The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-17
OFFERED $15O,OOO BR|bE SAYS BOyLES
Certain County And City Off, ficiaIs Are Involved, Fed
 erai District Attorney Says

MOBILE, Ala, Dec. 1s.-(Special Leased Wire. )-Federal District At torney Aubrey Boyles Sunday night issued a formal statement that fix CTS" representing the liquor traffic, slot machines, gambling and other forms of lawlessness in the city of Mobile had offered him bribe money totaling s15O,000 to "slow up the work of his office" The statement was made public closely following the adjournment last Saturday night i,of the federal grand jury. As re- suit of recent exposures here by agents of the United States govern by the grand jury.
 The statement in part follows:
 "Beginning December 9, 1922, when the bootleggers sent an emissary to me claiming that he represented big money until today there has been a systematic effort to control this of flee by bribery. On the first named date I was asked to agree to 8 plan sby which l was to receive one-fourth of all of the contributions exacted from liquor dealers and a lot of slot machine owners up to s100,000. l re- piled that court was then in session and that I would not have time to think about it until I could get out of court. This did not seem to please him. 1 was told that if I would agree to his plan I would soon be rich man and he would make a lot of money, too.
 Within a few days I saw Judge Ervine. explained the proposition and nt h if1tf ff, o-Y.a I at noC fnf Christmas week go over until the next term with a view to working out plan of action. l saw without . doubt how great was the damage this office was doing to the officials and others linked up with and engaged in the illicit traffic Twice before 1 had been approached, but this was the first time I was offered a defi nite sum- 1 immediately wrote to the department for an investigator and reported the whole situation" Accuses Local Officials.
 MT. Boyles charged that at least one county and one city official were beneficiaries of the graft fund and said the fixer got from $1,500 to $2,000 month.
 The emissary who came to me was to get one-half of tne graft collected and the other half was to come to me.
 
 was to slow up the work of ny office, to arrange for information to go ahead of any raids which might be made, but to let prohibition officers go right on with their work as they were then doing. This man had come to me once before in behalf of d county official, whom 1 had in a tight place and was prepared to squeeze him and would have done so except for failure of the then state law en- n fbfof n which tied ny hands.
 Within a few days the department sent me four men. detailed to wire my home and install a dictaph one. They waited night after night for inc man WHO made the offer to come back. He made definite dates at least twice to come to my nome and talk the mat ter over, but he never cane. From That day to this. though I have seen him a number of times. he has never mentioned the matter to me again.
 About this time the bootleggers began 10 use Harry G. French on the assumption that he was close to thls office. An arrangement was per 4ected by which French was to do nothing except keep track of the activities of this office. All the while, without the knowledge of French or any one else. under cover men were working in the community and getting information on those re- ceiving his official protection. This plan rapidly furnished all the svi- dence necessary.
 "I was advised that certain state, county and city officials were ready to bury the hatchet and cooperate. One by one their fixers cane to me in turn. They told me that the boot leggers had list of those they wished to put out of business and that they oir tn Sf ri ri @ qalp of EQnnr the city and county of Mobile to 20 individuals. These fixers offered one third of all the contributions to the corruption fund from gamblers. slot machine operators, bootleGgers and other sources amounting to sE esti- mate of s1250G0 year as my share. This offer was increased by their last fixer to one-half the total amount, which was estimated to reach S1oO,- GOO a year as my share.
 "As it developed. the under cover two in number furnished by Division Chief Day of New Orleans, posing as vendors of bottles, jugs and other H. quor containers. turned up all boot leggers not caught under the plan of the bootleggers themselves. By the simple method of allowing the bootleggers to carry out their own destruction. asking nothing. promis- ing nothing, it was possible to secure the needed evidence of law violation.
 The parts played by their various fixerS, the indictments as to names. dates, amounts paid ana other facts will in due course of law become public and are too lengthy to detail here.
 O o O Offered Half Of Graft.
 In reports brought to me the head graft manipulators at one time of fered to divide half -~ of the graft money then being collected and which was said to amount to between $30.000 and $40.000 month. At an- uuunuul ssI . U ursDa