New-York tribune., 1921-04-15
100 Seized in
Drastic Liquor
Drive by Police
same Arrested for Having
Small Amount of Liquid
like Alcohol: Homes Are
Visited Without Warrant
Gases Cause Court jam
extraordinary Grand Juries
Nav Be Called; Funds Are
Needed to Pay Chemists

TIE police grew even more drastic
!. .hs;r enforcement yesterday of the
wuIIsn- Gage prohibition law. More
- ,o, arrests made included several
rss Of individuals whose crimes
-. the possession of gill or two
= .omething resembling alcohol. In a
- Instances raids were conducted on
.wsIl;nes without the formality of
ssrrants-
A serious phase OF the Intense activ-
- Of the police is the clogging of the
,s,sl machinery of the city. 1t was
...;rated st Criminal Courts Building
.,..erday that the courts have fallen
Iva than 500 cases behind their cal
.ndars since April 4.
Among the measures of relief pro
;ecsed are the creation of several ex-
,rsordinary grand juries to deal with
,llered vioIators. who are being held
~ scores in every magistrates court
~ await grand Jury action. Grover
Wsalsn. Superintendent of Plant and
s.ruetures, announced that he would
ak the Board Of Estimate to-day for
an appropriation to pay the salaries
~ twenty additional chemists and 20
snv laboratory equipment for the test
;nr of liquor samples required as evil
lence&
"Pussyfoot" Enjoys 1t
One individual, who thoroughly en-
loved every phase of the police activ-
H. Yesterday. was William E. Johnson.
nouularly known as "Pussyfoot." Ad-
srsssine the Rotary Club at the Hotel
Rossert in Brooklyn, the dry advocate
said
aI am not a martyr. I lost an eye
N Creat Britain, but I'd give basket
;ull Of eyes for the friendships / have
rained. Besides I now have three
sYes. I carry an extra glass one in
nv handbag"
referring to sentences TO hard labor
bsine imposed on Toledo and Cleveland
bcot!eggers, Mr. Johnson said:
"There is scme good in every man.
Even bootlegger can build roads"
LAWYERS for some of the prisoners
charged with Mullan-Gage law viola
lions endeavored to set up as defense
Inc incompetence of policemen to tes-
tify as to the alcoholic content of
beverages seized as evidence In few
Instances the prisoners spurned such
:echnicalities.
Prisoner Spurns Technicalities
There was the case of A. Welken, of
IS East Tooth Street, who was arrested
Il Fifth Avenue and 132d Street by
policeman who saw him carrying a
sass Jar filled with q clear fluid. In
he Washington Heights court Magis-
r.te Rosenblatt asked:
Officer, are you sure this man was
CRYING gin? 1t has little odor and
aght be water"
The policeman stammered that he
rasn't chemically positive, but Welken
"It's gin all right. It's darn good
GIN"
Because Of his frankness Mr.. Wei
ken's bail was fixed at $500 instead Of
the usual $500.
Policeman Sherry shifted suspicious
" In the door Of the dry goods store
Zindeu at 122 Third Avenue, Brooklyn
Poking about behind the counters he
found two bottles that he said he be-
lieved contained gin and whisky. He
had told Mr.. Zindell he was under
arrest when there was a crash of glass
Then the policeman arrested Mrs
Zindell also.
In the Flatbush Court he told Magis.
trate McCloskey that Mrs. Zindell had
smashed the evidence and she was held
on that charge along with her husband
Seize Liquor Cache
Detectives William Coakley and
Philip Ryan, of the 50th Inspection
District, fran into q liquor cache at 76
La Sale Street, between Amsterdam
Avenue and Broadway, late last night,
srresting Martin Lyons, of So La Sale
Street, and John Shea, janitor at the
frst-nameda number, and confiscating
seventeen cases Of whisky as we'll as a
barrel of alcohol.
Information had been furnished the
police that Lyons was operating a
"blind pig" at SO La Sale Street. On
arriving there they found the place
dark Exploring an alley between the
buildings they found door upon
which they knocked but received no
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