Evening star., 1938-04-25
Nine ADMIT GUILT
IN BOOTLEG PLOT
AS TRIAL OPENS
Charges Against 5 Dropped
While One Defendant
Fails to Appear.
INNOCENCE IS CLAIMED
BY5OTHER SUSPECTS
Government Charges Ring Flooded
D. c. With Corn Whisky
From Nearby Stills.

Nine pleas Of guilty, flve nolle presses
and the non-appearance Of one de-
fendant reduced from 20 to 5 the
number Of men who went on trial in
District Court today in what was
scheduled to be the second largest
liquor conspiracy case in the Capital
since the repeal of prohibition
| Only five colored men Of the 80
persons, both white and colored, origi-
nally indicted denied their guilt this
morning before Justice Jesse c.
Adkins. Their trial is expected to
last week.
Among those entering pleas Of guilty
were Alton B. Cissell, "a, one-armed
man familiarly known as "Oney,"
described as chief of the gang, and
Tom c. Young, who allegedly managed
the six stills in Virginia which supplied
the ring with Illicit spirits.
James Allen McEaddy, colored gaso-
line station proprietor, who was in
charge of the sales force" pleaded
guilty several months ago, as did 10
others. Two of those charged in the
indictment, which was returned last
August, have not been apprehended.
Others Pleading Guilty.
Besides Cissell and Young, those
pleading guilty today were Melvin
Sparrough, Aldridge H. Sutphin, 35;
Virginia farmer; Hampton Bailey.
Manuel Bailey, Walter Bailey, Samuel
Lucas and Norman Sparrough
cic
John w. Fihelly announced that the
Government would drop charges
against George F. Burns, James Jack
son, Clinton Eugene Colvin, John
Hitter and Charming Strother.
Burns, manager of large and
reputable wholesale house was alleged
to have sold Cissell $4,000 pounds of
sugar during six months in 1885. That
was the only alleged transaction which
connected him with the conspiracy, it
was stated.
Those who went on trial were Frank
Posey, Henry johnson, Carroll Thomas,
James Miles and James Hutchinson,
all colored They we're represented by
Attorney Harold Hawken.
Another defendant. Raphael F. Bush,
did not answer when his name was
called. and Justice Adkins authorized
bench warrant for his immediate
apprehension.
$500,000 Revenue Loss
The alleged ring is said to have
shipped thousands of gallons of corn
whisky into Washington weekly. at
a loss to the Government of approx
mately S50o,000 in revenue in the
two years of its operation.
The stills, each with a 1.5O0-g gallon
capacity were operated day and night
in the foothills of nearby Virginia
to supply the Capitals bootleg trade,
the Government charges. The con-
traband liquor was run into Wash
ington by cars and trucks, usually
equipped with smokescreens and ac-
companied by conveys to block possible
| pursuit, it was stated.
Operations of the ring were said by
Treasury Department agents to be
second in magnitude only to that of
a similar bootleg band indicted in
1884, which supplied Washington with
illicit spirits during the first year of
repeal. Thirty-four men and women
were named in that Indictment. A
number pleaded guilty and Is were
convicted. but the jury's verdict was
reversed by the United States Court
Of Appeals.
The conspiracy charge in the in
dictment is dated September /, 1894,
to September /, 1886.
Besides McEaddy. those who pre-
viously pleaded guilty were William
A. Turner. Carl Dixon, John James
Hawkins, Walter A. Hopkins, William
B. Chase, Andrew j. Standfeld, Will
liam F. Smith, Lewis w. Wright and
Wallace Lyon.