The Washington times., 1921-10-31
EMBRYON|CWAR
SCARE 'JUNKED'
At EVANSVILLE
High Powered Ammunition
Stored Near Blaze Belongs to
Retired Army officer.

An embryonic war scare was
'junked" today by Department OF
Justice agents and officials of
Hyattsville. Md.
With the discovery ar approx
mately one million rounds OF high
voltage ammunition tucked away on
a lot In Hyattsville within fifty feet
Of a house which was destroyed by
fire Saturday. Government officials
scented an arms plot"
The plot" however. suffered
quick death when the owners Of the
cartridges explained today that they
bought the ammunition from the
Navy Department with the intention
Of removing the powder and scrap
ping" the metal.
Herbert Erwin. who. together with
N. c. Mcdonald, is said to be acting
for the owner. told Times reporter
today that the ammunition is the
tired army officer, with offices In
the Continental Trust building.
Uses Mailing Address.
Clune, 1t was learned. simply used
the Continental Trust building as q
mailing address and that he main
tanned no office. He Is said to be
In Connecticut at the present time.
Manifestoes from railway COM
panies, together with receipts from
the Navy Department, were shown.
Major Clune bought 2,000.0O
rounds of defective machine.gun
cartridges from the navy for $4,000"
Erwin told a Times reporter. The
stuff was bought August "a with the
intention of scrapping the metal.
Some of the ammunition was made as
far back as 1898, while other shells
were made in 1917. The railway
company was assured 1t would be
well taken care of before the cart
ridges were allowed to be, shipped.
II want to assure the public that
another war is not being plotted. nor
is an attack planned on the arma.
ment delegates. Such a thought Is
preposterous.
junk to arrive in Hyattsville within a
few days. As a matter of fact II IL
en- route now. Also we are expecting
remove the powder from the shells
and separate the brass from the
lead"
NAoyoh
The cartridges were discovered by
Mayor J. Frank Rushe, Of Hyattsville.
on Saturday, when fire was discov-
Thompson. While investigating the
fire, Mayor Rushe noticed piles of
packing cases stored in the next
door yard within about fifty feet of
the burning structure.
The goods were on the property of
Maurice Popowsky, who until re-
Gently was in the junk business. Mrs.
Popowsky at first declared the cases
contained nails, but upon further
quizzing by the mayor, admitted
cartridges were in the boxes
Accompanied by William H. Tobin.
chief bailiff of Hyattsville. the mayor
broke open box and found 1t was
filled with .30-caliber machine gun
cartridges.
Popowsky was arrested and taken
before Judge Herbert J. Moffatt. who
held the former junk dealer violated
n town ordinance in storing combusti.
bles In the corporate limits. A fine Of
$40 and costs was imposed.
THE town could not take any action
against Popowsky or the owners of the
munitions except to fine them and or.
der the removal of the stuff" Judge
Moffatt said. "They will have to get
rid Of the stuff today sometime, for we
are not going to have the lives and
property of people out here menaced."
Department of Justice agents, as.
sisted by Bailiff Tobin, made an inves.
tigation. 1t was found the ammuni-
ton was carted to the Popowsky place
on Friday in motor trucks. There
were 604 cases stored in the yard.
Pays Junk Mans Fine.
Mcdonald, who admitted he was an
agent of Major Cune, attended the
hearing in Judge Moffatt's court. He
explained his connection with the ship
ment Of the ammunition and paid the
former junk dealers fine, Judge Mof-
fatt said.
Asked by the court how Popowsky
came to be chosen as custodian of the
ammunition, Mcdonald said the junk
man was in a warehouse at Third and
l. streets southwest when he over
heard conversation bearing on the
storage Of the cartridges. He said
he had a big place in Hyattsville, and
that he would store the goods, MELON
aid said. PopowslSy was to receive $40
n month for the storage.