Republican farmer., 1920-01-02
ARE SEARCHING BRONX FOR MEN ALLEGED TO
 HAVE SOLD BEVERAGE
Death Toll Very Heavy in Connecticut Valley Bronx Will be Comb ed Thoroughly For Culprits-Atty. Martin Appoints Investigat- OrS.

New York, Dec. 27-District | Attorney Marti of Bronx Coun- ty today began a search for the men who are alleged to have i sold their "whiskey" made i from wood alcohol which, l transferred to New England, was responsible for the deaths of more than two score per sons. Latest incomplete toll of the lethal | beverage late today was as follows: Holyo1e, Mass: Six dead, many ill. Chicopee, Mass: Twenty eight dead, expect number to go to 50. Five ar- rests.
 Springfield, Mass: Two deaths Hartford: Thirteen deaths. Four 1 arrests.
 1 Although not yet officially notified 1 that New England officials had trac- ed the source of the poison whis- key' to the Bronx, MT. Martin inn mediately laid aside all other busi- | ness to attend to the new menace 1 After conferring with his staff, he named Charles M. Mclaughlin, as- sistant district attorney, to conduct | the investigation with explicit in. structions "to comb the borough l thoroughly until the culprits are l brought in" He announced that | MT. Mclaughlin would leave imme- | diately for Hartford, Conn.,, and oth- 1 CT New England points "to investi- 1 gate reports crediting the Bronx as
 being the source of supply of this | poisoned fluid.
 Hartford, Dec. 27-Thirteen deaths
 in Hartford were marked up this
 morning as the result of the whole
 sale selling of wood alcohol by a
 "whiskey ring in this city.
 Jacob Bonerwine, Frank Rose,
 Saul Joseph and Nathan Salsberg,
 charged by the police with murder in
 connection with the affair, had tn cir cases continued to Wednesday with
 out bail when they were brought be-
 fore police court this morning. Bene-
 dict M. Holden. who appears for Rose
 and Judge Joseph P. Futile. for the
 other accused. did not oppose the re- | quest of the prosecutor for this action,
 but served notice that they would ob-
 ject to further postponements of the
 police court end the affair on We'd
 nesday.
 we know, of course that this thing , has none of the elements of murder
 in it, either of first degree or of sec ond degree murder" MT. Holden said
 but we don't want to do anything , that will hamper the police in mak- : ing a full investigation of the case.'' Benny Persky of s3 Portland St. , died from effects of wood alcoho
 poisoning at the Hartford hospita ! ic Io tha irfp f
 victim. An hour before that Joseph a Sebastion, 35, had died in St. Francis Q hospital from the same cause.
 Michael Yusko, 35 years old, of 27!
 Windsor street, believed to ne proprie a tor of the saloon on Windsor street
 drank some of the concoction whicl : he sold to others, the police learned | Yusko, one of the first to go to a hos :: pital, will probably recover. The fac a that he drank some of the mixture !, the police say, shows he did not knov O what it was, and he will probably no O be prosecuted. Yusko was the onl e one questioned by the police who re
 fused to make a statement.
 It was learned today that thre
 Italians living in the Bronx borougl
 of New York city sold the barrels t
 the four men in this city. The polio
 investigation has developed the fac
 that to each barrel of the origina
 concoctton a barrel Of water was ad
 ded before sales were made here am . before any of the mixture was shippe . to HoIyoke and Chicopee, Mass. u Iriny Botuck of 22 Bellevue stree
 driver of the truck which police cap
 tured as it was about to take som of the mixture away from Roses sa loon Thursday night was held todd
 In bonds of $500 for hearing ne8
 Wednesday. He Is charged with vic
 lating the liquor law.
 Chicepee, Mass, Dec. 27-Th Ia death list due to drinking poisonor +o liquor up to this noon in this cit
 Holyoke and Springfield totalled g. T. with additions expected hourly. 1t Of this number 27 men and or l. woman belonged in Chicopee; six ,e Holyoke and two in Springfield. ( .. the fifteen cases sent to Mercy ho h' pftal in Springfield all but one hay ei died, and it was said that the r ne maining one could live but a fe oe hours Acting Marshal A. T. Care ni of the Chicopee police expressed u le belief that the death list in Chic, .s 1 pee would go close to fifty before a "a | cases had been accounted for. -,+ Offfcere here were provided vii ha warrants today and ordered to sear<
 all suspected places. Five of u Iseven additional deaths reported hel VI since yesterday were of men who b. ie came i'll in their homes and the poli' ! } believe there may be many other cas ay of sickness of the aame kind not y no reported. The seven who died ear ie, today were Wilfred Lassonde, AdolI Ie- Charland and Joseph Oartkle, WI ut were taken to a Springfield hospite ~o Joseph Levenduslny, Joseph Jacku lis Joseph Sebhia and a native Of Polan es not named. Medical Examiner File as cher announced that autopsies De h. formed during the night indicated tn
 death had been caused by wood 2 ,st cohol.
 Alexander Perry. proprietor of t ha American House where the police b as- Heved many of the victims obtain ,th the liquor, gave Himself up to the p its. lice today. He. his brother Charl' Ter and William Baker. a bartender ing the hotel, were arraigned and charg