Omaha daily bee., 1919-12-30
Six Alleged Ringleaders in
Conspiracy to Flood Three
States With Wood AIcohoi
Already Taken Into Custody
DEATH TOLL MOUNTS;
MORE SERIOUSLY I'LL
Brooklyn Undertaken anc
Druggist Accused Of Being
Principals in Distribution Of
Noxious Beverage.
Hourly Temperatures: /:

New York, Dec. 2o,-With SIX
men in custody, alleged ringleaders
in conspiracy to food New York,
New Jersey and New England with
poisonous substitution for whisky,
federal, state and city authorities =
were united tonight i'll vigorous
pursuit of the purveyors of the poi
sonous beverages which have caused
scores of deaths and hundreds OF
cases of blindness and illness. The
capture of at least score or more
of the poison dispensers is expected,
according to the officials.
In the meantime the toll of death
and serious illness caused through
drinking wood alcohol and other
illicit concoctions continued to
mount in New York and adjacent
cities. Four deaths were recorded
today, one each from Newark, Eliz-
abeth, Passaic, N. J., and one from
New York In addition. two men
and woman were picked up uncon-
scious on New York streets and two
men III Passaic in a similar condi
ton, all being critically i'll tonight
from alcoholic poisoning.
Co. Operation Planned.
The authorities held several con
ferences at which cooperation Mas
planned between the different fed
ers1 and municipal departments. Col
Daniel L. Porter, supervising reyes :
nue. agent for New York, who is al
the head of the campaign for tht
federal government. declared tha;
New York City is the headquarter.
for the country in the illicit liquor
industry and that it is impossible a,
yet to tell how far the ramifcation'
of the trade extend.
The two most important arrests
made so far, according to the fed
eral agents, are those of Johi
Romanelli, Brooklyn undertaken
and Samuel Saleeby, Brooklyr
druggist, who are accused of being
the principals in the distribution oi
the poison throughout New England
The two men were released tonight
on $25,000 bail pending an examina
ton.
The remaining four men are
Alolph Panarelli, a former saloon
keeper, Carmine Licenziato, Americ
Delome and Luigi Puca, Italiar
grocers. Panarelli has made state
ment to the authorities in regard
to the method employed for the
distribution of the liquor in New
England, and. it was stated tonight
he may be a witness for the govern
ment.
Angry at Being Mulcted.
Two of seven barrels of liquor
which Romanelli is accused of havf'
ing sold, are said to have, been
bought by Bronx saloonkeeper.
This man, according to Colonel
Porter. came to Panarelli after the
sale and denounced him for having
charged him $500 for wood al
cohol
Panarelli. who acted as Roman
ellis agent. claims, Colonel Porter
said, that he took a sample Of the
liquor to druggist, who confirmed
the saloonkeeper's word that it was
poison. He said that he theN
warned Nathan Salzberg, Hart
ford, Conn. saloonkeeper over the
long-distance telephone, not to sell
any of the three barrels of the
liquor he had bought Salzberg told !
him, he continued. that he sold
barrel to dealer in Chicopee, Mass,
and a smaller quantity to other
dealers in Hartford, but that he
would try and recover as much
OF the liquor as he could. Later
he was informed by Salzberg that
he had got back all except hall
barrel. which had been sold in
Chicopee. After reading of the
deaths from wood alcohol poisoning
in Connecticut and Massachusetts,.
Panarelli went to lawyer and, on
his. advice, surrendered himself to-
Revenue Agent DobbS