The New York herald., 1921-04-13
WHISKEY RUNNERS
START A SHIP RIOT
AND FIGHT POLICE
Bullets Fly on Vessel in
Hudson When Liquor
Bill Is Disputed.
CUSTOMS MAN Is LAID LOW
Three of Is Swim to Safety in
Icy Water; One Caught
Landing on Pier.
CUSTOMS MAN Is LAID LOW

ROBERT O'SuliiVan or lSl Lincoln
avenue, The Bronx a United States
customs guard, watching from the end
Of Pier 90, at West Fifty-fifth street
late yesterday afternoon for whiskey
runners, who have been obtaining
supplies from incoming transatlantic
liners, saw fifteen men go carefully,
one at time, across the lighters and
barges from Pier 81 and board the
Italian liner Pesaro, anchored a hun
dred feet out in the Hudson River.
The men climbed over the rail, pushed
their way through the two hundred
immigrants, mostly women and chill
dren, who were walking about the
deck, and disappeared down a hatch
way
For fifteen minutes OSullivan heard
nothing unusual. Then the dull re-
port of a shot came from the hold Of
the ship, and the women and children
began screaming and running about
the deck OF the ship in a panic. Then
from the hold, streaming up the hatch
way, came men in groups Of two and
three, some OF them armed with re-
volvers and others swinging bottles
against heads and shoulders.
They kept coming until almost fifty
men were fighting all over the deck
Of the ship, knocking down the women
and children. A dozen or more shots
were fired within five minutes, but so
far as the Government authorities and
the police have been able 10 learn no
one was hit.
Customs Guard Rusbes In.
O'Sullivan leaped from the end OF the
pier to lighter and began making way
across the fiat bottomed craft toward
the ship, closely followed by Patrolmen
Regan and Moore Of the West Forty
seventh street station. who had been
in the vicinity and heard the firing. As
the three officers left the end of the
dock dozen men. confedcrates Of the
ffteen who had slipped out to the liner.
appeared on the ends of Piers 50 and 81
and began throwing stones at Regan,
Moore and O'Sullivan and at the fight
Ing groups on the deck Of the liner.
Many OF the stones spiasned into the
water alongside the three policemen and
others landed among the crowds OF
women and children who huddled III
panic stricken groups on the deck OF
the ship. O'Sullivan said afterward that
AT least q half dozen women and chill
dreu. one q. boy hardly more than
stones.
The men on the ship saw the two po-
licemen and the custom guard coming
swiftly across the lighters with revolvers
in their hands and they stopped lighting.
They divided into two groups. the crew
OF the ship on one side and the hfteen
whiskey runners on the other.
Several more shots were fired and then
the whiskey runners, with the policemen
close TO the ship, began jumping over
hoard. one man. who said later he was
Jerry sullivan OF 6l7 West Forty-sev-
cnth street, leaped to lighter az al
most the exact moment that O'Sullivan
.rlanbered to II from another lighter.
knocked ont by whiskey Bottle.
The Customs Guard rushed at sullivan
and grappled with him. and for mo-
ment or two they struggled on the
perilous footing OF the lighters deck.
Then Sullivan, It Is alleged, wrenched
his arm loose, drew q bottle OF liquor
from his pocket and smashed the bottle
on OSullivan's head. The customs guard
fell unconscious, and sullivan dived into
the water Just as Patrolmen Regan and
tna ,,aH al hon r1 y
fourteen other whiskey runners had left
the Pazaro. followed by several shots
from the crew, and the men who had
been throwing stones ran TO the end OF
the docks TO help their comrades ashore.
All but four OF tho fifteen men clam
bercd aboard lighters once they had
got away from the policemen. and hur-
ried TO the piers and disappeared. These
four, OF whom sullivan was one, kept
swimming and made the pier at West
FTfty-fifth street. Three continued
under the pier and were seen no moro.
but Sullivan clanbered upon IL and
walked into the arms OF Patrolmen
Regan and Moore. who had hurried
back TO the dock across tho lighters and
barges. Sullivan fought them. but they
finally overpowered him and placed him
under arrest, charged with felonious
assault
Patrolman Regan took the prisoner 10
the West Forty-seyenth street station,
while Moore went out on the lighters
again and brought O'Sullivan TO shore
There his wound was dressed BY DR..
Mast of Flower Hospital. and no was
able TO go home.
The police were not able TO learn what
caused the fighting to break out on board
the ship, but from information obtained
from sullivan they believe the whlskey
runners refused to pay for the whlskey
after they had drunk several bottles and
put others into their pockets. Then the
crew tried to put them of the ship.
WEEK END TRIP TO WATERBURY,. conn