Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-05-10
PAID
HIM $4,000, SAYS
MOBILE WITNESS

| French, government informer, tes-
! Trying in the trial of So defendants
in federal court, charged with con-
spiracy to violate the national pro.
| hibition act, today declared from the
witness stand that Mobile bootleg
gers had paid him a total of APP
proximstely $4,000, supposedly for
| %, election. Up until this morning
French, who was on the stand
throughout yesterday afternoon, had
steadfastly refused to give the
amount collected by him, but under
| cross examination this morning, he
answered the question when in
structed to do so by the court.
Attorney Jere Austill was cross
examining French at the time and
he asked the witness how much he
had collected. He at first refused to
give the amount, as on previous oc-
casions when the question was
asked him, but this morning the
court instructed him to answer.
"I made an affidavit with A. r.
Butler, prohibition chief, that I had
collected about $4,000 from Mobile
bootleggers," declared the witness.
This was the feature Of the cross
examination of French at this morn
ing's session Of court. French was
testifying when court adjourned late
Tuesday and was called back again
when court opened at 10 o'clock this
morning.
In answering a, question by G. T.
McCorvey, defense attorney, French
said latter a years investigation,
was unable to connect Paul Cazalas,
in any way, with the rum ring con-
spiracy."
Frenchs testimony yesterday
was marked by an outburst'
said to have emanated from VIII
liam II. Holcombe, Jr., former sher.
if and now deputy sheriff and
member of the legislature, who was
fined $3.50 for contempt for an al
legged vile epithet applied to French.
French testified that he volun-
teered his service to Aubrey Boyles
as an informer and worked without
salary or commission as federal Of
ficer, and that his instructions
from the department of justice
were to get all the money he could
from the bootleggers and to keep
it." He said he collected thousands
from bootleggers, including half the
persons now on trial, and spent
every cent he got
Three-Way Split
French told of a proposed three
1uau cplit' fo,, tho sheriff notice
and federal departments preached
at a conference of j. II. McEvoy,
Robert l.. Holcombe, p. j. Onslaught
ifessey and Percy kearns. Detective
William Moody, Deputy Sheriff
George L. Donaghue, one of the de-
fendents, and himself for the fed
eral department were to receive the
rum ring payments, French tesu-
fled. Shortly after the conference
with O'Shaughnessey Kearns, Nc
Evoy and Holcombe, French said he
received the list" from DonaShue
at the county Jail. This list. includ-
ing the names Of 222, many of
them well-known persons, was in
troduced by the prosecution into the
evidence.
While French was testifying, he
suddenly yelled, don't you cuss me,
Willie Holcombe." Judge Erving
halted the trial for an examination
Attorneys Ambrecht, Hale and
Tompkins, defense, sitting near Hol-
combe said they heard no such re-
mark. Court Reporter Strain said
he heard some one make the re-
mark as alleged by French, and the
Judge announced the $3.50 fine would
stand.
Notes Endorsed
Before he became federal infor
mer, said French, he held commits
sions both from O'Shaughnessey and
William Holcombe, but Donaghue
resigned his commission after raids
by Federal Agents Prender and Has
senger Bob Holcombe, Dan Jemi-
son, Harry O'Connor, Ben Cody, and
Richard Chrisman paid him by in
dorsing his notes so there would
be no come back" said French. He
testified that J. J. Cummings, one
of the defendants, made a quart of
synthetic liquor in the Dawes Tire
Shop and that Cummings labeled it
real stuff" and gave it to him.
The government now has it, he re-
marked.
Holcombe once asked him If he
thought $4,000 would fix Aubrey
Boyles, French declared, and the
response, he continued, was that
1925, 900 would fix anybody" The
subject was not mentioned again,
said French. Two payments from
McEvoy to French were testified to,
one of them $500 with a list of Nc
Evoy's customers; another was a
check for $2,050 for federal protec7
ton which French said he showed
to Boyles, Judge j. [. Burgett, Unit
ed States commissioner, and Virgil
Griffin, clerk of the United States
court, before he had it cashed by
lobe NJ. Medicus for personal use"
Boylin and Jemison both had him
cave town on separate occasions,
French said, and Jemison once gave