having shipped in, oaiy one carload
was conffsca;cd by the police. And
: this car, according TO the government,
| was seized on a tip given direct to
, Sergeant Putnam by rival boot
!. lie gger
incidentally. Putnam Is described by
Logan Bil'ingsley as tho only man OF
: authority on the police iorce that re.
Y fused graft money when approached.
a Putnam, one OF the last witnesses
;. called by the grand jury before Satur-
I days indie tments, were returned, Is
v declared to have substantiated a large
I part OF the Billings.eys' story to the
4 government
He is expected to prove an i'm
s portant witness IN TIE case.
q Another sensational allegation by
}. The federal authorities Is that while
8 Mayor Gill at the time OF the now
,. famous compromise with the Billings
lays declared that he had put the Bill
Kingsley out of business, they begar
operating on larger scale than evel
o before the next day after the agree
., ment.
D. Before the compromise It Il
h, charged. the Billingsleys received onl!
Is comparatively small amounts OF liquor
A. whereas, after the agreement and tn,
b. alleged conspiracy was entered into
N they Immediately began shippinI
al whisky to Seattle in carload lots.
y Troubled No More.
IA The government also sets up tha
while the Billingsleys, at the instigs
tion of the city officials, were arres,
- ed as much as twenty-five times bs
= fore the compromise. the police rec
- ords fail to disclose a single arres
since that time.
m The case against Gill, Beckinghar
-. and Hodge is deemed to have fedora
- Jurisdiction because the shipments II
volved were In interstate commerc
and the officials charged entered Int
:" an alleged conspiracy to violate tn
federal laws.
>" Government officers made II plai
Saturday that the indictments againi
~ the alleged higher-ups. while based o
!" the testimony OF the Billingsleys, wer
:. returned only after their statement
=. had been substantiated and corrobo
~ ~ ated all along the line by scores {
" witnesses
20 The closing days OF the federal a
=: thorities quest for the higher-ups
'o' the big conspiracy brought one sens
w tion after another. these thrills ran
ing from alleged intimidation OF 70
ernment witnesses to widely circulate
reports that threats had been mao
against District Attorney Clay Allie
True bills, aside from whisky rir