The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-10-29
D.CTLCRAPH INFORMS
ON GEORGIA FARMER
John Henry Harden Found
Guilty of Attempting to
Bride Officer. .s

Il
John Henry Harden, formerly Q
prominent merchant and farmer OF
| Cherokee county, Georgia. was Puno
| guilty by Jury in United States court
| In session In Atlanta Thursday. OF at.
/ tempting to bride a federal prohibition
! agent, and sentenced by Judge Samuel
III. Sibley to pay a fine OF $1,000 and
serve two years in the Atlanta federal
The story OF Hardens conviction.
told In evidence at the trial is rather her
turned the trick. 1t developed that
prohibition agents used a trap to ''lis-
ten in while John Henry Harden. for.
merly a leading farmer and merchant
d. Dixon, q federal agent. $500 a month
to protect him against whisky raids,
was related by witnesses TO q jury IN
United States court Thursday when
Harden, who is known as the king q
ON om' charges Of attempted bribery. !.
For many years, 1t ia said by federal
agents, the defendant was the "frst
citizen Of Jasper, Ga. He was foreman
of the grand jury, an active ehuIcn
Gus merchant farmer and. capitalist.
Some months after the national pro-
hibition act became effective he was
convicted in federal court OF operating
a distiilery and sentenced to eighteen
months In the Atlanta penltentiary. Ills
conviction came, It is said, as the pro-
verbal "bolt from the blue" to his
townsmen, who had known him only as
Cherokee couhty's leading citizen. Har-
den served the sentence, and after MS
release, Ia said to have caused the pro-
hlbirion enforcement officials consider
able trouble. In the language Of gov
ornment witness who testified on
Thursday, 1--WE could seize stills which
were planted by him, we could destroy
his liquor and catch his operators. but
II seemed we were never able to md
Harden on the spot"
Makes "Protect.on" Proposition.
r. Il. Dixon, one Of the officers who
sought for many months to connect
Harden directly with the manufacture
OF liquor ard arrest him, told the jury |
that Harden approached him early In
March In the Atlanta postofilce building |
and made him a proposition to pay him |
well for protection against raids on |
stills he was preparing to operate.
The officer reported Harden's offer |
to "buy" protection to ID. j, CAN'T, SUI |
pefvising prohibition enforcement off,
Ger. and after a conference with other |
federal officials, including United States
Attorney Hooper Alexander, II was de-
clded togo through with the perform
ance" and nab Harden white he was in
the e.. act Of paving over the money.
testified. A dictagraph was planted in
l,ixon's room at the Wilmot hotel.
Harden met the officers there on March
10. He paid him $500. said the witness,
and as they left the room, a squad OF
pfiicers who had been listening In the
ldJoining room. placed Harden under
arrest. He was later released under
Z, 900 bond.
Mr.. Dixon further swore that Harden
declared to him that he had previously
Fought protection against raids from
'ther officers He said Harden told
him early In the spring in Atlanta,
'hortly after Judge Samuel H. Sibley
II Georgia. that he was I'm Atlanta
or the purpose OF observing Judge Slb-
ey's attitude toward moonshiners. no
~ know how to operate In the flu
Denies Money Was Loan.
I1 Uh crO c;. examination by Attorney
Dixon denied that he told Harden he
vas "a. poor man In strained circum-
stances and that he needed money
'adiy to. pay for his automobile. At
orney Gay then quizzed the witness
ederal officials agreed, In a conferencel
repeated efforts to obtain
acts against Harden In connection with
perating stills, that III we can't get
I'M one way we II gel MIN another" q
The witness denied that the money l
aid him by Harden was Intended :
urely as loan. by reason Of the wit =
ess' alleged representation to Harden q
hat he was broke" HE gave me !.
hat money expecting protection against
aids on stills he intended to operate" ,
aid the witness.
A lively tilt occurred at this juncture
etween Attorney Clay and Assistant
lstrlct Attorney Paul Carpenter, who
onducted the prosecution. Both law
ers were on their feet almost con-
iantly. making objections 10 testimony
nd charging each other with leading 4
Re Witnesses
Attorney Clay called the Kovern-
ient's pan TO trap Harden a CON
)cted plans" and intimated that he
light GEEK to chow that IL had been |
IA to induce the bribery.
Mr.. Dixon next testified that several |
onlhs after the hotel scene. in which
re $500 was paid him by Harden. the |
,fendant met him at Canton, Ca, and
Tered him second $500 f0r protec-
on. and that he further told him, II
ant you to have tho money anyhow,
scause you are n good fellow"
Capt. Gene Hardeman. assistant eu-
,ryiHing enforcement officer. was the
.xt witness. He told Of the tran I'm
70 WilTnot hotel which enabled Officers
hear Harden's attempt 70 bribs
lion and which caused the Defend
re arrest.