Evening star., 1926-11-06

comment except to say that he had
reported the matter to prohibition
| officials as a private citizen.
From other sources it was learned
| that Mr.. Nash, with three COM
panions, had been fishing near Piney
| Point two weeks ago yesterday and
| was returning about midnight along
| the highway between Waldorf and
Washington. Revenue agents had
| blocked the road in a hollow, 1t was
| learned, and had their smoke screen
apparatus on the Government car
working full blast. This set up
| low, it was said, and as Nash and
| his companions approached this place
they were stopped by the prohibition
agents, who were armed with guns.
"They used drawn revolvers. ac-
| cording to communication which
Gen. Andrews has sent to all his field
officers as a warning land threaten
ing and insulting language and
| methods absolutely without cause or
| even excuse"
| They did not announce themselves
as Federal officers or show their
| badges, according to the complaint
| dSdlIlSI ttIcIll.
| They might easily have been mis-
taken for bandits" the statement con-
| tinued. and had the occupants of the
car been armed, their ridiculous con-
duct might easily have resulted in a
! shooting spree. They have shown
themselves absolutely unworthy to ex-
ercise the authority and dignity of
Federal officers"
In his statement Gen. Andrews ex-
| planned specifically that his reasons
for discharging the agents were be.
| cause their conduct in stopping and
searching a civilian automobile re-
Gently shows such disregard of in
structions" that he considered them
unfit for Federal officers
| The communication which Gen. An
| drews sent to all field officers as an
! object lesson for his whole organiZa-
| ton, declared that the whole incident
| in it's particulars shows serious lack
of conformity with our instructions
and general policy for the conduct Of
law enforcement. The deputy admin
istrator," he added, Showed a de.
| plorable lack of leadership and sense
| of responsibility, and furthermore
during the investigation was far from
exhibiting the qualities of frankness
and straightforwardneSs which char
| acteriZes an officer in our service.
| Agents Fitzpatrick, Carter and Cook,
| who participated in the actual stop
ping and search Of the car. are equally
| guilty Of ineXcusable conduct"
Gen. Andrews explained in his com
munication also something of the sys
| tenn of signals which had been used
| in a manner which was criticized, but
which did not result in dismissalS OF
those involved.
| 1.-THE agents in the signal car, re-
sponsible for giving the signals that
| this was a bootleg car, which signals
resulted In the car being stopped and
| searched are culpable to the extent
that they acted without having the
| requisite reasonable grounds for be-
| lieving that this car carried contra
band" said Gen. Andrews.
'They are guilty of failure to carry
out instructions. / believe, however,
that dismissal would be too severe a
punishment at this time.
Let this, however, be a lesson to
| them, and to all others, that the de-
partment means business when 1t di.
rects that its agents shall operate
| only within the law and in q lawful
manner" 1t Is definitely directed that
our agents must not stop automobiles
| except for unquestiOnable reasons in
dicating that the car is engaged in IL.
licit practice.
Mr.. Nash, who was driving the
car stopped, is an official of the In
ternal Revenue Bureau, which under
the law is in charge of enforcement
Of prohibition.
Gen. Andrews, in his official state
ment, however, said that he would
not reveal who the person in the
car was "lest 1t might be assumed
n Of no
difference In the action taken" Gen.
Andrews said also that similar ac-
ton had been taken heretofore in
similar cases and that he always
omitted any reference to the occu-
pant of the car, as that had no bear
ing upon the case"
Agents Story Differs.
The story told today by two of the
discharged agents differs materially
with the implications in Gen. An.
drews' statement.
In announcing that they intended to
fight for reinstatement. Fitzpatrick
land Carter said that they were pre-
pairing an affidavit to which the four
men will swear and which will be pre-
sented to the Civil Service Commits
sion, under whose jurisdiction they
were placed last Spring, they claim
| Inc IHSu ucCldIOu 10 d reporter lot
The Star that at 1890 o'clock. on the
morning Of October 23 two parties of
Federal agents stationed themselves
along the Leonardtown pike near
iMattawoman swamp. Shortly after
their vigil was established, they said,
Ian automobile came down the road.
The first party gave signal Of five
shots with revolvers loaded with
blank cartridges. The advance squad
then released a smoke screen on the
road and the oncoming car crashed
Into a fence after having fired shots
at the agents. The occupants of this
lear escaped into the swamp. but the
automobile and several cases Of liquor
were seized.
Returning to their stations, the men
waited another hour, when a second
automobile put in its appearance
travelling at a speed estimated by the
agents to be over so miles an hour
The first party repeated its signal to
the second party as in the first in.
stance, and the car stopped before en-.
tering the smoke screen. Some Of the
| agents, whose names will be made
known in the affidavit, approached the
halted machine identifying themselves
it is stated, as Federal agents"
Somebody responded with "All right
boys, we haven't anything aboard u
and after a brief exchange Of ques.