Rock Island Argus., 1919-12-29
BIGGEST HOUSE CLEANING
COUNTRY HASSEEN RESULT
WOOD ALCOHOL POISONING
New York Undertaken Is
Held as Ringleader in
the Business.

New York, Dec. 29-One Of
the biggest roundups Of boot.
leggers and manufacturers Of
Illicit liquor ever made in this
country is impending as a re-
suit Of the wave Of deaths and
blindness which has followed
the sale of poisoned hquor,
Daniel l.. Porter, supervising
revenue agent for the New
Evidence already in hand is suf-
ficient. Mr.. Porter said. to hold
Adolph Panarelli. Manhattan wine
and liquor dealer; John Roman
velli. a Brooklyn undertaken. and
Samuel X. Saleeby. q Brooklyn
druggist. the alleged principals in
the distribution Of poisonous IL
quor in New England, on charges
Of first degree murder.
Bail Of $4,000 for immediate re-
lease Of Panarelli already has been
refused, Mr.. Porter said. When
the men are arraigned. MIR. Porter
declared he would ask the conf
missioner to set the bal, at $4,000
for each defendant.
Undertaken In It.
New York, Dec. 29.-Three men.
a druggist. liquor dealer and an
undertaken, faced charges before a
United States commissioner here
this morning in connection with the
spreading OF wood alcohol as
whisky through flve states in the
last 10 days. death and blindness
following in it, wake.
The men arrested late last night
and early today by Daniel l.. Por-
ter, supervising revenue agent. and
II. B. Dobbs, a federal agent, are:
Adolph Panarelli, a Manhattan
wine and liquor dealer.
John Romanelli. Brooklyn un-
dertaker.
Samuel X. saleeby. a Brooklyn
druggist.
ROmanelli King Pin.
RomRnelli, according to Dobbs. 10
the king pin" in the wood alcohol
trafic. Panarelli, who. according
70 the federal agents, made a clean
bteast Of his part in handling the
beverage said, when arrested:
/fI'm glad you got me. l will tell
If know but for Gods sake don't
send me to Connecticut. l don't
want to be lynched. My name has
been published in all the papers
and 1t would mean certain DEATH"
Came After It.
According to Dobbs, Panarelli, In
explanation. said that he had been
approached by a man named Soiz-
berg of Hartford, Conn, q friend
Of his; to procure some Christmas
booze" Panarelli then got into
communication with Romanelli
Dobbs said, and finally Saleeby, the
druggist.
Panarelli told newspaper men he
believed that 20 barrels of The
whisky" had been shipped to Hart.
ford, each barrel containing be.
tween 40 and so gallons. The price
paid was from $1,000 to $500 q
barrel he said.
Chicopee Deaths Lead.
Chicopee, Mass. Dec. 29.-Ir
other towns the death toll at ar
early hour today was divided as
lfollows:
Chicopee, 81 Gncluding two
l}swomen): Holyoke, 10; Springfield
4 Oncluding one woman); Hadley
8; Greenfield. /, and Thompson.
Vile, Conn, 2.
Fourteen arrests Of those alleged
to have handled the liquor. which
was found to contain a wood alco
hol base. had been made and others
were expected.
Prosecute for Manslaughter.
Chicago, Dec. 29.-The use o.
beverages composed partly of woot
alcohol which has killed 10 person,
in Chicago since Christmas, wa,
the subject OF a conference toda,
between Maclay Hoyne, states at
torney, and Coroner Hoffman. Mr.
Hoyne said charges Of manslaugh
ter would be pressed against al
persons where evidence shows the!
sold wood alcohol to dri1k.
More than that" he said, "the,
Also will be prosecuted under tn,
Illinois search and seizure law
This wholesale poisoning by bogu
liquor must stop"
. Kills Wife and Self.
Charles Simski, west side saloon
keeper, who died last night, was tn,
latest victim Of the concoctiol
which the police say was manufac
tured in his house and which killet
him, his wife snd a guest. Nor,
than 100 bottles labeled wood alco
hol" were found in the basement o
the saloon and the police asser
hhat q number Of people who die,
within the last few days in th
neighborhood supposedly of hear
disease, were In reality victims o
wood alcohol poisoning from Sim
skis liquors.
The police believe that man
other saloonkeepers on the wes
side also have manufactured thoi
own whisky. and have sent out
warning to the public to drink Ia
whisky or whisky substitut
bought in west side saloons.
Death In New Jersey.
Elizabeth, N. j., Dec. 29.-On
death from wood alcohol was re
ported here today. f..