Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-11-22
STRICkER GETS LIQUOR
SELLING EVIDENCE.
CALLS GRAND JURY
Private Detectives, Working
With Prosecutors Staff,
Find 20 Liquor Violations
F0LICE HAD FIRST CHANCE
After Local Authorities Here
"CIeaned Up" His Men
Came in Town for Evidence

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has been called for Wednesday for
the purpose. it is generally believed.
of acting upon cases of saloonkeep-
ers found by county detectives and
outside assistants to be guilty of
selling booze.
Prosecutor Joseph L. Stricken.
following his warning to all munici-
pal authorities in the county several
weeks ago. in which he instructed
them to secure the evidence against
saloonkeepers selling whiskey
which would mean their being forced
to close up. has himself taken action
with the county detectives and the
evidence secured by his men is ex-
pected to be presented to the grand
jury Wednesday.
Two weeks ago, after the local
authorities had been given ample
time to secure evidence against sa-
loonkeepers guilty of selling booze,
Prosecutor Stricken questioned the
various chiefs of police throughout
the county in order to determine If
they had done all in their power.
Some of the chiefs declared they
had frightened up the lid" as we'll
as could be done, conditions having
improved greatly. Others threw up
their hands and admitted their
failure. Perth Amboy. New Bruins
wick, South Amboy and Woodbridge
ere said to have been among those
at admitted they were unable 10
cope with the heavy liquor traffic in
. the saloons.
After the heads of the police de-
partments in these municipalities
had admitted they could do no more
Prosecutor Stricken acted. In New
Brunswick it is sad that the chief
of police asked for one more day
10 conduct his booze cleanup. The
prosecutors answer is said to have
been mot one hour" and following
this $1,000 was appropriated by the
city to carry out the fight there.
AS a result of the publicity given
the fact that this money was to be
expended in hiring outside help to
run down the violators, there was a
grand closing" voluntarily upon the
part OF the .saloonkeepers who real
ized what to expect. AS a result
of this warning the county seat is
perhaps tighter than ever.
In Perth Amboy, however. there
is a different story. There has been
no appropria ton of 81 900 here. and
the local authorities have admitted
they could do no more than has been
done. Prosecutor Stricken is said to
have put the matter of getting the
evidence against the saloonkeepers
up to Mayor Dorsey. The Mayor is
said to have made arrangements to
hire Newark detectives to secure the
needed evidence here. but owing to
the fact that Chief of Police Patrick
j. Burke started on his vacation this
week, his assistance was not to be
had, and the plan was apparently
dropped.
Prosecutor Stricken then put
some of his own men and several
special agents in the city to secure
evidence at the saloons. In twenty
places here where whiskey was be-
ing sold the prosecutors men got
She necessary evidence. Rumors of
this cleanup quickly spread around
the city with the result that many
Prosecutor Stricken is said to have
estimated that 100 saloonkeepers
could have been caught with the
goods" had not they been tipped off
as to the activities of his men.
Seize Booze Here.
Detective Joseph Gutowski and
Motorcycle Officer Frank Seiboth
received a report that some whiskey
was stored In a garage on Mattano
place yesterday morning. The two
officers went to the garage and
found four barrels containing liquor
stored there, and took same to-
gether with the owner, Nels Miller,
of 29 Mattano place, to police head
quarters. After an investigation.
and Prohibition Enforcement Officer
Cupran had been notified, Miller
was paroled until wanted.
Detective Gutowski received in
Formation from a boy that the liq-
uor was in the garage, secured the
assistance of officer Seiboth and
went to the place. Miller claimed
that someone put the barrels in the
garage about o'clock Sunday morn
ing, and that he did not know who
they belonged to. 1t is said he
put in, but when found by the Off
GERS, one was full and the others
were nearly empty.
Dy StaN Correspondent.
NEW BRUNSWICK. Nov. 22-
County Detective Ferd David, to-
gether with Lieut.. Mcneil, of the
Pennsylvania railroad detective staff
and Lieut.. Eugene Heller, of the
Newark police department, is work
ing today in an effort to locate some
Of the $4,000 worth of W hiskey
stolen from freight cars in the Penn
sylvania freight yards at Newark
week aso Sunday morning. and for
which David Moon and Fred Baurice
OF this city were arrested last week.
Nincty-five five gallon cans of al
cohol were found by the searching
party in the coal bin in the cellar
OF the home of Harry Grimes, 203
Commercial avenue today. and it is
likely that other findings will be
made by this party. Five hundred
empty cases and twenty-one empty
barrels were found in a shed belong
iEg TO Frank Erfart on the out
skirts of this city last week. 1t is
believed these cases were taken in
this robbery and the booze probably
was shipped by auto to Baltimore
and Washington.
The detectives believe that the lid-
uor in the cans found in Grimes cell
lar today was drawn out of the
original barrels. the wood of which
was DESTROYED bv Erffart. Detective
David has been working on the re-
eovery of the loot for some time. but
las been unable to find any clues
about the whiskey. One case has
L cen located containing five quart
bottles. but the abels and hn1.'in~
marks have all been washed off,
leaving no trace the detectives can
follow.