Evening star., 1924-07-25
ARRESTS DUE SOON.
Accused to Be Taken on Papers
From Florida.

gigantic liquor conspiracy running
its tentacles out of Jacksonville. Fla.
to the offshore islands through trans
portation channels to St. Augustine,
Fla; Washington, D. c., and New
York City was revealed today at the
office of Elmer l. Trey, chief, special
intelligence unit, Treasury Depart
ment, who confirmed a report that 5s
persons. including 10 or Is Washingto-
mans, had been indicted Wednesday by
Federal grand jury sitting in Tampa
withheld temporarily.
Three deputy United States marshals
and four policemen of Washington,
Pullman conductors, Pullman porters,
and liquor dealers in several cities
are on the list of those indicted. Ar
rests are expected to follow shortly, as
soon as necessary papers can be dis
patched from Florida
Those indicted are charged with
conspiracy to violate section 81 of the
criminal code and will be tried in
Florida before United States Judge
Lake Jones, sitting in Jacksonville,
Tampa or Miami. United States Dis
trict Attorney Gober will prosecute
the cases.
OutSrovth of Case Here.
The conspiracy charge is an out
growth. or rather a further develop
ment of a somewhat similar case
against some of the same individuals
here several months ago. When they
were brought to trial in courts here.
the cases were quashed on motion of
the Government in order that more
complete charges might be laid
against the alleged conspirators and
the matter tried out in Florida
courts
The tiny thread from which was
unraveled the far-reaching plot
which the Government charges
against more than 80 persons in sew
eral States was plucked off the
sleeve, as it were, of another rela-
lively unimportant case here in
Washington by special agents of the
special intelligence unit of the Treas
ury Department.
That was several months ago. when
Ralph MacColloch. sergeant of
marines. was arrested for stealing
goods from a Government commissary
here and selling them to outsiders.
At that time there was taken into
custody John J. Hickey, charged
with purchase of some of the stolen
goods. Hickey, it developed, was
also engaged in liquor traffic, and
when pressed by special agents of the
Government revealed his part in the
conspiracy which led to further in
vestigation and finally eliminated in
the developments today.
Hickey, upon further questioning.
proved so invaluable a witness in the
case that he was used by the Govern
ment before the grand jury sitting in
Florida, and under section 80 of the
yolstead act has been given immunity
from prosecution.
Scheme of Wide Scope.
The general operation Of the alleged
conspiracy. it was learned, started in
the islands off the Florida shores. where
the liquor was obtained by agents of
certain wholesale dealers located in
Florida. In boats owned and operated
by the wholesale dealers and theiI
agents the liquor was smuggled ashore
and through alleged bribery, connivance
and trickery vas taken through Florida
cities and by way Of some of the most
luxurious Pullman trains operating
north from Florida, and deposited in
Washington and New York, in suit
cases and satchels, to be dispensed
through bootleggers.
At one of the Florida railroad sta
tions, the government charges, liquor
was permitted to go aboard the train
by bribery of certain special agent
of the railroad company. One Pull
man conductor indicted. according to
the governments charges. had been
taking a comparatively small sum
from the runners from northern
cities to Florida for the privilege
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