Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1921-07-15

Under the leadership VI
Hendee several wildwood special OF
GERS. aided by the police OF Ocean Guy
cantured a truckload of whiskey val
ned at about $4,000. The whiskey,
which is genuine Scotch, is believed
to have been brought from Scotlanu
to wildwood in a boat and stored IN
the fish factory of the Consolidated
Fisheries Corporation on Rio Grande
road on the meadows, from where II
was removed by the Loetiers in their
hig truck. One hundred and hfty-two
cases labeled Johnny Walker scotch
wbiskey' were found in the truck.
The two expressmen were held on
Tuesday by Judge Eldredge under $5OO
bail apiece for a hearing last Wednes-
day. Sentence will be imposed on
Wednesday, July 81. The truck is I'M
der $4,000 bond as evidence.
Hendee's story is that on the night
n~receding the twelfth of July Celec-
ton day., he heard that there was a
truck load of liquor destined for Wllo-
wood, and that the rumor was going
around that he was allowing 1t TO De
distributed. AS his police force mas
been so impaired of late, he said that
he took up the matter himself. IaK-
ing City Clerk W~interburn. John 1.
Byrne and his son, whom he swore IN
as special officers, and hiring hlrpy
and his automobile, he set out for the
fish factory. which he understood was
being made the distributing point for
South Jersey. The party followed a
truck out there, which turned into the
lane leading to the fish factory. Hen
dee and his men continued out Rio
Grande avenue for some distance and
parked the car facing Wildwood. After
a wait of an hour or so the truck came
ont of the lane and turned toward
Ocean City and not toward WILDWOOD
as expected. They trailed the truckt to
ocean City. Hendee got into COM
munication with the police there and
they sent out five men to help round
up the whiskey runners. They caught
ND with the truck in Ocean City and
found the two Loef1ers and an I'M
identified negro on board. The party
then drove in the truck to Cape May
Court House and reused Judge II. II.
Eldredge, who held the Loeffiers under
$500 bail apiece. The liquor was
stored in the county Jail. The hearing
was held last Wednesday morning and
it was opened by Prosecutor Cole read
ing the charge of violating Section ~
of the Van Ness Act against George
C. Loef1er and William G. Loefier,
father and son. Palmer Way and John
Harris were the defending lawyers.
Lawyer Harris announced that his
clients would plead guilty in order
that the whole facts might become
known to the Court. Miss Hildreth,
the court s~tenographer, was sworn to
take down all the evidence.
The Sheriff was called first. He
said that the truck contained 1852 cases
which he had not opened, but which
were labeled Johnny Walker Scotch
Whiskey," and on the end was 81 doz."
Mr.. Harris wanted to know whether it
was "booz' or "doz." The Sheriff
replied that it was "doz." He said that
the truck also contained a package
done up in burlap about a foot square
and seemed to contain bottles. He
was called out of bed at an early hour
and unloaded the bottles and put them
in the Jail and locked them up. Judge
Eldredge asked the Sheriff if he
thought the Jail was a safe enough
place for it. The Sheriff said that he
did not know what the cases con-
tanned or whether or not it was in
~toxicating, as he had not sampled it.
Harris said that the defense admitted
that whatever was delivered to the
sheriff at that time was intoxicating.
Mayor Hendee was called and when
he started to give his testimony Har-
ris objected to nearly everything he
said, because he told of conversations
and not Of actions. Hendee gave the
same story as set forth in the first
part of this article. He added that
there were no lights in the fish factory
except in the little house lear the
road. He said he knew the Loeflers
personally and recognized their truck.
He said there were two other men in a
Stutz car who got away, but that he
had the number. When cross-ex-
amined he couldn't say who was driv-
ing the truck as he was in a car in
back of it. He gave as the reason he
went after the booze runners was that
he was reported to be letting it into
Wildwood, SO he went out personally
to arrest the men. The fish factory
is outside the city limits, so he waited
for them to bring the liquor into the
city before arresting them. When he
found that they were going to Ocean
City, he got the police of that city on
the job.
Chief Johnson, Of the Ocean City
police force, was next on the stand.
He said that when he received Hen
dee's phone call he went to the city
hall and got four officers. He sta
aA