The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-02-11
U. 5. STRIKES
SWIFTLY AT
LIQUOR RING
81 Firms, 81 individuals
Under indictment in
Alcohol SWoop.
TRIALS TO BE RUSHED
Federal SIeuthS Reveal
Long Search to Find
Rum Evidence.
BIZ United Press


CHICAGO, Feb. 1.-THE govern
ment moved rapidly today to prose-
cute the thirty-one firms and 157
individuals indicted Monday on
charges Of flooding the nation for
seven years with millions OF gall
Ions of recovered alcohol
Three assistant United States dis
trict attorneys, who win try the
cases, drew up the necessary legal
papers, preparatory to rounding up
the indicted firms and individuals
for one big trial in Chicago.
Victor Larue, who will direct the
prosecution of the largest haul of
Volstead act violation suspects in the
history Of the middle west, will go
to New York in the next few days
to arrange removal of the indicted
individuals there to Chicago for
trial. He also will be prepared to
fight any who refused to waive re-
moval
Two VIII Rove
Henry Balaban and Daniel An
derson, also assistants to George =.
O. Johnson, district attorney, will
become rowing prosecutors, visiting
Detroit. Cleveland, st. Louis, Min
neapolis and ST. Paul to supervise
removal of persons indicted from
those cities.
Those indicted in Los Angeles and
on the west coast will be tried there,
the district attorneys Office an
nounced.
Any efforts to avoid removal to
Chicago for trial will be fought by
the government, the district attor-
neys Office announced.
Approximately fifty of the total
indicted live outside Chicago.
A few of the difficulties encoun-
tered by the score of prohibition
agents who dug up the evidence that
resulted in the wholesale indict-
ments became known today, al-
though Alexander C. Jamie, special
agent who directed the drive, re-
fused to take any credit or even dis
cuss the long investigation.
Months in ChaS0
1t was learned, however, that
Jamie and his men, who were
drawn from outside the Chicago
area, spent many months follow
ing long and devious trails of alco-
hol Withdrawals which, according
to the indictment, furnished the
basis for much Of the "pre-war"
whisky drunk by the nation in the
last seven years.
When colored, bottled and labeled
with Turing but spurious StickerS,
the liquor was loosed to the boot
leg trade in q dozen cities, the gov
eminent charged. Only few OF
the stills where the industrial al-
cohol was converted into drink
able liquor have been found, the
government agents said.
Thousands of bills and papers
were scanned and traced before the
evidence that the agents presented
to the grand jury was acted on and
indictments voted.
StumbIes on Evidence
johnson said he first stumbled on
the evidences of the alleged diver
sion last July through investigation
of an alcohol permit. He called
Jamie in and the investigation that
resulted in the wholesale indict-
ments followed.
Almost simultaneously with the
indictments here another batch,
charging the Corn Products Com
pany and the Fleischman Yeast
Company with conspiracy TO violate
the prohibition laws, were an
nounced in Springfield.
They were brought at the instiga-
ton of E. c. Yellowley, prohibition
administrator, who today went to
Milwaukee to confer with Prohibi-
ton Commissioner Doran.