Evening star., 1924-06-19
ASSERTS MEANS TOOK
$1,000 IN RUM CASE
Witness Against Former U. S.
Agent Testifies Whisky Never
| Was Delivered.
TELLS OF DISTILLER DEAL
Declares Defendant Demanded
5000 a Barrel for Aid.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, June 1s.-Jacob Stein,
former Brooklyn lawyer. testified to-
day at the trial of-GaSton B. Means,
former Department of Justice agent,
on charge of violating the prohibt-
tion law, that $4,000 which had been
paid on account in a whisky deal in
1922 had been kept by Means, but
that no whisky had been delivered.
Stein said he took Harry Steinfeld
of this city to see Means and arrange
for whisky withdrawal from a New
York warehouse. Steinfeld paid Means
$4,000 on account, Stein said, but the
whisky was never moved and Stein
field did not get his money back. -
Counsel for Means objected to this
testimony and moved for a mistrial
on the ground that the evidence was
illegal, but Judge ;.Wolverton denied
the motion.
Says Scale 500 a Barrel.
Stein also testified that he took
Charles w. Johnson, former distiller
OF Uniontown, Pa, to Means for his
aid in getting fifty barrels of whisky
from a distillery in. Brownsville, Pa.
The witness said Means instructed
MIN to bring te Means hoteA only
barrel" ,.st :h
Stein admitted under cress-e&ami-
nauon that she had served a thirty
day Jail sentence in 1919 for crinr& nal
assault, for which he was debarre d
from practiefng law, and that he had
been indicted in Brooklyn in a
Hquor case which had never bean
tried. Last June, he said, he was
appointed a Department of Justice
agent agent and assigned to investigate
Lucian Wheeler. of the Department of
Was Given Immunity.
Before joining the government
service, Stein said, he talked with
assistant Attorney General Grim in
Washington. He testified he was ap-
pointed Department of Justice
agent d month later, and was given
immunity when he appeared before
the grand jury as witness against
Means. Stein admitted he was a
bootlegger in 1919 and 1920.
The witness also told of con-
versation with Means in which Means
said he had federal protection for
bootlegging." but that he needed
projection from the New York police.
Stein said Means told him of having
. attempted to obtain police protection
through Deputy Police Commissioner
Leach, but that he apparently had
been unsuccessful.
Complaint to Andrew w. Mellon,
Secretary of the Treasury. by John
W. Hubbard. wealthy steel man OF
Trenton. n. J., that he had lost $4,000
in an effort to. get whisky out OF
bond, led to, the prosecution of Gas
ton B. Means and his secretary, Emil
Jarnecke, for alleged conspiracy TO
violate the liquor law, it was as
continuance of trial of the two men.
Says Mems Got $4,000.
Hubbard testified that through
Frank D. Saupp, an automobile deal
err. he had been given an opportunity
to buy whisky obtainable through
special government connections from
the Thompson Distillery warehouse at
Brownsville, Pa. Through Saupp, he
said, he had. paid $4,000 to Charles
W. Johnson, who was negotiating d.
rectly with Means. Johnson on the
stand all day Tuesday and through
the forenoon yesterday told in detall
the story of the alleged plan to with
draw the whisky and how it had
failed.
Hubbard who asserted he knew
well Arthur Sixsmith, Mr.. MELONS
secretary. and was acquainted with
liquor for drinking purposes After
the plan had failed and no sign OF
the return of his money appeared,
he said he had luncheon with SIX
smith, VINO urged MIN 10 ldy HIS SOiH
plant before Mr.. Mellon. He called
on the Secretary and after he had
told his story. including the role
played by Means. Nh. Mellon Is
alleged to have said:
I'm surprised a government ON.
ciaI would do anything like that
At Mr.. Melons suggestion. the
witness said, it was then arranged
that formal affidavits of charges
should be made before Commissioner
David w. Blair of internal revenue
This was done. The witness said
Johnson also called on Mr.. Meilon>
Hubbard denied having any busi-
ness or financial connection with Mr..
Mellon. He said he owned com
panies in Pittsburgh, Chicago and ST.
Louis Repeated efforts to link the
name of the Secretary of the Treas
ury with the conspiracy were block
ed after clashes between opposing
attorneys.
Saupp, following Hubbard on the
stand, testified to having been ap-
preached by Johnson with an oner
OF warehouse whisky. He said john
son had told him the whisky was
being sold to repay Secretary Mel
len for the money he had advanced
in the 1920 campaign.