New-York tribune., 1921-12-31
ST 100000 New
ear : W Eniskv
Per1nits Seized
Eighteen Counterfeit. Or
ders Provided Cor Wild
drawal Of lO,2OO Cases
from Warehouses; Here
Meant for Holiday Use
Bootleg Conspiracy Said To
lnvolvc Acquiring Dis
tilieries anu Warehouses

Eighteen mastcrrully counte1fcitcd
liquor permits, calling TOR the with
drawal of 10000 cases Of whisky. valued
at 81 100000, wore held UP yesterday
by Ralph A. Day, prohibition enforce
mcnt director. These permits marked
Just one. days business in 100000
liquor conspiracy. the scope of which
appears to be national and of nature
to make a Get RichQ Quick Walling'ord
plot seem trivial by comparison
How many of these wonderful coun-
terfeits have passed muster and how
much whisky they have freed Will not
be known perhaps for weeks, but the
arc expected to top S2O,000.o0o. boot
leg prices, with other cities yet to be
heard from. Already the conspiracy
has resulted in the government plan
ming new system of liquor with
drawals, with permits engraved like
designed paper with perforated pro-
lection.
Indictments in Another Plot
When the gigantic bootleg CON
spiracy, which is now said to involve
acquiring control in distileres and
warehouses by bootleg interests, camc
to light Thursday the government had
just finished uprooting u previous con
spiracy which foated millions of dol
lars worth OF forged permits This
revelation resulted in score OF ar
rests, and is expected to bring forth
twenty Federal indictments next week.
1t caused the revocation Of nearly one
hundred basic liquor permits of drug
concerns CHARGED with having been or
eanized for the sole purpose Of de-
fraudng the government.
The first conspiracy was made sue
cessful through the stealing Of a large
block Of genuine permits, which were
then duplicated The new conspiracy.
it is now charged. manufactured its
own permits in printing plants said to
have been established in different cities
throughout the country. Of the egh-
teen permits discovered yesterday six
were drawn by Philadelphia vendees on
vendor warehouses in New York The
other twelve were drawn on New York
warehouses in the name of New York
vendees. In all cases the names used
as the final destination of the consign~
ments were found to be fictitious. The
permits however. we're correct to the
minutest detail. Even the waternarks,
hiking aud secret marks Of the depart
merit had been duplicated by the coun-
terfeiters.
The fact THAT some of the permits
were drawn in the names Of ware
houses which were cooperating with
the government to halt the frauds
helped yesterday in detecting the
frauds and stopping the permits he
fore they had loosed a s1,5O0 900 food
Of liquors for New Years Day.
Several Forgery Plants Maintained
Hugh McQuillan. chief Of the in
toraal revenue intelligence init, whose
detectives rounded up the first con-
spiracy, said yesterday that all evil
dence pointed to the existence Of sew
eral fully equipped printing. mimeo-
graphing and forgery plants in differ
cnt cities.
at looks to me-" he said. "as though
the counterfeiters ard bootleggcrs had
acquired the ehousemen's interest
in different warehouses. The scope of
the fraud can only be estimated. It
accounts for the greatest source Of
bootleggers' supplies. When the case
is cleared have no DOUBT we will fnd
the conspiracy was backed by enormous
capital and capable though criminal,
brains.
The tremendous profits accruing to
the bootleg rings throughout the coun-
try were given from the notebook NJ
one dry agent, which showed the hum
blest employee Of the big hootleggers
was able to amass a fortune in q year.
He took, for instance, the truckman
who transported liquors. For this serv-
ice he was paid from s. 10 $40 Il case,
and was able with ease TO transport
around 500 cases a week from different
sources OF supply in Boston, Baltimore,
Canada and elsewhere. In one year.
operating one truck at cost not to
exceed $50 day, the trucNman could
amass $685. 900 In legitimate pursuits
the same truck would have difficulty
earning for it's owner more than $50
week There are hundreds of these
running trucks, the owners Of
which have never been arrested. In
case Of arrest they have only TO show
permits which are handed them, and of
which they have no knowledge which
might incrminate them. If convicted
they could pay the usual fine of 500 to
$500 or serve from two weeks to d
month in jail with little inconvenience.
The seizure Of a truck would mean only
the deduction OF A small percentage
from their earnings.