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JOHN ROGAR HOOVER “ pinacron “th further reference to the soetRr? negerg at Chic-go, I desire to edvise thet this morning I had a confere or, with ir. Useas who left Chicrso yesterday. Mr. Osees stated there is no doubt whetever thet there is a recket in the juice grape in- dustry et Chicaro, that it is controlled absolutely by certain gang- sters, that the rreater part of the shipment of grepes from the fest Coast is routed to the tracks of the Northwestern Railroad, where the disposition of the erapes is entirely under the dominion of Itelians. Ir. Csees stated thet he personally visited ttese tracks on Thursday of lest week when there were 160 odd carloads of eraves beine sold, thet emone the meny hundreds of peop, both sellers and puré¢hesers, he did not see a half dozen persons of other than Italian oririn, and hed, therefore, concluded thet it would be utterly impracticable for anyone other then an Italian to attemst to leern what wes going on. Fe stated further thet be had conferred several times end et leneth with CHARLES IkkGilG who made the orifinal compleint to the Jenertrent, end hed discussed weys and means of ascervaining the fects in en effort to take some action. Irgang advised that it woulc be utterly impossible to expect any persons engaged in the recket to talk; thet several weeks ago a reid had been made by the State's Attorney's office on the Northrestern Keilroed tracks and a consideretle number of the vendors of graves had been arrested and interrorated tut nothing was learned from any of them. They do not refuse to talk but they know nothing concerning a racket when ther are interrogated. Yr. Oseas stated thet Irrgang volunteered to furnish the funds for en agent of this Buresu to exter into the grave business; thet is, to sctuslly purchase a cerload of grapes through his (Irr- gang, ‘s) auction, then to move that car to the Northrestern Railroad tracke for sele by retail by our Agent. Mr. Oseas stated thet after discussing the matter with Irrgang and with the Agents et the Chicago office, he had concluded this was the only means of obtaining any informtion of velue and tentative plars had been made along th ese lines. : Mr. Cseas stated further thet he had interviewed the Presi- . dent of the Northwestern .silroed who lent a very sympathetic ear to the compleint and ste ed thet it had been on his surcestion that the ,~ raid wes mede by the State's Attorney's office severe! weeks before i \ cout thet the reid hed been absolutely futile x far es results were WN concerned. The President of the Railroad arraned tht Mr. Oseas PETES DEST ap 120 su 97 1