| Show Politicians in Louisiana Laughed at First I When Federals Began Editor nl I Following II li the cond nd of f a sen urle and nd clarifying d menti In lD the political andai In lD Louisiana Louis Loul lana iana By TED II H. MALOY NEW ORLEANS UP UP-Huey UP Huey Long willed the kingdom of the bayous to a triumvirate Three would rule where once one had been supreme and the were Richard W. W Leche governor of Louisiana Robert S. S Maestri mayor of New Orleans and boss of ot the states state's only big vote ote Seymour Weiss a former shoe clerk who taught the KIngfish Kingfish Kingfish King- King fish the social soda graces and became treasurer of the Long machine Today two of them them them-Leche Leche and Weiss Weiss are are under federal Indictment Indictment Indict Indict- ment accused of conspiracy to violate the Connally hot oil oU act act- Maestri alone of the three remains re remains remains re- re mains untouched by the investigators Investigators gators who are digging Into the ruins of the empire of the King- King fl fish Lau Laughed bed mt t Inquiry It goes back to an investigation started by W P A officials Into charges that politicians as wen well wenas as the needy were finding the federal organization to be a great help to them Politicians laughed tolerantly wh when n P W V VA A Investigator Investigator Investigator Paul Hansen be began an lookIng looking looking look look- ing into matters They had been investigated before but Huey P. P II Long had taken care cue o of little II things like that when he was alive When Dr S Jam James a m e z s Monroe Smith president of Louisiana State university gathered and fled with his wife to Brock- Brock yule vUle Ont he put the hounds on th the the- trail rall of alleged corruption In Louisiana Within a week G- G I men W P A investigators postal Inspectors and treasury agents were swarming over Louisiana On July 17 the grand Jury returned returned returned re re- re- re turned Ind Indictments en ts against Smith Weiss Louis C. C Lesage assistant to the president of the Standard Oil Company of Louisiana Louisi Louisi- ana M Monte Hart electrical and b building contractor a and n d J. J Emory Adams Mrs Join Smiths Smith's nephew The men were Indicted on charges of making a curious deal in tho the sale of the Blen hotel in New Orleans to L. L S. S U. U Sold Furnishings Twice ice According to the indictment Weiss s arid and d Hart sold the Blen- Blen vile ville hotel to the university for use as a nurses nurses' home The price Including the furnishings furnishing was Then the indictment alleged the furnishings of the hotel supposedly included in the original sale were sold said to the university all over again for Attorney General Frank MurII Murphy Mur Mur- phy in Washington began to get interested in the Louisiana situa situa- I tion Uon and soon John assistant assistant assistant as as- a at attorney t t tor o r n e y general In charge of th the the- justice departments department's departments department's depart depart- ments ment's criminal division was sas sent to New Orleans to take charge of the Investigation with orders to let no one escape On August 7 broke the I biggest indictments of ot the The grand jury accused Leche Weiss Webs and Fre an W W. Burford president of ot the East Texas Refining Relining company at Dallas Dallas Dal Dal- las of ot conspiring to violate the Connally hot oil act Char Charge e Graft Craft The specific charge wa was that Weiss and Leche Lathe received each In new 1000 bills for barrels of ot hot oil run from the Rodessa field of northern Louisiana to Burford's Burford Texas re re- re- re finery In jn addition Lesage and Weiss were Indicted on charges of ot conspiring to evade payment of We Weiss Weiss' S' S income tax Estimates Estimate now are that there are federal men from various agencies doing investigative work in Louisiana says say the in investigation In- In has Just begun and U. U S. S District Attorney says lays it will continue for six months two or years yean Attorney General Murphy has given the green light on a campaign campaign campaign cam cam- to bring honesty decency and Justice to Louisiana Next 1101 Hot oil oU |
