New-York tribune., 1920-10-11
Whisky Billed
Herring Gives
Murder Clew
1.OO8 Quarts of Liquor Are
Seized in Railroad Yards
bv Detectives, Who Will
Ask Grand Jury Inquiry
Runners Are Suspected
police Believe Arrests To-day
May Result in Solving the
Mystery in Eckert Case

Arrests are expected to-day in con-
n.etion with the seizure of 1,00S
ousr bottles of whisky disguised as
behring's which detectives of the Bal
,more & Ohio Railroad discovered
a.1a. m. yesterday in freight car in
the Baltimore & Ohio yards at St.
George. Staten Island. The whisky
was billed to Chicago, and it is be-
lieyed that the operations of gang of
whisky runners which has been engag-
ing for months in traffic in liquor be-
tween this city ard the West may be
uncovered.
nis likely that tho Richmond County
rrand jury. which is investigating the
murder Of Charles ?. Eckert, a boot
logger who was found dead in an auto
mobile from bullet wound, will take
up the inquiry into the Illicit traffic on
the chance that such an inquiry would
aid in the solution of the murder mys-
ieTy.
Although 1t is believed that the
traffic is Of long standing, it was only
fhOut LcU QdNS f6V bA0J w ll4ldIn J.
Murphy, captain Of the Baltimore E.
Ohio police, obtained information
which led him to establish a strict
watch on freight cars in the ST. George
Yards billed for Chicago. Since then
his detectives have looked over ell such
cars before they were switched out to
the main line.
Car Labeled "Herrings"
Learning about midnight Saturday
that several cars billed for Chicago and
due to Be made UP IL q train leaving at
$50 q. m to- day would reach the yards
in half an hour the search squadAnade
for the siding TO which the cars were to
be shunted and were waiting for them
when they arrived.
The first car in the string was lab
eIed "herrngs" with unmistakable
pacards but the detectives decided to
twenty-eieht barrels, all Of them pias-
tered with fish scales and family odor-
Gus q FISH Ihe barrels were in tiers
at one end O. the car and the detec-
tyes lowered some Of them in the front
rows 70 look at those behind.
One Of them sliDred as it was being
Ogered and came down with crash
On the car floor. Something clinked
It's te q 1he impact and an az ma arose
ca tte nigit air which was entirely for
eign TO any herring that ever swan.
The detectives shifted, and with one
sccord fell upon the barrel with q
csev-bar va.c they carried fer Just
sneh an emergency The top was pried
oT, revealing not clcse-plched array
p sada!ea. er. 4acculont behring's, but
d.np sre dl fram which rrotruded
tho b.osen neck Of q bottle the sound
recss Of sever q, others and q most
i.eea rhell
CoGnsing he broken one. there were
thirtg-s;X quart bottles, each labelled
"Oid Psprer In tho barrel Facn Of
the twenty ehe barrels vas found to
cqatain q simi.ar load. The detectives
reckoned that they had found 1908
quarts of whisky worth about $40 a
quart. Tie consignment label on the
e4r vas "To J W. Gross. 3529 West
Twelfth Place. Chicago, Ill., from A.
Aap.an Brothers. Wholesale herrings,
10 East l03d Street. New York"
Arrests Expected To-day
Federal authorities were notified
10th here and in Chicago in order
mat they might start Investigations to
escover whether The consignment
soNi was OF any Na!uc IN tracing the
Identity Of those engaged in shipping
whisky as herrings or whether it was
fictitious or forged
Captain Murphy's immediate interest
sy In seokne 10 find cut now the
Shipment came to be in The car. having
suspicion that was strengthened by
subsequent event. that employees Of
Ve railroad were in the pay Of the
WHISKY runners. He was uncommuni-
ea'iVe concerning his discoveries. but
minated that he had obtained enough
information to warrant several ar
rests to-day.
III, ine iqcdert which confirmed his be-
nel mat railroad men knew Of the ship
% men5 OF whisky was telephone call
Taich ne received within remarkably
s.ort space Of time after the discovery
q the whisky The speaker was man
VINO offered without any dickering to
pay captain Murphy $4,000 at any spot
aso IN any manner and at any time he
dmlsht suggest if he would let that
nsf'lng car 90 through to Chicago
arg say no more about it,
ms telephone cal not only con-
slneed Captain Murphy that employees
!. .1e railroad were conniving with the
oeeotleggers, but that the organization
', 'he latter was Il powerful one, with
Peusy OF mOney at it's diSDOsal