New-York tribune., 1921-02-28
Offered Million
I'm Rum Br'ibes.
Says Mccarthy
New EngIand's Dry Chief
Calls Booileggers DIRTY
Ours" 'and DeGcs Them
to Carry Out Threats
Federal Jury May Act
Declares Liquor Men Have
Offered Everything From
SIS TO a ''Political Plum

William J. Mccarthy, Federal pro
hibition enforcement officer for New
England, with Headquarters in Boston.
Yesterday told of serles of bribes
offered him to wink at liquor law
violations, which ranged from IS up to
100000 in once instance to fine
Mccarthy is here taking part in the
New ,rk raids on vioiators Of the
dry lays.
"Millonaire rum distributors, af1uent
bootleggers, motor rum peddlers," all
of them characterized by Mccarthy as
dirty ours" were challenged by the
prohibition agent to make good their
many threats to "get him in one way or
another, either his job or his life"
g, MeCarthy's story, the first break in
his silence of almost two years, is
expected to lead to a sweeping in
vcstigation, and United States Dia-
trict Attorney Gallagher, at Boston,
has invited Mccarthy to lay his story
before the Federal Grand Jury, which
resumes sittings tomorrow.
The story of the ring of rum run
ners is the story of the fight of one
man against great odds-a silent fight
of which little can be told.
Former Fordham Gridiron Star
The storm center of prohibition en-
forcement in this district, the man who
has been repeatedly threatened with
his llfe-and offered great sums Of
money to wink his eye at violations
OF the Volstead acts only thirty
three years old, graduate Of Boston
College and Fordham, where he was one
Of the best football players Fordham
ever had. Then he played professional
baseball as catcher on the Cincin-
rati Reds. Then he went into the In
ternal Revenue service, passing his ex-
animation on the chemistry of narcotics
with 98 and the chemistry of liauor
with 81 His work took him into drug
stores, dlstlileries and breweries all
over the United States. Raids he has
conducted IN the last year alone have
netted the government more than S30.-
100000 in fines and taxes. For all this
work Mccarthy receives $4,000 a year.
and when he was appointed his district
included all of New England and all
81 New York State except New York
CITY Then, last July, because the job
mas grown too big, Washington relieved
hlm-tech lly--of New York State,
Defies Liquor Traffickers
This challenge of McCarthy's is in
effect defiance to the liquor trafickers.
McCarthy says that he will stand on
his record, and that if the incoming
Republican Administration Gusts him
from office it will be its privilege to do
SO. In this connection he declares that
he will not seek reappointment bv the
Republicans-that he has never asked
for favors or position from any one
and will not
Il have been offered bribes that
would have meant hundreds of thou
sands for ,feigning sickness, for divert |
ing my agents from territory where
rum runners planned to food the New
States with contraband LIQUOR"
said Mccarthy Yesterday. II have
spurned every offer of rum tainted
money, and challenge any man, woman
or child in New England to prove that
| have swerved from the performance
OF my duty IN a single instance. In
fact, have redoubled my efforts when |
ever 1T has been pointed out to me
that l might reap financial advantage (
by leaving certain sections alone.
''My one answer to all bribe offers. !
large or small, in whatever fashion they /
were made, has been: 'Never!'
III had. accepted single cent or
closed my eyes to any violations of
the law | could not have slept wink
at night. l wouldn't have had the
to face my dear mother, nor
my dad, nor my friends with the
guilty conscience Of one who sold his
birthright and blacked his soul with
the vile, tainted money of rum.
Repeatedly ! have been threatened
with death | have paid no attention