The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-10-31

TONS OF BULLETS
!. DISTURB SLEEP
IN EVANSVILLE
Owner Says Ammunition
Is Junk, But Bailiff
!, Stays on Guard.

70
Hyattsville slept with one ear
opep' last night-lf It slept at all.
In the dead of night on Friday
thirty-hvet tons OF ammunition were
quietly unloaded in the very heart
OF this thriving Maryland COM
mupity' near the District line.
Investigation followed chance
discovery Saturday night and ru-
NOR crowded rpmor In the whirling.
dizzy turn OF events In the next
few hours for the erstwhile peace
full eitizenry of this village.
Mayor Calls for Help. 81
Listening for the dread report
OF the explosion, ever looking for
an imaginary line of troops for
whom the veritable mine of devas-
tation had apparently been planted
in their midst, the nerve wracked
populace was forced TO hold its
peace an Saturday night, yesterday
and again tonight. Meanwhile the
frenzied officers of the law quick
ly sought the why. and wherefore
of this sudden bomb plot in their
midst. Calls for help from the
Department of Justice quickly fol-
lowed a preliminary Investigation
in which Mayor j. Frank Rushe.
accompanied by his bailiff. William
H. Tobini participated. @s
The 500 boxes of ammunition, ap-
parently good. and Weighing 1875
lOunds each, were discovered early
Saturday evening in the yard Of
Maurice I'atosky. on Maryland av-
'.lue in Hyattsville. by Charles Reed,
"a nelghbor.
Said to Contain junk"
Reed hurriedly reported his dis
covery TO Mayor Rushe and the two,
in company with Bailiff Tobin, hast
ened to the yard. Investigation of
the boxes showed some contained
rife and revolver shell, Mayor
Pushe said. Patosky was questioned
about the boxes and reported they
contained Junk"
Not satisfied with the explanation,
the mayor left to summon the justice
of peace for a conference and Tobin
was left on guard. -..
About 10 o'clock Saturday night
large high-powered touring car,
occupied by three men, arrived on
the scene. Mayor Rushe was sum-
moned and a warrant was sworn out
for Patosky's arrest The leader of
the party which had arrived at the
Patosky home in the touring car
gave his name as n. c. Macdonald,
of Washington, and told Hyattsville
officials the material was Junk"
purchased in. Philadelphia by E. A.
Iclune. of the Continental Trust
Building, Washington. whom he said
he represented
Patosky Fined SO.
He said the material was taken to
Baltimore and then to the District
and later to Hyattsville when no
place could be found to dispose of
it in either of the other cities. He
said the material was being held to
await higher prices. Neither Clune
or Macdonald was located here yes
terday.
Patosky was arraigned before
Justice of the Feace Herbert ].
Moffat and fined SO on a charge of
holding combustible material on
his property. Macdonald told the
court the material would be re-
moved today.
But Hyattsville refused to con-
slider the pile of lead as mere junk
and Saturday night and again last
night Bailiff Tobin carefully guard
ed the huge stack.
Yesterday. morning Department of
Justice agents Investigated the pile
and took specimens of the material
away with them.
Constable Garrison. of Hyattsville.
Investigated the case last night and
declared the pile of ammunition
was apparently to be used as junk.
as the bullets were badly corroded.
Local police were not called upon
to investigate the case here and
they expressed the opinion also,
upon learning the facts. that the
pile of ammunition was intended
for junk purposes.