New-York tribune., 1921-02-17
Fear. of Gang
Death Blocks
Rum Inquiry
Jersey Police Convinced
Lips of Those Who Know
Bootlegger's Slayers Are
Sealed Against 'Squealing'
Plot Laid i'm Newark
Federal Inquiry Into the
Rum Traffic Hinted by
Request of Judge Rellstab

Fear that the bootlegging ring will
kill any one who "squeals" in connec-
tion with the rum hold-up and double
murder near New Brunswick last
Thursday night is sealing the lips of
more than one person who could help
solve the mystery, Director of Public
Safety Brennan Of Newark declared
yesterday.
"Most of these whisky runners would
rather go to prison for life than be
seen talking. to detective" said the
director. "They appear to be far more
afraid of the vengeance Of their own
kind than they are Of the arm of la,I
and Justice"
"Do you believe that Frank Walsh
was killed by his confederates in the
New Brunswick robbery because they
had discovered he was a stool-pigeon
in .the police auto graft and boot
logging Investigations in New York p"
Brennan was asked
81 cannot express an opinion on that
until my investigation has progressed
further" he replied.
Former Governor Charles S. Whit
man, Special Assistant District Attor-
ney, Investigating the alleged collision
of crooked New York policemen with
bootleggers and auto thieves, returned
similar answer yesterday to the same
question.
In Fear of Similar Fate
Among the habitues of the "whisky
curb" in Newark and other hanpouts
of the New Jersey rum runners, how
ever, there is little doubt as to who
killed Walsh and why. They are thor
oughly convinced he was Dumped off"
because he had ."ratted' on his pals,
and none of the rest of them relish
coming under any such dire suspicion.
The punishment meted out to Walsh
on lonely road in New Jersey-the
same that was inflicted upon Frederick
P. Eckert, another bootlegger, and for
the same supposed reason, in remote
byway of Staten Islands ready, they
believe, for the next man that turns
informer.
Yesterday the Newark authorities
turned over to the Middlesex County
detectives three prisoners they had
taken the night before in a raid on
the Colosseum Club, where boxing
bouts were in progress. The prisoners
were Louis Quinto, of 256 Norfolk
Street, Newark; Joseph Lard and
Harry Rutkin. Lard and Rutkin re-
'aoSN W SiSS GOuJe
Quinto, the police assert, was seen
last Thursday afternoon driving the
Cadillac touring car, which later took
Walsh and the other bandits to New
Brunswick. Lard and Rutkin, they sayA
were reported as having spoken of
twenty-five barrels of whisky that
could be purchased. There were
twenty-five barrels of whisky on the
Salamandra truck. All three prisoners
we're detained in New Brunswick as
| material witnesses. The driver of the
| truck and other members of the Sala-
mandra convoy will view them to-day.
Federal Inquiry Indicated
In Trenton yesterday Judge John
Rellstab, Of the United States District
Court, indicated that a Federal investi
cation of the bootlegging rings activi-
ties, including the New Brunswick
hold-up, might be in prospect when he
requested Prosecutor Oliphant, of Mer-
Ger County, to give him statement
| made recently by Anthony lyman, a
convicted bootlegger.
lyman told Prosecutor Oliphant that