The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-02-23
OFFICIAL
BLUNDER
TIPS OFF
SUSPECTS
Work OF Months Brought to
End by laxative
U. S. Agents

More than two months agI
a committee Of public spiritel
citizens, alarmed over morn
conditions, met in a downtown
office building here and de
.ided to launch, if possible,
sweeping investigation int
alleged corruption on tn
part of police and other pub
lie officials.
Evidence then at hand was sui
'icient TO convince the COMMITTEES.
~ That dope and whisky ~
being smuKgied here in wiboiesale
quantities by persons paying
huge sums Of money. not only
for protection. hut for actual -
sistznce Of public offIcers.
f,) That vice Of every sort
flourisbes in rosdhouses and
town resorts under the same pro
lection.
ts) That persons sf grea1
wealth are the real ''higherupe~
in the traffic that was being cas-
ried ON thru the connivamro -
officials and criminals.
~ That tho sons ard dnuGf.
ters Of unsuspecting cifises.s -
bclng boldly temp1nd - Wrune.
doing and. pastirulAsiy, - -
dOpe.
49, That grand jurses - NJ =
judges as,d petit Jurtss - ~flx~
81" t,sru . .xyxtem.'
% Thaa high cEinpoA evum -.
err. ~ committed " eF1nanHnD
who pay tribute 70 '-tl,e syseesn.
With . mass Of circumstantlai ~,
hence In hand. tire committea G.
about for the assistance OF persons Il
public office who might be trsagtod
SMALL NUMBER OF
PUBLIC OFFICIALS NEW
This. in itself. required no susn|
amount Of investigating. Finally
number OF such public officers wor
'EtNNht1 HtlI tstiiiAuF<t III.
The committee found that Il wUuI
he impossible. even then. to proceo
without n fund Of working capita
While the investigation proceeded q
4 small scale. the committee sfel
put" a number Of wealthy men q
Known high morality.
As first step In the investigation
permission was obtained from tn
federal government to tap the telG
phone wire leading into Black @
tavern. a roadhouse on the Bothel
-oad near Lake Forest park.
A shack was rented a mile distan
from the roadhouse. and the ''tap
Installed. Operatives. on duty da,
md night. took a record OF ever:
over the Black Cat wire
This record furnished the commit
tee with sufficient evidence to vnl
-ant the laying of plans for placinI
\ federal charge OF conspirac,
against numerous criminals. polio
and others. II was appareui
however. that considerable force .
secret operatives would be require
10 obtain the further evidence necea
sary before the case could BE- plaoeI
before the federal grand Jury. -.
BUSINESS MEN
BACK INVESTIGATION
The committee. several weeks agc
aid their plans in confidence befor
ihree of Seattle's wealthiest ant
most respected business men, VIII
vent into the proposed program a
he evidence already gathered =
some length and who declared the.
we're deeply interested.
The advisability of employing [
private detective agency was con
but the idea was immediatcl,
set aside. the committee being IN
formed that no agency which take
his class OF cases could be relie'
upon to deal squarely.
The following day. however, tn
local chief OF a private detectiv
agency called on one of the three In
terested business man. told him tn
names of those present at the meet
ing the day before. advised him tina
the agency could get the dope" 70
a stipulated sum of money, and Dc
parted.
II was obvious that one OF tn
trusted officials who had been invit
ed TO the committee meeting ha'
leaked" This led To the custer q
two federal agents from the commit
tee.
II Is considered probable that tn
whole affair of the Black Cat invest
cation and leak" will be laid befor
he federal grand jury. which ha
been called for March s.
The three business men, realizinl
that the detective agency had beel
OF the scheme of investigr
ton. withdrew their support, and tn
was left powerless for lacl
Of funds to 20 ahead.
INFORMATION GETS
TO SUSPECTS THEMSELVES
Thru secret channels. inside infor
nation" regarding the investigation
eventually got into the hands Of su.
poets themselves, as was feared /
would after the leak" was disco,
cred.
The tapped wire report" was the
turned over by the committee I
Sheriff Matt Starwich. who was a
ready Investigating the Black Ca1
4