New-York tribune., 1921-06-16
Customs Men Raid Ship
at Army Pier and Find
600 Machine Guns Hid
den i'm Coal Bunkers
crowds on Dock
,Jeer During g Search
Contractor Claims Ship
nent Was Stolen From
Him; Starts Fight for 1t


Six hundred Thompson sub-machine
guns, model 1921, with hundreds of
spare parts and lve cases OF ammuni-
ton, said by the police to have been
destined for Belfast, Ireland, were
seized yesterday on board the American
steamship East Side, lying at Army
Pier AZ, Hoboken, by customs officers
acting under direction of Inspectors
Ryan and Curran.
The arms were found hidden in q
starboard coal bunker amidships. Three
previous searches of the ship by Gus
toms officers had failed to reveal the
consignment The seizure was witnessed
by large gathering of men on the
pier, who jeered the customs guards as
the cases were taken ashore.
Police Demand Guns
After the machine guns had been
placed on truck preparatory to being
removed to the Custom House, Hobo
ken police, headed by Sergeants Joseph
Cornelli and John Beatty, demanded
that the consignment be turned over
TO them. The police said they were
scting on a search and seizure warrant
.ssued on the complaint of Frank Will
eams, who described himself as a con-
lsactor, with Offices in lower Broadway
Williams recited in his complaint thar
lhe guns had been stolen from him on
sune II in Hoboken. He appeared be-
'ore Recorder Adolph Carsten and OBJ
sined the search warrant.
After lively contest the guns were
sken to Hoboken Police Headquarters
And stored in sub-cellars of the station
sending hearing before Recorder
rarsten this morning, when their own
srship will be decided. F. F. Grace,
customs guard, was placed in charge.
According TO information obtained
.sst night, two changes of crews, which
S,layed sailing of the East Side nearly
0 week, were responsible for discovery
Of the arms. 1t was said that mem
ber of the last crew shipped notified
government Investigators of having
found mysterious cases concealed in
coal bunkers.
Owners Deny knowledge
Presence of the guns aboard the
East Side was not known to officials
9f the Cosmopolitan Shipping Com
sany. owners of the vessel, whose of.
sces are at AZ Broadway. Captain
Brody, master of the vessel, which was
. have sailed last evening at o'clock
nut was held in port by the seizure
$50, denied knowledge of the contra,
band. According to police information
members of the crew had caused the
several delays in the ships departure
The East Side cleared yesterday fol
Norfolk, where she was to have taken
on cargo of steam coal for ireland
Sergeants Cornelli and Beatty expert
enced difficulty in boarding the vessel
when they reached the pier Captain
George Bartlett, superintendent of
Pier for the Cosmopolitan Shipping
Company, declared all contrabrand had
f,aen removed from the ship. Despite
Ils, the officers went aboard and
= ,Iched every part Of the vessels
Acld 1t was declared later that still
another search would be made to-day
IN investigation was begun immedi-
stely by government officers last night
Dlepaf tment of Justice and United
States Shipping Board officials in New
York became active immediately or
news of the seizure.
Sailor Uses Knife
A member of the crew is declared
to have told n Department of Justice
investigator late last night that the
guns had been placed on board in three
consignments from launches that came
alongside late at night. This man il
declared to have said that the guns
were swathed in burlap and hoistec
STerside as engine supplies" The in.
,ormant said he cut into one of the
huriap bags with knife and dis
covered machine guns.
A description of the seized arms anc
parts, as made by Williams in his de
nHad mand for a. search warrant, include:
ooV Thompson sub-machine guns, 81
extra capacity magazines, five so
capacity drum magazines, five 100
..asfacpty drum magazines, 300 extrs
oV-capacity box magazines, 200 so
capacity drum magazines, 200 100
capacity drum magazines and hundred
machine gun parts, aside from
numoer Of cases of ammunition.
"l!lans was represented by Cor
gctatlon Counsel John j. Fal,oa o
noooken, who, after a talk with As
npisIant Surveyor of the Port William
ouechler by telephone last night, di
Continued page thrsc)