New-York tribune., 1921-06-01
Alleged E Liquor
Plot Involves
| e,stal Clerks
Two Mem Held on Charge
of Conspiracy Said 10
Have Obtained Access 10
O'Comnor's Official Mail
Sent Their Own Answers
Distillers Thus Assured of
Validity of Withdrawal
Permits Actually Bogus

On complaint made by Francis l..
Reidy, postoaice inspector, charging
conspiracy in violation of Section 81
OF the Federal Criminal Code, two men
who described themselves as John
Bonofore and Thomas Malone were ar
Office. The scheme attributed to them
is brand new onn-a plot to secure
extensive fraudulent liquor withdraw
ais by manipulating the official mail
Of a former prohibition director,
The pair werc arraigned later before
Samuel II. Hitchcock, United States
Commissioner. Bonofore, who said he
lived at the Lafayette Baths, was held
In SOS, 900 bail, and Malone, who gave
his address at the Hotel Claridge, was
held in $4,000 for hearing, which
was set for June T. The men furnished
surety bonds and were released.
According to the complaint. the con-
spiracy, the object of which was to
circumvent the Volstead law, was
formed by Bonofore and Malone about
January / last, and has been in opera
tion ever since. In furtherance of the
pIot, the complaint charges, the de-
PENDANTS planned to get large quaint
ties Of liquor from distlleries and
wholesale dealers in distant cities by
means of spurious withdrawal permits,
O'Connors Mail Searched
David V. Cahill, Assistant United
States Attorney, who has charge OF the
case, said the alleged conspirators,
after forwarding spurious liquor with
drawal permits to distilleries and
Wholesale dealers in other states, en-
tered into arrangements with certain
clerks in the registry division at the
General Postoffice whereby they were
able to take from the mails letters ad-
dressed to Charles r. O'Connor, until
recently Federal Prohibition Director
for the State of New York.
The letters obtained in this way
through at least one postal clerk, Mr.
Cahill says, contained inquiries from
the Schenly Products Company, of
Schenly, Pa, and other distilleries in
quiring as to the genuineness of the
withdrawal permits bearing Director
O'Connor's Endorsement, which had
been presented to them by persons in
this city. After securing the letters in
this way, Mr.. Cahill says, the alleged
conspirators. knowing that the permits
inquired about were spurious, would
then reply in O'Connor's name that the
permits were genuine, and the liquor
would then be supplied to the plotters.
Called for O'Connor's Letters
Bonofore and Malone, Mr.. Cahill said
were arrested by Postoffice Inspectors
Reidy Thomas Butler, George Brown
and J. j. Quod when they appeared
yesterday afternoon at the registry
division window at the General Post
Office and represented that they had
been sent by Director O'Connor for the
registered and official mail. They were
given four letters, it is alleged, includ-
ing one from the Schenly Products
Company, for which they are said to
have given receipts. signing the book,
"O'Connor per O'Connell." The in
spectors seized the pair as they were
about TO leave the postofice.
Reidy In the complaint mentions the
name of one of the postal clerks con-
cerned In the surreptitious taking of
registered letters from the mails, but
does not name him as defendant in
the conspiracy.