Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-01-28
Chief of Police, Former
Sheriff and Number Of
Others Also Accused of
Conspiracy With Huge H.
legal Whisky Gang.
CONFESSIONS MADE
BY LEADERS OF RING
Charge That They Paid the
Mayor $4,000 to Dismiss
Cases Against Them and
Return Documentary Evi-
dence in His Possession.

Seattle, Wash, Jan. 27.-
Mayor Hiram Charles Gill,
Chief of Police Charles l..
Rockingham and ex-Sheriff
Robert Il. Hodge, with a
number of others were in
dicted by the federal grand
jury late today on three
counts charging conspiracy
with the Billingsley bootleg
ging ring-the largest il
legal whisky gang in Amer
ica's largest dry city.
The indictments were returned after
the Bllingsleys charged that they had
paid Mayor Gill $4,000, Aug. 30, 1916,
to dismiss q number of city cases
against them, return documentary evil
dence Of their violations of federal
laws and agree to protect them in
plying their hootlegging business.
TWO MONTHS INQUIRY.
The charges were filed after probe
lasting more than two months during
which scores OF witnesses were called,
first to indict the Billingsley brothers,
Logan, Fred and Ora, and then to sub
stantiate their charges of corruption
made against the city and county off,
cal. The Billinssleys also charged
that they paid substantial sums of
money to Chief Rockingham and ex-
Sheriff Hodge. The latter's term of
office expired early this month. These
men. they charged, in carrying on
the alleged conspiracy, helped them
get in whisky shipments and steal
booze from rival bootleggerS.
Others named in the indictment with
the big three were Edward ].
Baker, manager of the Jesse Moore
Hutt company, big San Francisco
wholesale liquor dealers: Logan and
Fred Billngsley and City Detectives
Meyer NJ. Peyser, John Poolman,
James E. Doom and Dan J. MeLan-
nan and railroad official named
Weidcman.
FORMER PATROLMEN INDICTED.
In addition, former Fat. Imam f.. j.
MareHtt, raidei as II oortlegger by
police oct II, and the ran who fur
nshed the evidence on which the Bill
lingseys were indicted by the gov
ernment shortly before Christmas, was
indicted for federal liquor law viola
tions. Former Patrolman c. j. Mullen
was indicted for attempting to induce
the Billingseys to jump their bonds
after they confessed they bribed the
mayor.
w. H. Pielow and William Frasier.
transformer, who handled the whisky
hing's shipments of liquor, were re-
indicted, making total of 13 against
whom true bills were returned.
The chief indictment contained three
counts Two charged the men named
conspired to violate the federal code
by shipping carload lots of whisky to
fictitious persons in Alaska when they
knew it was to be delivered to the
Billingsleys in Seattle
The third count charged violation
of the federal interstate commerce act.
GILL NOT SURPRISED.
Il have been expecting this for a
month";" said Mayor Gill when he ap-
peared at the federal building to give
bond.
Il knew these bootleggers had
threatened to get me because of my
unrelenting boasts TO put them out of
business by smashing their joint.
II am innocent, Of course, and will
show up the character. not alone of
the Billingsleys. but of the grand
jurors who voted the indictments.
"A month ago a prominent hotel
man whose place my police raided,
made the announcement that 1t had
been fixed to get me- / am not
worrying"
The mayor smoked his famous corn
cob pipe as he paced the corridor
waiting for Federal Judge Neterer to
appear and approve his bond of $500.
Other defendants also denied their
guilt.
RECALLED AND REELECTED.
Gill was recalled as mayor of Seat
tie in 1911 as the result of graft
charges against his police depart