The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-28
LANGLEY NAMED 1. WITH } OTHERS IN INDICTMENTS Congressman Is Charged
 With Liquor Con-
 spiracy HUGE BOOZE RING
 BARED BY REPORT Kentuckian Alleged To Have Received $5,000
 For Influence
tBy Leased Wire to Ase.Herald)

tby LoaSeu Wlre 70 Age-heFaluJ WASHINGTON, March 27.--Repre, sentative John W. Langley, republican, of Kentucky, and five other men have been indicted on charges of conspiracy in connection with alleged illegal with drawals of liquor from the Pennwick Distilling company, of Checwick, Pa. Langley was named in the indict- ments, one charging conspiracy to pre- vent the lawrul course of government and other to violate the prohibition act, but his five c0-defendants were indicted only on the latter charge.
 The other men named were: Mil lard F. West, former deputy commission CT of internal revenue in the prohibition unit; Russell Sackett, dry agent; Sid- ney Refs, alleged bootlegger, and Ben l.. Moses and Harry Sattler, joint owners of the Union Drug company of Pittsburg, Pa. The charges against the six grew out of testimony given before a grand jury in Chicago, which indicted Col. Charles R. Forbes, for mer head of the Veterans bureau, and was presented to the grand jury here by John W. H. Grim, special as- sistant attorney general, who also ob- tained the indictment against Forbes.
 First Direct Result
 This is the firts direct result of the accusations made in the Forbes in- dictment. When the Chicago grand jury ~port was given out, there was general indignation in Congress and several days of feverish whispering. Finally gossip concentrated on three names. Then Representative Langley, of Kentucky, and Representative Zihl- man of Maryland, made formal state ments denying they were the congress men referred to, and denying that they had yer conspired against the govern ment. The House appointed a com mitte to investigate the charges. This sessions but has done little pending the outcome of the grand jury proceedings.
 Langley's indictment follows 6 series of sensational stories regarding graft in liquor permits which has been un- folded before the Senate committe in- vest1gating the department of justice. There has been nothing in that tes- timony which links up with Langley and 1t 1s not yet clear whether the ring with which Langley. is, accused of working. also figured in the alleged transactions in which Jess Smith and others are said to have participated. Meotlsg Ring Indicted
 Eytderce of A gigantic bOotlegging ring, revolving around the Union Drug company and the Pennwick distillery, are disclosed in the indictment. Charges were made that Langley had contracted for more than 100 with drawals of liquor from the Pennwick distillery and also from the Belle of Anderson distillery, near Louisville, Ky.
 For procuring the release of 1000 cases of whisky valued at $1OOOO0 from the Penwick distillery, the indict- ment charges, Langley received S5,O00 from Elias Fl. Mortimer, of Veterans bureau fame, and Herman Geitzeiler, Donald J. Delancey and Sidney Refs, alleged bootleggers.
 The indictment in which Langley alone is named charges three overt acts
 That he conspired with Mortimer on April 15, 1921, in the House office building to withdraw the whisky men, tioned.
 .2-That on May 2, 1921, they caused Prohibition Commissioner John r. Cramer to instruct Arthur McKean, prohibition director at Pittsburg, to permit the Union Drug company to withdraw 4,000 cases of whisky from the Pennwick distillery.
 3-That Langley and Mortimer on May 26, 1921, caused the 4,O0O cases of whisky to be transported from Cheswick. Pa. to the Union Drug company in Plttsburg.
 Many Men Named
 The machinations of the the alleged whisky ring as disclosed in the indict- ments names, many men who were not indicted because they turned states evidence before the grand jury here.
 According to the indictments, the Walter Carey and NJ. E. Huh, of Pittsburg, owned the whisky in the Pennwick distillery and were desirous of disposing of it to GeltzeiIer, Delan- cey, Refs, Jacob Eichenberg, Gus Schwarzkopf, and Milton Lipschutz all charged with being bootleggers.
 One of the terms of the sale was that the whisky be delivered in Pitts burg, and through Mortimer, Moses and Sattler "worked'' on Langley to use his influence with Cramer. The bait held out to the dry agents Cramer, McKean, Oalph E. Klepper, Sackett and Sam Collins-by Langley was the promise of immediate pro- motion or substantial increases in salary, it was explained.
 This roundabout method of obtain ing withdrawals was successful. Why