Cornwell - Sylvester - bootleg
Source: Crawfordsville Daily Journal, March
12, 1925
Sylvester Cornwell, local purveyor of
forbidden drinks to the thirsty, was given a stiff punishment in his fourth
tangle with the law in this city today. Judge West of the circuit court
sentenced the local bootlegger from 1 to 2 years in prison and gave him a fine
of $500.
Cornwell was arrested on Jan 17 following
the arrest of Horse Ritchie and Paul Jones at the Strand Theater on charges of
intoxication. The two confessed that they had purchased their liquor from
Cornwell and a raid of the latter’s room revealed a supply of liquor.
Following his sentence this morning, the
convicted bootlegger threatened the lives of the witnesses for the prosecution
and said that he would kill them when he returned from prison. He also stated that he would be “thoroughly
bad” when released.
Chief Shields, Captain Long, Officer Swank,
Horse Ritchie and Paul Jones were the witnesses against Cornwell in the circuit
court. Ritchie and Jones described their purchase of liquor form the bootlegger
and the officers related the incidents of the raid on his room.
The sentence handed down by Judge West is
one of the severest that has been given in this city on liquor charges. It
rivals those handed down in the Miller liquor cases of last year. The majority
of the defendants in the latter cases are now serving time in the federal
penitentiary at Atlanta.
Cornwell implicated his brother Miles
Cornwell in the liquor transactions when the former took the stand in his own
behalf. Miles has been missing from the city since he attempted to intimidate
the witnesses concerned in his brother’s case say police.