South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-01-29
DISCOVER BURIED
LIQUOR CASES IN
CITY HALL OFFICE
Safety Board Investigation Re-
veals Evidence of Viola
tfons But No Charges.

More than a score of alleged
moonshiners-26 to be exact-ar-
rested in raids conducted by the po-
lice and federal officers during the
past two years have never been ar
raigned or their cases set for trial
il a preliminary checking of stills
and other whisky-making para
phernalia with the city court doc
KEY. conducted by order of the board
of public safety, proves correct.
What purports 70 be a wholesale
malfeasance of office on the part
of certain former city officials came
TO light Saturday morning after a
cursory examination of seizures for
use as evidence and city clerk rec
ords compiled for entry on the court
docket.
Records For State.
The impending investigation, be-
ing rushed to completion TO furnish
City Judge Chester L. DuCOmb the
yearly records required from him by
the state board OF public accounts.
viii deal with what on the face ap-
pears a fragrant "burying' of the
names Of offenders taken into Gus
tody by the police but who. it ap-
pears. never were ordered into
court.
Stills in every conceivable size
and design, from the lowly tin
can" variety TO boiler vessels hold
ing upwards of so gallons. were re-
moved from the shelves and checked
with the labelled tickets by which
they could be identified. A list of
stills and their former owners were
compiled and the checking of the
records began. The defendants. at
the time of their arrest, were
charged with unlawful manufacture
of intoxicating liquor.
Complete investigation and the
locating Of the "lost cases" which
include the finding Of arrest slips
and thorough going over Of the
city clerks books will not be COM
pleted for several days, according to
Detective Capt. Horace NJ Hamil-
ton, who is at present in charge Of
the Investigation.
Order Stills Destroyed.
The board of public safety had
no inkling of what would develop in
requesting Chief Lane 20 clean up
and junk the stills for which there
was no further use as evidence. The
miscellaneous pile OF copper tanks
and boilers we're ordered listed and
those for which cases were stlu
pending be separated and placed in
a more suitable depository. The re-
mainder. those where the cases had
been disposed of, fines and sentences
imposed. were 10 be sold for Junk
and the revenue derived be payable
TO the general fund.
a total Of "A stills were checked
over. Eighteen Of the number. the
records showed. had been disposed
OF I'm city or higher courts. Eight,
according to the checking. were on
cases which had been appealed and
yet pending. There were % names.
some of which represented more
than a single still. which failed 20
check. The remainder were still
pending in city court.
Those who. on the preliminary
checking. show no record on the
docket, according to officials con
Quoting the investigation. with the
dates when arrests were made are
as follows:
Paul Jonas. 1912 Prairie av. June
So 1921. Tony Chuduski. 1929
L0nEley av., June p, 1920. Frank
Razewicz. 1902 W. Division st.. Aug.
81. 1921; Victor Rudnicki. 42s s.
Scott St. Nov. S. 1920; Mike Hobar.
5I3 w. Calvert ST.. Nov. 8. 1920:
Steve Busz5iewicz 75S Phuupa ST.:
Jan. 81. 1920; Alex G0mpkowski.
2O14 ". Ford ST.. Jan. i. 1921
Ignace Lapkiewicz, south Bend
oct. 81. 1920: John Kohler. III san
Rudnichi. SOC s. Olive ST.. Marcel
rs. 1921. Joe Pawnowicz. gIs
s Kendall Ct, Nav Il. 1891;