Salt Lake Telegram | 1923-02-18 | Page 1 | Booze Sleuth Uses Music to Back Disguise

BOOZE BOOlE SLEUTH USES MUSIC TO TO BACK DISGUISE Versatile Revenue Agent Covers Same Territory in Which He Worked Previously Previously Pre- Pre y but in Other Role VEGETABLES HIDE CONFISCATED FLASKS When Fingers Become Too Sore to Play Fiddle Character Man and Pal Turn to Hand Organ WASHINGTON Feb 17 By A A. A P. P Through the magic strains 0 of When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again gain fr from m the strings of a violin In the hands of J. J L. L Asher Washington's versatile revenue agent who for a week has been essaying the role ofa of ofa a modern Pled Pied Piper of Hamlin more than eighty alleged bootleggers bootleggers' have havo been uncovered recently and were were ar arrested arrested arrested ar- ar rested today after atter raids conducted simultaneously in every section n of the capital capi More l than Six fifty individual indi IndI- vidual r raids were conducted netting in addition to the tho prisoners gallons of liquor Switching his disguise from ash cart driver and coal deliverer by means of ot which he recently collected evidence evidence evidence evi evi- dence for more than sixty raids netting netting netting net net- ting as many arrests Asher last week donned the shabby but gay clothes of ot ota ofa ofa a wandering minstrel selected a harp playing companion from the detective squad George Bauer and from their limited assortment of time old-time melodies melodies melodies melo melo- dies played their way Into the hearts of Washingtonians and on to the thee trails of bootleg whisky BIG ASSORTMENT TAKEN A storeroom fult full of pint bottles and demijohns of whisky and wine win collected by the minstrel revenue agents was was sorted I last st night by prohibition prohibition prohibition pro pro- chiefs and police and orders given the raiders for their drive today All afternoon the patrol wagons ran hurried between the fast travelIng travelIng traveling travel travel- Ing squads of raiders in the various police precincts carrying prisoners to the station houses while government trucks hauled in the gallons of ot confiscated con eon fiSc ted liquors At one of ot the busiest station houses I during the afternoon stood Asher clean shaven and well dressed an anapI apI apparent arent neutral onlooker calmly Identifying prisoners not one of whom to all outward appearances recognized him whatever A SWITCH TO HAND ORGAN Their fingers worn by their unprecedented unprecedented unprecedented un un- efforts 01 on the violin and harp Asher and Bauer in their quest for evidence later switched to a a. grind organ org organ n and and monkey arrange arrange- ment Again they went into other sections as hucksters the wagons making it St more convenient to carry their ever increasing stack of evidence evl- evl dence while the cabbage and potatoes covered the whisky and wine most most- conveniently In his new garb Asher went several times over the same route traveled recently In collecting evidence for the raids a week ago His disguise however however how how- ever was complete and in severa several instances he obtained evidence from alleged bootleggers arrested at that time Asher was unknown among the underworld here until news native of hl his connections with the recent series of raids