Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-11-21
WISER And |
NEVER CLASSIFIED
ON ARRESTS
~. ktNi N
. IS. C..HUBER

! Not one soldier has been arrested
| by the local federal officials for pur-
1chasing liquor since the law went into
effect prohibiting the sale of liquor to
military officers and men in uniform, =
declared District Attorney s. G.. HUI
| Der, commenting on story published
in d morning paper to the effect that
/ ne and Brig.-Gen. j. P. Wiser had
oiashed over the question of authority
in dealing with the men in uniform. :.
Attorney Huber says that he and
General Wiser have conferred on sew
eral occasions on the matter of selling
liquor to soldiers, and that the COM
mander of the Hawaiian Department
has offered, and given, every assist
| ance to the federal authorities in their
attempt to wipe out the "blind pigs"
| and bring the "boot1eggers' to justice.
I'VE have never agreed on any
policy in this matter, because 1t has
not been necessary" Attorney Huber
continued With one exception, no
soldier has ever been arrested, and
that was when a man in uniform was
so drunk that he was locked UP for
safe keeping. 1t is true tnt:S .fsny
soldiers have been held as witnesses.
but only until We could obtain Their
correct names. But this does not
mean that they have been arrested.
AS soon as these soldiers have given
the provost guard their correct names,
and the names of their organizations,
they are turned back to the army, and
that is as far as we deal with them.
''The article published in morning
paper is merely garbled account, ana
one which is entirely wrong. We nave
never: arrested man in uniform for
purchasing liquor. Of course, We have
nothing to do with the arrest Of sol
diers who have violated territorial
laws. 4 -. x..>-. -,
General Wiser has given this Of
flee his fullest cooperation, and We
have prosecuted every case Of selling
liquor to men in uniform. am tod
that because of this campaign against
the 'blind-piggers,' Oahu prison is full-
er than it has ever been before"
Sheriff Charles Rose said this morn
ing that although he had received NJ
tlce from General Wiser relative to
the police arresting soldiers in uni
form who had liquor on their person
CT who toLght or sold liquor, he was
practically marking time until some
definite decision can be reached.
We had instructions some time ago
to arrest soldiers whom We suspected
OF having liquor in their possession
and were even instructed to go so lar
as searching them if we saw suspi-
.cious packages about them. Nov,
however, we will probably suspend
arrests until we can come to definite
decision ....".. ~. ~
Chairman Richard Cooke of the
board Of liquor commissioners de-.
clared that the liquor inspectors would
continue to arrest soldiers as wit
nesses in cases where dealers sold in.
toXlcants to men in uniform. ...".
They are the only witnesses we
have, and We will continue to arres;
them as SUCH" he 43-'aced. ..-
Inspector William Hutton stated
that at no time had the liquor officers
ever arrested soldiers and held them
as prisoners. They were arrested, he
said, and held as witnesses, BIT al
ways released after being cooked at
headquarters and turned over to the
military provost guards.
Il know Of only one case where
soldier was ever arrested said In.
spector Hutton, ''and the MAJ was in.
toxicated at the time. An attempt was
made to release him, but the provost
officer refused to let him go because
of his condition. We only took sol.
diers into custody as witnesses against
dealers who sold booze to soldiers