San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-11

The sale OF the destroyed stills to
junk dealer which was the basis of a
complaint against Harry Hamilton by
the rangers Tuesday was nothing more
than routine office work, Mr.. Hamil-
ton said in a statement Thursday. and
as such the transaction was reported TO
the Treasury Department in Washing
ton. Mr.. Hamilton said that the stills
had been destroyed and that the Junk
dealer bought the copper at eight cents
a pound. along with a larg number
of bottles.
As the prohibition office was to be
moved within a few days, the Junk
which had accumulated was sold, he
said.
Mr.. Hamilton asked his friends to
withhold judgment against him. say
ing that the occasion had been seized
upon by enemies to circulate erroneous
reports concerning him.
He showed copy of the report Of
sale made to the Treasury Department
and check received for the junk. The
StuIeIIleDt IOllOWS.
an view of the misleading and
wholly erroneous statements in some
of the articles of the local press pur-
porting to tell of my connection with
the alleged conspiracy charged against
me in the COMPLAINT filed by Ranger
Captain Baldwin before Commissioner
Edwards. have concluded that /
should state the facts. and ask the
newspapers to give them the same pub
licity which has been given the rumors
and false statements made against me-
l have no fact nor circumstance in the
whole affair to conceal. did. in this
connection. as in my every act ms group
head enforcement officer. nothing but
what l conceived to be my duty. What
/ did. however, is done. and can be
plainly told in plain words. and I beg
my friends. and all persons interested
TO know the truth. to accept the follow
ing as a full and complete statement
of the facts concerning my acts com
planned of:
Sale Was Reported.
"Since / took office as group head.
I have been renting offices and making
NY >til anu uSNicl-
ants in the Kampmann building. About
August last. through the courtesy u
the city commissioners. was offered
quarters in the police headquarters
building on Market street. The work
of my force was largely with the local
police and peace officers, and this
generous offer. aside from the saving
in rent, was most pleasing and accept
able. We arranged to vacate the
quarters in the Kampmann building by
October /, and move to the police sta
ton. On September 2Sth. practically
all of our office equipment was moved
and we were ready to give up the old
quarters. There was left in the office.
however. this collection of materials
consisting of destroyed or mutilated
stills and coils, empty bottles and
liquor equipment and containers to be
disposed of, and for which we had
neither use nor room in our new quar-
tiers. 1t had always been my effort to
have such things destroyed where found
except such as was needed for evil
dence: but the boys in making raids
and arrests often brought this sur
plus material into the office. 1t was
certainly my duty to &c this accumu-
lation away from the offices ] was va
eating. / thought il best and proper
to sell it if could. rattle. than to
have it hauled or dumped out. / asked
Mr.. Seidemann. who deals in bottles.
what he would give for it. The stills
in the lot had been previously de-
stroyed by the prohibition agents as
they were brought in. This was done
by punching and cutting holes and
Sits in thcm--to which we had certi.
fled under oath at the time. as pre-
scribed in the forms furnished and
regularly used for that purpose. Like
the. rest of the materials. the stills. or
remainder of stills. were mere junk.
Mr.. Seidemann advised me he would
buy the bottles. but could lot use the
copper material, but that he would
learn the market price of the copper as
junk and allow me whatever he coull
handle it at, thus taking all OF the
material at one time. Accordingly. in
my presence he telephoned dealers in
that class OF junk. and then advised
that he would allow US cents per
pound for the copper. / accepted the
offer. and the whole mass, bottles, mu-
tilated stills, coils. etc, were hauled
to his place of business on Medina
street. The material was loaded on
his truck on Commerce street. from
our office in the Kampmann building
early in the afternoon. and / rode with
the driver to Mr.. Seidemann's place
where the material was weighed and
check was given me for the total, the
copper coming to SS.SS. and the bottles
to 1898. At that time. aside from
being busy with our usual duties and
with moving our special term Of court
was on for the following Monday. BY
the time our new quarters were ar
ranged. the many cases set for Monday
and for all the week following occu-
pied all our time. All that week l..
and practically all of our force. were
at the Federal building on these cases
from early morning till late at night.
/ was very pressed for time at night
to send in my regular daily reports.
As soon as found time. I wrote the
Treasury Department reporting the
sale in question. as follows:
Initials Were Wrong.
"San Antonio. Tex. Oct. 8. 1923.
"Chief Clerk. Treasury Department,
Washington. ID. c, Sir:
Enclosed herewith please find
money order for S1421.
This being the amount OF money
received from Ed Seideman for junk
copper and bottles sold him September
%. 1923.
+ "One hundred and eleven pounds Of
junk copper at S cents per pound
SS.Ss.
"Glass bottles, pints, quarts and gal.