The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-12-26
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Prohibition Officials to Confer
With State Department
on Scandal.

Prohibition enforcement ON
Gals will confer today with ON
Gals of the State Department to
ascertain just how much liquor
the Polish diplomat, who clsimed
the $4,000 rum cache in Wash
ington's liquor scandal, has re-
ceived in the past months.
Archives Contain Data.
Archives of the State Department
contain the amount Of each liquor
shipment to a foreign embassy
here. The archives are also said
to contain the date of the shipment
and other interesting data. It Is be-
lieyed that the liquor came from
Savannah, Ga, though no definite
! word on this has been received.
Elmer Trey, Chief Of the Special
Intelligence section of the Treasury
Department, today refused to dis
cuss the case on the grounds that
anything he might say would dis
Eclose the Governments hand. Trey
declared that he had very little per-
sonal knowledge of the case, as his
agents were able to work up the
assignment without ''bothering him
with details" The Governments
case is practically at a standstill
owing to the Christmas holidays.
War RACES Over List.
War to the last adjective now
, looms between the Association
Against the Prohibition Amendment
and the Anti-Saloon League as the
latest sideshow offering of the miss
ing list of 1,40O bootleg customers.
Scintfllating adjectives were used
last night by Capt. w. H. Stayton.
head Of the former organization, in
sarcastic comment upon Wayne B.
Wheeler's also sarcastic comment
upon previous comment by the
captain. Only a lack of space pre-
vents further reference to other COM
| ments, but the substance of the
whole is that each wants the list
made public-for different reasons.
Captain Stayton figures, he said.
that publication of 1 400 prominent
bootleg customers viii boost his
stock in trade to the skies. Wheeler,
believes that the 1,400 should be
prosecuted as an object lesson. Pro
hibition agents and Treasury De-
partment sleuths, those most di-
rectly concerned in the unfortunate
1
the list is without existence.
Assistant District Attorney Ar
thur N. Presmont. who has been as
signed to the prosecution of the
"conspirators, threatened last
night to subpoena before the grand
jury any one who is connected with
the destruction of the list, If IL can
be shown to have been destroyed.
The Governments case is none
too strong, owing to the immunity
of the $50 cases of liquor, and the
list was counted upon to furnish
the prosecution with q list Of wit
nesses.
Envoy Presents Credentials.
The Treasury Department, through
Elmer Trey, chief of the special in
telligence section, announced that
no further effort would be made to
confiscate the liquor. as the official
of the Polish legation who claimed
It had credentials that are genuine
beyond q shadow Of a doubt
From his parents. home In 0ha.
mokin, Pa, Presmont last night
issued a def to the police and
revenue operatives who now say
that the list of customers never
was anything but a myth. He
made it plain that he had been
advised of the existence of the
list by officers making the raids.
and he declared ne would not toler-
ate the excuse that no such list
had been seized by the police.
PresmOnt's Statement.
Presmont declared that Neither
the police nor the internal revenue
agents have yet turned over to my
office any evidence in the Morris
Scarborough case. which am
charged to prosecute.
"I have never been advised Of-
ficially Of the existence of any
document showing the clientele OF
the alleged bootleg syndicate, al
though 1 heard the arresting Off
GERS speaking of such document
upon my return to Washington
tho latter part of the week shall
proceed Immediately to make an
investigation OF the situation with
a view to procuring, additional
warrants for, the arrest of every
person who the evidence discloses
had any connection with the al
legged conspiracy regardless of Of
fetal, political or social promi-
nence Of those involved.
:'If bootleg list was procured
by the police or internal revenue
officers 1 shall demand that it be
cute anyone who the evidence dis
closes had possession of such a
list and cannot produce it. The
rights of the people are too evident
to permit such a situation to exist.
Members of the bootleg ring will
be taken before the Federal grand
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