Show I FORMER SHERIFF IN SEATTLE L LIQUOR LIQUORi fr i CASE FREED Government in Closing Arment Argument Argument Ar Ar- 1 ment Uses Preacher to Help Its Cause By Dy United Press t f Wash n h. h March larch 17 De D De Defendants In the booze graft gnat conspiracy trial of ot public officials ls In federal choral court courtw w were rc reduced from seven t to six lI by a n directed d verdict of ot not guilty In favor or of oC ex Sheriff Robert Roberl T. T Hodge 0 when the government Io closed tt Its case so toda today J. J Judge l' l Jeremiah held t that mt Hodge Bodge though soliciting and md receiving campaign contributions from rom Io Logan nn lr kin king of or the la largest st c.-st whisky k In Americas America's is laoc largest t dr dry city and amI favors ors to him had had no knowledge o of oC tho to violate federal liquor statutes so 50 far tar as ns the evidence e showed how d Hodge twice sheriff here herl and m twice candidate for tor governor of or Washington ton walked wf out of ot tho tiro courtroom with tho the cOl congratulations of or all nil tho the other sir d defendants except Mayor Gill with whom he has had d a n long lon standing long po- po fond feud When Judge r-ct r ruled that the tho government had shown ho that so o far as the other defendants wore oro concerned a n conspiracy had been proven sufficiently sufficient sufficient- I ly to Justify sending tho the case to the Jury JUr- there thero were left on trial the following following fol fol- lowing lowing- Hiram C. C Gill Chief of or Police Charles I J. I. I and City Do- Do Detectives De Do- ec Peyser Pes Pe's r McLennan and Doom The rhe government go used Dr W. W A. A f pastor of ot tho the First P Presbyterian Presby b- b terian terlan church as I Its lat last witness s In effort to clinch Its case e against Insl the the accused sed officials He no made a strong government witness wit It ness floss testifying that Lo Logan n Billingsley hud had confessed to him that ho had re resumed t rr- tI I md his hl illegal UlC 1 whisky business after compromising his numerous cases with Mayor ayol GUI Gilt August 30 1916 that ho had d told tho the mayor that It was reported that Billingsley had paid paM him 1600 and that he told tho the mayor or to use UM the tho po- po Ilce ce machinery to l put Ut tho the Billingsley brothers l in the tho penitentiary or permit Matthews to use tho police machinery This was on October G. G It was three months after arter that be before be- be fore tore the ma mayor or was WM indicted and police records produced at tho Ole trial show that I the were not arrested once n alter cr August UJ 30 though they tho- had b bi been en arrested ted twenty times prior to their n admitted admitted ad ad- l- l compromise with tho the mayor That a n ted federal l grand Jur Jury will wUl bo be boJt convened Jt en next week to begin considering consid consid- ering ne' ne new o ld evidence nce of or law violations r revealed b by th the confessions b by the ys while hUe on the stand was a a. report United States District District 1 Attorney Clay Cia Allen refused 1 to discuss cu I t I |