Snook v. Snoop

Last year William Larsen, a Department of Justice secret agent, changed his name, on orders from Washington, to Peter Hansen. As Hansen, he secured, in an as-yet-unexplained manner, papers from the U. S. District Court in Detroit, Mich., committing him to the Atlanta Penitentiary for a liquor law violation which he had not committed. Warden John W. Snook received him as any other prisoner.

Immediately "Convict Hansen" began to snoop on Warden Snook, to send out secret reports on the prison to Mrs. Mabel Walker Willebrandt, Assistant Attorney General in charge of U. S. penal institutions (as well as of Prohibition prosecutions). Finally he was transferred to Leavenworth Penitentiary, and thence released on Mrs. Willebrandt's orders.

This year another undercover agent from Mrs. Willebrandt. arrived at Atlanta with commitment papers, giving his name as "John Montana." Supposedly he had pleaded guilty to a charge under the motor vehicle interstate theft act and had been sentenced to three years in prison by U. S. District' Judge Ben Hough in Cincinnati. "Convict Montana" also snooped on Warden Snook. Soon more special orders from Mrs. Willebrandt arrived, ordering "Montana's" release.

Last week Mrs. Willebrandt called for the resignation of Warren Snook in 30 days "because of utter want of administrative ability." The warden had announced that he was prepared to depart from the U. S. service and return to his Idaho ranch unless Mrs. Willebrandt ceased sending snoopers. Mr. Snook promptly sent forward his resignation, not to Mrs. Wille brandt, but to Attorney General Mitchell.

Senator William Edgar Borah of Idaho plodded into the Department of Justice last week to demand of Attorney General Mitchell that the whole system of prison spying cease. Col. Mitchell weighed the question thoughtfully, and Senator Borah withheld comment until a decision should be announced. Meantime, Mrs. Willebrandt hinted that the prison-snooping system had originated with Attorney General Sargent. At the same time, with feminine inconsistency, she hinted that if she could not continue to snoop on her prison wardens she would resign.

Said Mrs. Willebrandt: "The [snoop] system seems the only way at present to find the facts necessary to keep conditions wholesome in the penitentiaries. It [snooping] has been' fairly and equitably'applied."

Said Senator Borah (great Hoover-Prohibition orator who was said to have been offered the Attorney-Generalship before Mr. Mitchell): "It [the snoop system] cannot be justified upon any theory of law or justice or expediency. ... I predict that the system will be discontinued. ... It involves fake or fraudulent commitments. . . . These commitments must involve the courts. I would not hesitate to vote to impeach a judge who had signed or issued such papers. . . . It is about 300 years behind the times in prison management."

Indignant, the Department of Justice denied that snooping had anything to do with the Snook ouster.