New-York tribune., 1921-12-28
W oman Among 9:
"
Four Killed by
Wood Alcohol
Police Begin Dragnet Search
for Source of Deadly
Liquor; Bootleg Sus.
pect Is Locked Up
Many Believed Poisoned
Two Brothers Victims; Dy-
ing Man Tells of Party,
Guest Already Dead

Orders issued from Police Head
quarters late last night called for a
dragnct search to-day for cases of
holiday illness due to wood alcohol
poisoning when two more deaths from
that cause became known, making four
within twentyfour hours. One arrest
was made last night.
Edward Gillece, thirty-one years old,
press representative, of $40 East Sew
enteenth Street. died in Bellevue Hos
pital just after midnight, and Mrs Rit-
chic Ryan, widow of Mike Ryan, for
mer pugilist died late in the afternoon
at her home, 105 West Sixtieth Street.
Gillecc was taken i'll early in the
afternoon after drinking gin purchased
on Christmas Eve. He went to Belle
vue Hospital in taxicab. After being
short time in the alcoholic ward Gil
lece became blind. He told DR.. Martin
and DR.. j. M. Thornton that he and a
Mrs. Ryan had taken several drinks Of
liquor on Christmas Day. He was try
ing to explain where the liquor had
been bought when he lapsed nto un-
consciousness.
Woman's Death Discovered
Hospital authorities notified the
police of his statement with regard to
Mrs. Ryan and an immediate investiga-
tion was begun. 1t resulted in the dis
covery of the woman's death earlier in
the day. DR.. j. f. Dunseith, of 534
West Forty-second Street, told the
police he had been called to attend
Mrs. Ryan. He diagnosed the cause Of
her illness as wood alcohol poisoning
The bodies of Gilleco and Mrs. Ryan,
with those of John and Frank Tiffany
two victims of few hours earlier, arc
in Bellevue morgue awaiting autopsies
by Chief Medical Examiner Charles
Norris. The Medical Examiner last
night ordered his staff to cooperate in
an effort to discover cases of supposed
temporary blindness resulting from liq-
uor drinking. Loss Of sight is usually
followed in a few hours by coma and
ultimately by death. The police be.
lieve there may be many such cases
1t is thought q consignment of syn
thetic gin with wool alcohol base was
brought into Manhattan few days be-
fore Christmas and disposed Of during
the holiday.
Suspect Is Arrested
Detective Cronin, of the West Sixty
eighth Street police station, last night
arrested John Horan, of 2O6 West Six
tyfourth Street. as the man who sole
the Tiffanys gin last Sunday night
Horan denied knowledge of the trans
action. He was locked up, charged
with homicide.
A fifth possible victim was James
Corrigan. cook. He was found in /
Bowery lodging house, blinded from
holiday drink. The police ordered his
removal TO metropolitan Hospital
Blackwell's Island, where he was re
ported to be dying last night.
The barge Liberty Bond yesterday
had taken eighty-six drums of alcoho'
from the Brooklyn pier of the Ware
liner Orizaba for transfer to an Jtal
ian steamship at Pier So The cargo
later was found to be twenty y-sever
drums, or 5000 gallons. short. The be
lief is the barge was robbed. The al
cohol came from Havana, consigned by
Cuban firm to an italian port
Prohibition Agents Barry, Manni,
and Blank raided the candy store al
+ legged to have been conducted by Paols
Vicitta, at 23S East Forty Street
yesterday afternoon and arrested tn,
proprietor. They .charge they asked
for candy, winked, and were served
with drinks of whisky from q bottl,
Continued on pace four)