The New York herald., 1921-02-09
THREE TAKEN HERE
AS RUM RING HEADS
Brooklyn Merchant and Two
Former Revenue Deputies In
dicted in Cleveland.
100000 DEAL REPORTED
Two Men Bribed q. s. Officers,
Another Fixed City Off
cials, Is Charge.

Special Despatch TO THE New YORK HERALD.
CLEVELAND, Feb. S.--The disclosure of
q whskey ring that Harry l.. Eastman.
Assistant District Attorney, declared
played with the honor of public officials
for stakes Of hundreds of thousands Of
dollars was forecast tonight when
Moe n. Baron of Brooklyn. ~ Y, and
Bernard w. Levy and Virgil A. Nc
Mahon. former Deputy United States In
ternal Revenue collectors for the Brook
lyn Federal district. were arrested by
Federal officers in Brooklyn.
With Adolph Click, Youngstown
jcweller, and Ike Simon and Hyman Bar
nett, alleged confederates Of the ring In
Pittsburg, these men were indicted secret
ly by the Cleveland Federal Grand Jury
two weeks ago on charges OF conspiracy
to violate the national prohibition act. in
volving a shipment of whfskey worth
more than 100000 into Youngstown
and an attempt to bribe David j. Scott,
Safety Director of Youngstown. to per-
nit the liquor to be sold there.
The indictment was made public to-
day after the Brooklyn arrests. Baron,
McMahon and Levy. according to des-
patches from New York, announced after
being released on $1,000 bail each by
Federal Commissioner that they would
fight attempts to bring them to Cleve-
land for trial. When he heard OF the
size Of the bond on which they had
been released Assistant District At
torney Eastman wired the Brooklyn Dis
trict Attorneys office:
Important that you hold Baron on
$40. 900 bond and each of the other two
on $4,000"
Letters found on Baron when he was
arrested in You. gstown last May sug-
gest that formidable disclosures in many
other cities east Of the Mississippi may
break soon, the District Attorney said.
The letters, according to Eastman, have
given the Federal investigators several
important leads into the alleged activi-
ties Of this and other rings"
One letter, which Eastman asserted
was found in Baron's pocket. signed
and ready to mail, contained this state
ment:
'.Thev have got the works Of Penn
syivania and they make the New York
ers look like Dirty Deuces the way they
work
In other letters Eastman said. refer
ences were made to the operations OF
other alleged rings"
The narrative Of the arrest as told
by Eastman was prefaced by the as
sertion that Baron had some time be-
fore May last obtained working agree
ment with Mcmahon and Levy to get
from them permits for the removal or
liquor and that he had in many cities
engineered the other end Of the trans
action---the obtaining Of permission to
allow liquor to be shipped into that city
and sold there.
Eastman's information Is believed to
have been gained from the story OF an
indicted man who is reported to have
volunteered to make a "clean breast.
Baron Is we'll known IN Brooklyn, and
few years ago was king of the Coney
Island Mardi Gras. A few months ago
he was arrested In Pittsburg. charged
with the illegal transportation OF liquor.
II Is understood this case is still pending.
Officials said in Brooklyn last night the
arrest of Baron is important, as he Is
considered a big factor in one OF the
numerous whiskey rings In this and
other cities.
Outside Of his other activities Baron
is proprietor of Arcadia Hall. Halsey
street and Saratoga avenue. and his
homo Is at 1923 Bushwick avenue. He
Is considered wealthy.
Levy lives at 913 ST. Marks avenue
and Mcmahon at $40 Baltic street They
were formerly deputies In the Office Of
the Internal Revenue Collector In Brook
iyn, which has no jurisdiction over the
issuance Of liquor permits or the en-
forcement of prohibition. They left the
Government service several months ago.
When arraigned before United States
Commissioners Rasquin the three men
were released In $1,000 each. and
through counsel said they would fight
extradition. A further hearing Is set
for March /.