The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-06-14

Sam Jones, former proprietor of the
Beavers club; Oscar South. former
Southern railroad conductor, and w.
H. McWhorter, brakeman, were
brought here Friday afternoon by
United tSates District Attorney w. T.
Kennerly, from the federal prison in
Atlanta, where they were sentenced
at the last term of the federal court,
Jones on the charge Of violation or
the federal liquor laws. and South
and McWhorter on the charge or
conspiracy. The three prisoners Will
go before the federal grand jury
where, it is stated, they will give fur
ther testimony in their cases which
will result in the indictment Of two
or three well-known Chattanoogans,
among them a constable.
II will be remembered that when
tones. south ana NIclghorteF 'piead
guilty at the last term of the federal
Court it was then stated the trans
actions which led to their trouble had
not been closed by any means and
they would return at the next term
of court and assist the federal author
tiles in bringing to justice others
higher up and equally as guilty.
The three men sat all morning in the
office of the United States marshal
where they conversed with their
families and friends. They all ap-
peared to be in the very best or
health and stated they were receiv-
ing the best attention possible from
the federal authorities in Atlanta.
The federal grand jury will probably
report some time during the after
noon, although it is not thought its
deliberations will be made public be-
fore Monday. The appearance OF
Jones, South and McWhorter at the
federal building Saturday morning
attracted a great deal of attention,
although it was rumored there
Thursday afternoon and Friday
morning that the three men were ex-
pected here Friday afternoon. 1t was
learned from a reliable source that
one of the three men wanted to tell
all he knew about the transactions
which led to his conviction. Each one
of the three men was sentenced TO
several terms of one year and a day
each, but it was understood that as
the result of their plea of guilty they
would be recommended for pardon at
the end of the first year and day.
The conviction of Sam Jones, Os-
car South and w. II. McWhorter
came as the result of a web woven
So tight about them by the federal
authorities that there was little left
to do but throw up their hands, which
they did. The incident which LED TO
their conviction was the result OF the
wholesale theft of whisky from inter
state shipments from the freight
trains of which South was the con-
ductor and McWhorter the brakeman.
Both South and McWhorter would.
9somewhere along the route, throw
the cases of liquor from the train, it
was charged, and Jones would be
notified and send for it or go for 1t
in his own car. Jones admitted that
he received the whisky but emphatl-
cally denied he knew it had been
stolen, and stated he thought he was
buying it from the owners. Jones was
sentenced only for the selling OF
whisky, and the other two for con-
spiracy to defraud the government
by robbing interstate shipments. The
names of several other well-known
citizens were mentioned during the
investigation of the cases. but no in
dictments were returned. 1t is under
stood that the three prisoners were
returned here Friday to assist in the
further unraveling of one of Hamil-
ton county's largest sensations.