New-York tribune., 1921-03-29
Six Raids Net
Wine Valued
AT 100000
!, ,OOO-Callon Watts of Port
and Sherry Discovered in
Bowery Adjoining Place
Steve Brody Once Owned
Permit Theft Inside Job
Officials Sure Man Know
ing Combination Robbed
Safe in O'Conflor's Office

Inc largest wine seizures since pro-
hibition went into effect were made
yesterday by agents under Ernest
Langley, acting supervisor If dry en-
forcement for New York. With agents
Einstcin, Wittenberg and Smith, Su-
pervisor Langley descended upon six
establishments accused of illegally
possessing liquor and conhscated in
all about 100000 worth of port, sherry
and other wines.
Bowery in u warehouse conducted re-
Gently under the name of the Menorah
Wine Company. The place Is next door
to the famous resort that was con-
ducted years ago by Steve Brody.
1000 Gallons in Vats
Two wine vats, containing 1000 ral-
Ions each, were found in the cellar.
and the agents said they found $500
three gallon containers Of wine on the
main floor.
They also found 500 barrels of wine
they said, and estimated the total
seized at $25O,O00.
Trucks had been hired and were
waiting in nearby street to cart the
liquor to the Knickerbocker warehouse
In the five other places raided the
agents said they confscated a total
of $4,000 worth of wines. These
places were at 1853 aHenry Street, 1863
Lexington Avenue, 676 West 17sth
Street, 1887 Charlotte Street. the
Bronx, and 252 South Third Street,
Brooklyn.
1t is believed that the recent thefS of
800 permits to purchase liquor from
the office of Charles r. O'Connor, Fed
eral state director of prohibition. was
an inside job" A prohibition official
who refused to be quoted said ycster-
day that the blank permits were re-
moved from the steel vault in the di-
rector's office evidently by some one
having knowledge of the combination,
as the safe had been closed again and
there was no sign that it had been
tampered with.
Crawled Along Coping
The permits were locked in the vault
on tuesday evening when the office
closed, and were missed when the vault
was opened on the following morning.
1t is believed that the thief entered the
directors Office some time during the
night by crawling along narrow
coping between the fire escape and one
Of the windows of the office,
An investigation is being conducted
among employees Of Mr.. O'Connor's
department., it is understood. No fur
ther information could be obtained on
this point, as the director has been
away for several days nMd will not re-
turn until to-day.
Judge Julius M. Mayer yesterday
held man who said his name was
Morris Cohen in $4,000 bail on a charge
of falsely representing himself to be a
revenue agent in an attempt to extort
$1,000 from John G. Nugen, proprietor
of saloon in Forty-second Street.
Fines Two, Jails One
Federal Judge Garvin, in BROOKLYN.
yesterday fined two men $500 each for
transporting liquor illegally and sent
one saloonkeeper to Jail for ten days.
fining two others, when the three were
found guilty of illegally possessing
liquor.
Magistrate Francis A. McCloskey. in
th/Gates Avenue court, Brooklyn, sus-
pended sentence upon four men after
iinding them guilty Of intoxication.
When one of the men said he had
had twelve drinks of whisky. the
magistrate expressed astonishment. He
said:
you are a lucky man to be able to
stand here and say you have drunk
twelve drinks Of that poison. Prohibi-
ton is joke, withou. doubt"