The Washington times., 1922-10-06
DECLARES MEN
PROMOTEDFOR..
LIQUOR THEFTS
Former Agent Of Department
of Justice Says They Are
Official Favorites.

William 3. Matthews, formerly
agent in charge of the Washington
office of the Bureau Of Investigation,
Department of Justice, today charged
that department operatives alleged
to have illegally disposed of $lOO'OoV
worth Of confiscated liquors, lnsteai
of being discharged, have been re-
cipients of faVoritism and promo
tons. .,
AFTER the grand jury had found
that Department OF Justice agents
had made away with thousands OF
dollars worth of liquors. the state
ment was made that the men IN
volved in the affair had been dls
charged" Mr.. Matthews SAID todaNA
The facts in the case are thx
every man mixed up in the affair has
been treated as 'taVorlte ana mas
been placed in some other good job
or given a promotion in the Govern.
ment service.
Not one Of the men in my office
connected with the liquor scandal
has been separated from the Govern
ment service as a result OF that con
neCtion."
Burns Didn't Act.
Mr.. Matthews declared that 1t was
not Mr.. Burns who brought the mat
ter to the attention of the district
attorney and the grand jury. but
Congressman Woodruff and an at
tache of the department.
The original investigation was pre-
cipitated in the spring of last year
while Mr.. Matthews was at the head
OF the Washington office. Two local
hann CpizgI
by department agents called at Mat
thews' office and asked for the re.
turn of their goods. The courts had
ruled that the officers could retain
only a quart for evidence.
"One man said that his liquor was
seized and. $3.50 also taken from
him." Matthews said.
THE man said he wanted his
, liquor, but would not demand his
money back.
/ Il took the matter up with l.. j.
Bailey. then chief of the bureau. He
said the incident took place before
he came to the office and he knew
nothing about it.
ION investigation of the files I
learned that both of the men who
asked for their liquor back had had
the number of cases seized as they
represented it TO me.
Storage Rooms Empty.
THE Government rents two or
, three rooms in a storage warehouse
on Fifteenth street for storing con-
/ fiscated liquor. l learned that these
! rooms were empty when they should
: have held thousands of dollars worth
! Of liquors of all kinds. l believe nv
report showed that $4,000 worth
| should have been there at the time.
/ l found none"
! At about this time, Matthews says,
he was served with a writ Of replevin
for the return of the missing liquor.
The case is now in the courts, he
says.
Judge Daniel Thew Wright. coun-
sci for one of the complainants, took
a hand in the matter and called on
Matthews, who referred him to his
superior, William J. Burns.
After Judge Wright left me, I
went to see J. +. Hoover. Mr.. Burns
assistant, and asked him to arrange
for me an interview with Mr.. Burns
so that we could take some action
in the matter" Mr.. Matthews said
today.
Report Was Filled"
I'm the presence of Mr.. Hoover, l
I told Mr.. Burns what l knew about
| the matter. Mr.. Burns ordered me to
make the investigation. :
Il assigned James w. Bales, Of
Alexandria, and Albert Willett TO the
! case, and after two weeks they turn.
ed in their report, which / person
/ ally submitted to Mr.. Burns. l told
him that we were ready to explain
= fully the contents of the report.
Mr.. Burns filed that report. and
/ it would have remained in the files
until Gabriel blew his horn had not
/ Congressman Woodruff been inform
! ed of its existence and been asked to
! get some action"
The report, as considered by the
! grand jury, gives full details involv-
ing several persons still in the en-.
| ploy OF the Government, one or two