The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-03-25
Bert Morgan, Former In
diana Prohibition DireC-
tor, Says He Discovered
Two Years Ago ConfiS-
Gated Liquor Was Gone.
22O CASES OF STORE
MISSING, HE DECLARES
Follows Sensational Charges
of Theft Made by Con-
greSSman; Check Started
by Special Agent; Nation
wide Interest in Case.

Two hundred and twenty
cases of the hundreds Of thou
sands of dollars worth of con-
fscated liquor stored in the
Federal Bldg. were found miss
ing two years ago, Bert Morgan,
former prohibition director for
Indiana, disclosed today.
Morgan's statement came as
a startling sequel to the charge
on the floor of the House of
Representatives in Washington
Wednesday that $50 cases of
the confscated George Remus
liquor was missing from the
Federal Bldg. here.
At current bootlegger's prices 200
cases Of real whisky would be worth
about $52, 800.
The Remus liquor was seized at
the w. p. Squibb distillery at
Lawrenceburg, Ind, in 1923, after
activities of the national Remus
bootlegging syndicate had been
linked with It..
1t was sealed and under custody
Of Morgan and the sheriff of Dear,
born County for a time. Then the
Government took over the case and
the liquor was ordered impounded
in the Federal Bldg. here. Upon that
order the liquor went into custody
Of United States Marshal Linus p
Meredith.
Meredith had the liquor moved to
indianapolis in freight cars and
stored in the basement Of the Fed.
eral Bldg.
when we sealed the distillery we
made a very careful check of the
amount Of liquor there" said Nor.
gan.
Few Under 1,5OO
There were a few less than 1900
cases
Again when the marshal took
over the liquor 1 sent three agents
to Lawrenceburg and they checked
again. The liquor was intact.
THE liquor was not in my GUS
tody after the marshal took ii over,
but l wanted to be certain that it
was all there. oscar Holman, one of
my agents, made a report showing
the definite number of cases. This
should be in the prohibition office
files here now" (Morgan was sue
ceeded by Ansel r. Harris in the re-
organization of the prohibition en-
forcement force last September)
about two years ago, hearing
lot of rumOrs, decided a check
should be made of the liquor at
the Federal Bldg. Since we had no
control over the liquor we had
some difficulty i'm getting permis-
sion to make the check. But final
ly Holman and a Captain Town
send, q supervisor from the pro-
hibitiOn office at Washington
made the check.
"They reported to me that the
liquor was 220 cases short"
Il had no authority to act, so 1
put the matter up to Townsend. l
do not know whether he had au.
thority to act or not"
1t was learned that Townsend was
suddenly recalled to Washington
soon after the check was made.
Nothing about the check was made
public at that time.
Other developments of the day in
the affair, which gave promise Of
becoming a national Scandal, were:
!. Marshal Meredith admitted he
does not know how much liquor
was placed in storage nor how
much Is there now.
2. David Nolan, known as "Dy-
Mantle Dave" one Of Secretary of
the Treasury Melons most trust
ed agents. arrived in the city and
conferred with District Attorney
Albert Ward.
3. Special Examiner A. j. Sig
naigo. from the Department of
10