Plead Not Guilty Before Commissioner Ross

HELD IN JAIL IN DEFAULT

Of $10,000 Bond; Arrested On Information

Given By Stanford Smith At Louisville Jail

Orville "Slab" Carson, marshal of the village of Proctorville; Melvin Neff, deputy marshal of the village and Ben Dunfee constable of Windsor township entered pleas of not guilty when arraigned before United States Commissioner Fred A. Ross in this city last night on charges of conspiracy to violate liquor laws. The three officers are now in the Scioto county jail at Portsmouth having failed to provide $10,000 bail.

The arrest of the three men was consummated Monday afternoon at 4 o’clock by Federal Agents Hines, Helwig and Horner, who have been active in the enforcement of the liquor laws in Lawrence county in recent months. They were accompanied by United States Deputy Marshal R. Hughes. John A. Bowen, aged mayor of the village, who has been active in liquor law enforcement, was not advised of the complicity of his officers in the affair since he is ill and members of his family feared the information would endanger his life.

In arresting the village and township officers, federal agents were acting on information obtained by other federal agents from Stanford Smith, a widely known young man of Peterstown, near Proctorville. Smith has been mentioned in numerous instances of law violations. Smith is a prisoner in Louisville, Ky., as a result of his arrest by government agents five weeks ago at Louisville while delivering a load of liquor. It was at Louisville that Smith made statements which lead to the arrest of the three upper-county officers yesterday.

At the time of Smith’s arrest at Louisville he was in the company of Elizabeth Kamer and James Wellman, Chesapeake residents. They too were arrested. According to authorities they had been responsible for the delivery of a truck load of "booze" to a residence in Louisville. However the residence was that of a federal agent, and a government reception committee was on hand when he members of what was reported as a Chesapeake liquor ring arrived with their cargo. The purchase of the liquor from the Chesapeake ring was all a part of a plot worked by federal agents to entrap the alleged violators. Department of Justice workers had joined the Chesapeake gang sometime before and had gathered evidence to bring about the arrests.

Following the arrest of Smith and his two co-workers at Louisville agents effected the arrest of two other Chesapeake men, Carl Henson and Thomas Cunningham. The latter two were arraigned before U. S. Commissioner Ross, March 6. Both pleaded not guilty and Henson posted bond of $1,000 while Cunningham was committed to the Scioto county jail after waiving examinations. Henson’s hearing was set for April 11, 9 a. m.

Neff, Carson and Dunfee will likewise be given a hearing on April 11. Neff is charged with conspiring with Stanford Smith to transport 44 gallons of liquor. Carson is charged with selling five gallons of liquor and also with conspiracy to violate the prohibition laws. A similar charge of conspiracy is held against Dunfee.

After the two Proctorville officers were arrested four prisoners held in the Proctorville jail on liquor charges made their escape, it was reported.

Ironton Tribune, 29 March 1932, Tuesday, Page 2.

Federal Grand Jury Indicts Neff, Carson

Cincinnati, April 11. – (AP) – The marshal of Proctorville, Lawrence County, and his deputy were indicted by a federal grand jury today on charges of operating an organized liquor "racket."

The men named are Orville Carson, marshal, and Meldon A. Neff, a deputy. The indictments charge sale and transportation of liquor, and conspiracy to defeat the national prohibition acts.

Thirty-five witnesses from Proctorville were called before the grand jury. They testified that Carson and Neff solicited and accepted bribes from distillers, later arrested those men, seized the liquor and sold it to a relative who in turn sold it to others, who in turn were arrested and the liquor once more seized and re-sold.

Ironton Tribune, 11 April 1932, Monday, Page 6.

CINCINNATI, O., April 16.—More than 40 persons indicted by the recent federal grand jury were arraigned before Robert R. Nevin, United States district judge, yesterday afternoon in the court room of United States circuit court of appeals.

Defendants named in a majority of the important indictments entered pleas of not guilty and their cases will be tried before Judge Nevin and a petit jury on and after April 28, it was indicated by Judge Nevin.

Among those who entered not guilty pleas were:

Orville Carson, marshal and Meldon A. Neff, deputy marshal of the village of Proctorville, Ohio, who are indicted together and separately on charges of conspiracy to violate the Volstead act in connection with transportations and sales of whiskey they are said to have confiscated from bootleggers operating in their jurisdiction. Their bonds were fixed at $10,000 each for their appearance for trial on April 28.

Penitentiary sentence of one year and one day was imposed on Loomis L. Jones, Proctorville, Ohio, who pleaded guilty to charges of having possessed a still, manufacturing mash, possessed whiskey and conspiracy to violate the Volstead act.

Albert Hampton and Fred Jenkins, Ironton, Ohio, indicted with LeRoy Johnson, Ironton, Ohio, undercharges of conspiracy to manufacture and possess whiskey, etc., were given one hour each in the custody of the marshal, and under another indictment charging them with having conspired together to possess a still and mash they received six months each in jail. Hampton, who has a wife and children and who has been out of employment for some time, told Judge Nevin he would rather go to jail for moon shining or bootlegging than for robbery. Johnson did not appear for arraignment.

Clarence Abner and James S. Ball, Ironton, Ohio, were given six months each in jail for violations of the prohibition law.

Carson and Neff, Proctorville officers, were arrested recently following a long federal investigation that was climaxed by the arrest of Stanford Smith at Louisville. He is now serving a sentence at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas.

Ironton Tribune, 16 April 1932, Saturday, Page 2.

Orville "Slab" Carson, duly elected marshal of Proctorville and Meldon A. "Mel" Neff, deputy marshal of the village, will go one trial May 25 in U. S. court at Dayton, O., charged with conspiracy to violate the liquor laws. They have retained Judge A. J. Layne of this city to conduct their defense.

Twenty-six Lawrence county residents have been named by the federal grand jury as co-conspirators as follows: Stanford Smith, who pleaded guilty and is now serving time at Leavenworth, Kas., James A. Wellman, John Smith, Augusta Smith, Otho Smith, Jacob Sowards, Elizabeth Kamer, James Holderby, Don Duncan, Tom Cunningham, Elmer Hennington, Herman Holderman, Oscar Smith, Herman W. Bragg, Robert L. Arnold, Bernard Russell Kimble, Turley Gillette, Lafe B. Collins, Lee Collins, Oscar S. "Sim" Bowen, Kenneth Fuller, Stanley Clark, Leroy Smith, John Bowen, Mack McLoughlin and Lou Williams.

The 26 co-conspirators were not named in the indictment with Neff and Carson.

The Chesapeake – Proctorville – Huntington liquor ring, which is reputed to have done business in a big way, has gained wide publicity by reason of the alleged connections held by the officers and for which they were indicted.

The matter first came to the attention of the public when Stanford Smith and aides were arrested in Louisville, Ky., while delivering a load of liquor into a trap set by federal officers. Unbeknown to the alleged big league bootleggers the truck load of stuff was delivered to a federal agent’s home.

The existence of the ring is reported to have been discovered by U. S. department of justice inspectors who worked their way into the confidence of certain of the gang and became members.

Smith is reported to have made a confession which implicated quite a few Lawrence county residents. As a result of his confession the two Proctorville officers and Ben Dunfee, Windsor township constable, were arrested. Later action revealed the 26 persons named previously as co-conspirators with the officers in the illegal liquor traffic.

Ironton Tribune, 5 May 1932, Sunday, Page 8.