The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-12-21
Z AGEN 7 8
FIGURE IN
CHARGES
Officials Hear That They Ac-
cepted 81 400 Bride From
BootIeggers.

A rumor that two colored stool
pigeons" who acted in the capacity
of buyers for the prohibition
agents in the raids carried out on
violators of the national prohibi-
ton laws before Thanksgiving, had
accepted 81 400 hush money from
bootleggers, is being investigated
by Assistant District Attorneys
David A. Hart and Thomas E.
Lodge, in charge of the prosecution
of all liquor cases in the District,
according to a statement made to-
day by Hart.
Failed to Appear.
The men are major witnesses in
many cases that were called in the
United States branch of police court
yesterday afternoon and dismissed
by Judge John P. Mcmahon for
want of prosecution. Others were
dismissed because of the failure of
prohibition agents to appear. Their
negligence Of the Internal Revenue
Bureau by Hart, who says that the
officials fail to cooperate with the
District Attorneys office and send
agents to other jurisdictions after
their cases have been made but
not completed here
One "stool pigeon" William Kane,
was recently convicted Of two cases
Of petty larceny and held for the
grand jury on a grand larceny
charge. He was sentenced to serve
ninety days in Jail on the first two
charges and it was necessary to
nolle PROSE- the case in which he
was major witness, as he could not
qualify.
Cases Dismissed.
Fifty-seven liquor cases were call.
ed by Judge Mcmahon yesterday
afternoon. Thirty-three, Of them
were dismissed for want Of prose
cuttOn. Six were nolle pressed by
the district attorneys office. One
was tried and convicted. One plead
ed guilty, and his case was con-
tinued for sentence, while fourteen
cases were placed on the docket
for immediate trial. Eleven other
cases in the hands of the court were
Hart charges that Prohibition
Agent Thomas E. Hines, whose
presence was necessary in the prose-
cution of several of the cases was
detailed West on a pre-Christmas
drive but that the Internal Revenue
Bureau office had promised to pro-
duce him on December II. He did
not appear yesterday and no reason
was given for his absence 80 all
cases in which he participated were
dismissed.
The present activities in the
liquor division Of the District At
torney's have resulted from a deci-
sion by Major PeytOn Gordon,
United States District Attorney, and
Judges John P. Mcmahon and Gus
A. Schuldt to cooperate in cleaning
up all pending cases.
Many of them have been on the
docket for several years. They have
been set for trial, called, witnesses
fail to appear and again continued,
thereby uselessly taking UP the time
of the court and District attorneys
office. The only course left is to
dismiss them and leave time for
the recent active cases. They will
be promptly tried even If 1t is
necessary to hold night sessions of
the court, Judge Mcmahon said.
An investigation of the report
that two police agents were absent
yesterday when siXty-three cases
were called in police court was or
dered by Commissioner James F..
Oyster today. He has instructed
Assistant superintendent Evans to
make a thorough inquiry and re-
port negligence if there was any on
the par@ of the police department.