New Britain herald., 1918-03-27
INCONSISTENCIES STILL ON HAWKINS STREET Discarded Apparatus Found in
 Underground Chamber HAD BAFFLED POLICE
Family Formerly Living At Fl Hawk ins Street, Since Moved to Italy, Be- Iieyed to Have Done Illicit Liquor Business.

Mystery concerning tho illegal manufacture and sale of whislley by an Italian family which lived at "A Hawkins street until about four years ago, which at the time com- pletely baffled the local police and the state police, was cleared up this morning when, in cleaning out the yard, the family stumbled across a hidden opening which led into sub terranean cavern, disclosing com plete whiskey still, built along the same general lines as the famous il- licit moonshine stills of the noun tains of Kentucky.
 The property at 24 Hawkins street is owned at present by Vincen2o La cava, 9 leather dealer whose place of business is at 94 Commercial street. The property was formerly owned by Clark Edwards, who later sold ii to the Italian family from whom Mr. LacaVl purchased it about four years ago. The family which formerly owned the property and which is sup posed to have operated the ill1cit still has since moved to Italy and all trace of them has been lost.
 Many Complaints Made.
 Residents of Hawkins street state that for several years previous to the time that this family was driven from the neighborhood the property at 24 Hawkins street was a nuisance. It was claimed that the owners were known to have conducted an illegal liuuor resort frequented by Italians and others and numerous complaints were made to the local police and state police. Although the place was watched carefully the owners were ever successful in evading the eye of the law and the mystery of where they secured the Whisl>eE which they were suspected of sGihng was never cleared up. About four years ago one of the neiEhhor5, un- able to stand the nuisance any more, visited the family, advised tnem hat the state police were to be called 'n l to raid the place and succeeded in 1 driving them out of town.
 WMiskey Still Found.
 When MT. Lacava took over the 1 nronertv he made extensive changes 1 making additions to the house and cu+tine down a number Of grape vines and small trees that clustered the hack yard and hid the location l of the still This morning D member 1 of MT. Iacava's family was cleaning l the back yard near the house when ] in ral5ing the ground, uncovered a 1 few boards near the cellar entrance and 1nder the back stairs which led l to the second story on the out"lHe | Removal of these boards showed q circular hole, with concrete walls about two and a half feet in diameter leading down into the darkness. fuf- ther investigation showed that thl! was a man-holc entrance ieAdlnS down into a larger concrete chanber This chamber was found to be FNtr" Iv walled in with thick cement, WA| |nbont five feet in diameter and anon eight feet in depth At the bottom was found a pile of refuse, som, empty and broken bottles and com p1etc whiskey distiUery outfit.
 Leading from the top If tEc dis tiIljno tank were two mctnl pipe! which found exit through tn" top Q the concrete walls and evidently T
 ono time lead into the cellar Of th' house proper
 The distillir@ tank, whan broker
 open was found to he made Of ITO, ard had a double bottom. If va
 partially filled with charcoal an' ! small pebbles, through WIIHh th" u licit brew was drained to purify if. |
 was also found that th"re WI" a5 c1.
 time a small brick fro UIar" und" the distilln& taok ;.nd @t rno'nr
 point in the top of tho lnH,,".r
 chamber was an opcninG ir"uu.r i'm
 cluster of granc vines, throu~i
 which dr#U@ht Was obtained
 This unusual discovery. ntt"r .s,
 t,,o1,. ,,rErG has caused 1 ,rrp1+ Gp:l
 of excitement in the nei&hp yrhooe
 and makes an interesting subject.