Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-21
GUARDS SURROUND
CUSTOMH0USE|N
n. Y. AFTER TIP
All Woman Employees Sent
Home by Officials, Who
Fear Blast.
BROOKLYN MUSEUM GETS
POSTAL CARD WARNING
Revenue Collector Edwards Re-
CARDS Warning as a
"Joke."

heVe0ue COllccCOI GuWoAuS AS
CARDS Warning as
"Joke."
BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, September 2l'-The
New York customhouse today was
under the heaviest guard in lts MS
tory, because of warning received yes
terday that the Wall street explosion
last Thursday would be followed this
afternoon by blowing up the great
structure.
Although both federal and local au-
thorities were inclined to regard as
hoax the postcard received by COL
lector Edwards. setting O'Clock as
the hour for the second explosion
they took no chances.
Coast Guards ON Duty.
Office workers making their way
down the canyon of lower Broadway
today found scores of coast guards,
carrying rifles and sidearms. entering
the customhouse, at the foot or BOWL
ing Green. In addition, scores OF
United States custom guards had been
modified. They were stationed IN
side the building and at the doors.
Every one entering the structure
was closely questioned.
Employees Sent Home.
Shortly after noon all woman en-
ployes and some men were sent nome
from the customhouse. About this
time detectives arrived from the De-
partment of Justice apd police head
quarters to reinforce coast guards,
customs inspectors and watchmen pa
trolling the building.
Col. Daniel Porter OF the internal
revenue department announced that
any employees who wish TO leave the
custom house might do so. The hun.
dred former service men in his office,
however, all signified they intended to
remain at their posts. Heads Of other
departments in the building granted
their STATS the same permission, urg-
ing girl workers to leave in order
to save them mental strain.
Brooklyn Museum Warned.
Police were stationed about the
Brooklyn Museum of Arts and Sci
ences today as result of threat
ening note which was posted on the
bulletin board Of the institution yes
ber stamps similar to those found in
a mail box near the seen, Of the
Wall street explosion, read: Warm
ing: Lookout for yourself" 1t was
signed with pencil, Russian Reds:
to have been directed to the attention
of the trustees and directors OF the
museum, all of whom are prominent.
Little Excitement Noted.
No excitement was discernible in
Manhattan's downtown district. Gath
cred in Bowling Green Park. opposite
the custom house, was small crowd
of the curious who kept their eyes
glued on the structure.
Oficials said that more coast guard
reserves were being held at the barge
office, located in Battery Park, at the
very tip of Manhattan island. IneSe,
1t was said. would be brought across
the park later in the day and strung
around the customhouse.
While no orders had been received
at Governors Island to send any SOL
diers to Manhattan for guard duty,
several companies of United States
regulars were available there in case
OF emergency. Last Thursday ne
first detachment reached wall street
within forty minutes.
Police Reserves Ready.
Police reserves and agents of the
Department of Justice also stood ready
to answer any call. but customhouse
officials expressed themselves prepared
for any emergency. should one arise.
There was only one policeman on
duty in front of the government build
ing. He was assigned to see that no
vehicle was parked in front of 1t.
One effect of the warning was to
keep many clerks in lower Manhat-
tan from their daily tasks. Frequent
telephone calls reporting illness"
were received in the district. Work
ers who reported for the day appeared
torn between two inclinations-the
first to treat the whole matter as a
joke, and the second to laugh nerv-
ousIy when any mention of the warn
. ing was made.
visits from out-of-town relatives"
was particularly noticeable at the
custom house.
Edwards Unafraid.
William cBig BilrD II. Edwards.
collector of internal revenue, was
early at work. however. and asserted
that 2 o'clock would find him at his
desk. Although also regarding the
post card warning as joke, he de-
clared that everything the law al
lows" has been done to safeguard the
lives of workers in the building.
The custom house as bheen given a
thorough housecleaning from base
ment to dome and is safe from the
inside out" Mr.. Edwards said. Sus-
pfcious-looking packages were opened
and corridors today were Uttered with
the remnants of this >haSty survey.
Persons carrying bundles were halted
at the doors and obliged to receive a
10 enter.
Detectives seeking to establish own
ership of the horse which drew the
death wagon centered their activities
today in Paterson. N j.. and vicinity
They took with them the hind hoof
and shoes of the animal.
"Death Wagon" Seen.
Joseph Meade, an agent of the So
Ciety for the Prevention of Cruelty to
have seen the death wagon" in Wall
street at 1920 Thursday morning. He
said he had been sent to Manhattan
from a Brooklyn court to serve a
summons and that while walking up
BROAD street noticed an old red deliv-
cry wagon in front of the assay office
around the corner. The horse ap-
peared broken down, he said, and he
went over to make an examination of
il. finding bad sore under the collar.
He looked at his watch and noticed 1t
was 10:30. he told the police, and
waited beside the wagon until 1880
with the intention of serving a>sum-
mons on the driver, when he was
forced to leave in order TO serve his
Brooklyn summons, which was for a
morning session of the court He did
not examine closely the contents OF
the wagon. but described it as IAN or
dinary, dilapidated express wagon"
Harness Is of Same Type.
Meade also told the police the col
lar worn by the horse was of the
TX type. and this is the kind of a
collar that was found in the street
after the explosion. He also noticed
that all the ornamental knobs and
other markings had been stripped
from the harness, and in this, too
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