San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-30
AGENTS HAVE
No: PLACE To
/ STORE STILLS
State Prohibition Director
= Cole Here to Help
= Solve Problem.
SILENT ON HAMILTON
Can't Say Whether Group
head VIII sBs Rein
stated or Not.

Confronted by the problem of find
ing adequate storage room for the
accommodating mass Of stills. coils and
other material and accessories for the
manufacture of liquor seized by
prohibition agents. Frank Cole, of
Austin, state prohibition enforcement
director, was in San Antonio Tues
day morning for conference with
Col. William 4. Austin. chief CO.
orlinator for the Eighth Army Corps
Area. BY the conference, Mr. Cole
said, he hopes to find solution for
the problem.
The storage place problemsof the
San Antonio prohibition enforcement
offices became acute when tile prohibit
ton offices were moved from. the
Kampmann building to the, nook now
occupied in the lobby of this federal
bauding. When the prohibition en-
forcement headouarters were in the
Kampmann building. one room of the
two-rcom suite was used for storage
purposes only Asa rule. stills and
bulky materials confiscated during
prohibition raids was stored in that
room and. the fnnor retained rs evil
dence was stored in the small prohiAi-
ton enforcement, vault in the base
ment Of the federal building.
Seia Stills as Junk.
The lack Of adequate storage space
IN the federal bHilding resulted in
iirectlys,in the complaint filed against
Harry W. Hamilton. then grouphead
in charge of the San Antonio agents,
Following the filing Of the :ompl lmt
against him by the state rangers, Mr.
Iiunrilton said that since there' was
no storage space in the federal
building. he had broken up a number
of stills and sold them MS junk tp .
San Antonio dealer. The money ana
a report Of the transaction had Eten
sent to Washington. Mr.. Hamilton
/ said
All property confiscated by federal
prohibition agents remains in then
ltuStody until IL is turned over to Inc
lJ,nieed States marshal for testrno
| ton or sale. Since this coDstlscatct
material is turned over to the mar
+. shall periodically. there is n consider
able accumulation during the IN
| term.
No federal Official has as yet pub
licly commented upon 4the question o
twRrthcr or not a prohibition gro1p
head has---tbe leak right to dispos
OF confiscated pfsferty other than b!
! authority of cStrt order. 1t isloS,
siblc. il is pointed out, that the fail
urc Of the prohibition departmens (;
/ Washington 10 retinstatc Mr.. Hanll
1 ton Immediately after the fedcN
grand Jury. for the special October
term of court adjourned without III
/ dieting him. has been due to the fact
| that the sale of the Junk was a trchnl
| cal violation Of treasury regulations
although report of the TRANSACTION
was made by Mr.. Hamilton and inc
money derived from the sale OF tht
iunkcd stills was turned over to ih'
treasury department.
Need Only BE Republican.
Mr.. Cole refused to disc,Iss The
! Hamilton case nor would he makc
any comment as To what person
would be appointed TO the position
of grouphead in charge of the San
Antonio office in the event Mr.. Ham.
iilton was not re-instated or declined
to be re-instated, other than remark
ing: m.
There is one thing certain. The
grouphead will either be good
Republican or a man whom we can
make into good Republican"
When asked. as to the truth OF the
rumor that Grouphead John W. Nann
in charge Of the Houston office wonld
be transferred to San Antonio in ,he
cvctn of a vacancy here. Mr.. Cole
said that he had heard nothing.
The state director declined TO re-
veal his opinion on the effect. if any,
of ranger prohibition enforcement ac-
tivities.