Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-03-23
OFFICERS
ON Leave
MAYPR0vE.
RUNNERS
City and Army Officials Try to
Discover Frequent Use Put
to U. S. Trucks; Cross
River Booze Route.

The first chapter in the alleged
liquor traffic probe among army
lieutenants and a ring of civilian
bootleggers growing out of the ar
rest of an army sergeant and eight
men in Council Bluffs together with
the seizure of 1873 pints of whisky
from a government truck. has come
out.
Government officials are investi-
eating report Of waterway trans
portation of liquor across the Mis-
souri, river at point where the army
sergeant and the three Italians were
arrested by Council Bluffs police.
1t is estimated that no less than
80 motorboat loads of liquor were
brought into Nebraska by way OF
the river from the shack in which
the bootlegging gang was caught.
Sergeant A. Z. Drew, Fort Omaha
chauffeur, and the three Italians who
were caught "red-handed" on the
army truck load of booze. leaving
their rendezvous on the river bank,
refuse to make any statement about
their methods of blockade running.
Have Military Lockjaw.
Sergeant Drew declined to say
anything of his connection in the
affair, merely stating that he was
following orders from Sergeant
Heinne, in charge of the Fort Omaha
garage"
Army officials have restrained
Sergeant Drew from talking to
anyone in regard to the scandal.
FRIDAYS raid on the bootleggers
shack in the willows on the river
bank promises to bring out some
startling facts of booze-running
among army officers in government
cars that were unmolested by state
agents and city police because of
the supposed assistance the officers
were giving in running down boot
leggers."
Charge Furloughs Useful.
The system in operation by
users of the army cars, as told by
All army driver whose name is with
held, is linked with clever methods
of furloughs taken in turn by army
officers. Under the pretense that
they were chasing booze cars, army
officers transported and distributed
liquor during their furloughs, it is
charged, Developments will prove.
Kelly Enters Denial.
Sergeant Drew gave Council
Bluffs police full details of the
alleged gang of whisky runners. He
said he did not know the names of
the four men who were also with
the gang that was arrested and who
escaped along the river bank. He
declined to state whether they were
army men or not.
Tom Kelly, alleged owner of the
booze found on the army truck in
Council Bluffs, was arrested ,yester-
day. He denies that he told Ser
geant Drew to go to Council
Bluffs to the shack to get load of
boxes" Kelly was formerly a depu-
ty sheriff.
Car Not Checked Out.
Officials at Fort Omaha refuse to
make any statement about the af-
fair, merely declaring that "a thor
ough investigation is under way
1t was learned that the army truck
was not checked out from the fort
nor missed. Sergeants Drew and
Heinne will face court martial ON a
charge of running away with the
truck, officials say. Seven times,
when a Bee reporter requested an
interview with Colonel Wuest Sat
urday, he was answered with Col
onel Wuest is out"
Recalls Accident.
Police heads have taken up the
whole affair with army officials, and
the accidents of army cars which
occurred IN running down boot
leggers" are again being investi-
gated. The accident of January 81.
when an army lieutenant was Killed
and three injured seven miles on
the West Dodge road. is brought
into the linlelight again. The state
ment issued at the time by army
officials in regard to the accident
was that the party was pursuing
some bootleggers who had been
selling their stuff to men at the
| fort"
| Another Speedy Run.
Several other accidents of army
cars operated by the military police
which occurred in the city while
running down bootleggers" are be-
ing investigated again. A speedy
run made by two army lieutenants
south on Twenty-fourth street two
months ago resulted in the injury
of one of the occupants when the
army car crashed into a house near
lwenty-fourth and Ninton streets.
The car was making up lost time
from the Athletic club where the
occupants stopped before going TO
For, Crook.
| No Government Arrests
AS far as could be learned, no
bootlegger has been arrested by
army officers using government cars
Continued on Page Ten. Column onsl