Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-31
COURT TO DECIDE
LIQUOR TEST CASE
Two Men Indicted for Bringing
Unmarked Intoxicants
Into District.

| Does section 240 of the revised
statutes, forbidding the shipment of in
toxicants into dry territory without tho
contents of the retainer being plainly
indicated thereon, apply to the District
of Columbia? If so, does it cover the
carrying of whisky and beer in suit
cases and hand satchels from Baltimore
to Washington?
These two questions have been sub
n,itted by United States Attorney
Laskey to the grand jury, and have
been answered by that body in the
affirmative, as shown by two indict-
ments returned today against Louis
Pappas, a Greek, and Robert Long, col
ored, who were among a number OF
local residents taken into custody by
the police and agents OF the Department
of Justice on the night of November 81
last they were leaving a train OF the
Washington. Baltimore and Annapolis
railway at 18th and H streets north
east. The cases are to be used for the
purpose of testing the applicability of
the law.
Attorneys Michael F. Mangan and
Robert /. Miller, representing the men,
are expected to file demurrer to the
indictments and the questions whether
a man may be his own consignor and
,
interstate commerce when he brings a
few bottles of wet goodss' his per-
son or in a suit case on common car
rier into dry Washington will be
fthrashed out before Justice Stafford in
Criminal Division ].
Indictments Are Identical.
The indictments against the two men
are identical The one against Par,
pas charges that November 81. 1917,
ne knowingly and unlawfully did ship
from the state of Maryland the said
state OF Maryland being state of the
United States, into the District of
Of Columbia being district of the
United States. one certain package, to
wit, hand satche1, containing GER
tain spirituous and intoxicating liquors.
to wit one quart of whisky, one pint OF
whisky, two quarts of wine and four
bottles of beer, without the said pack
age being so labeled on the outside
cover thereof as to plainly show the
name of the consignee. the nature of
it's contents, and the quantity contained
therein; that is to say, the said Louis
Pappas then and there did ship the
said package containing the said
spirituous and Intoxicating liquors rs
aforesaid, by carrying the same upon
his person and in his immediate, actual
possession from the said state of
Maryland into the said District of CO.
lumbia while he, the said Louis Pan
pas, was a passenger on one of the
cars of the Washington. Baltimore
and Annapolis Electric Railroad Com
pany, body corporate, common
carrier, then and there engaged in in
terstate commerce between the said
state of Maryland and the said Dis
trict Of Columbia: against the peace
and dignity of the United States of
America, and contrary to the form of
the statute thereof in such case made
and provided"
Indicted for Assault on Officer.
Assault on deputy United States
marshal in the pursuit of his officiaI
duty is charged in an Indictment re-
turned against Arthur W. Smith. an |
employe of the Norris Peters Company. /
n ia alleged that while Charles q. |
dempsey, a deputy marshal on duty at
the Municipal Court, was attempting to
serve a summons on another empIoye Of !
the company at the office of the corpo-
ration, smith heat, swounded and i'll |
frAated' the officer. The Indictment |
charges a simple assault, which is ordi- |
nariiy handled in the Police Court, but |
because Of the alleged attack on the /
deputy marshal. United States Attorney |
Laskey presented the matter to the |
Grand Jury. II