New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-08-15
Six Seized as
Rum Runners
In Gun Battle
Federal Officials in Fight
With a Gang of Auto
Smugglers ON Jericho
Turnpike; 9 Make Escape
Two Believed Wounded
One Car and 25 Cases of
Whisky Confiscated; Posse
UNITS Liquor Cache


United States Marshal James NJ. Pow
er, twelve deputy marshals and United
States District Attorney Wallace E. J,
Collins, all of Brooklyn, yesterday cap
tured six men accused of rum running
by automobile after thrilling gum
fight in which nearly hundred shots
were fired by both sides. The battle
took place along Jericho Turnpike,
which was crowded with Sunday mo-
torists.
There we're fifteen men in the gang,
in two big cars, and all were heavily
armed. The Federal officials also oc-
cupied two cars. One rum-running auto
with nine suspects escaped. The other
was halted and the car and twenty five
cases Of whisky were seized
The occupants of the auto which was
seized abandoned their machine and fed
into the woods near Huntington, Long
Island. after many volleys of shots
were exchanged. Two Of the suspects
in the car which escaped are believed
to have been wounded. All members of
the posse escaped injury.
Prisoners All Brooklyn Residents
The prisoners will be arraigned to-
day before a United States commits
sioner. They gave their names and ad-
dresses as Andrew Cummo and Charles
Somma, both Of 60 President Street:
Ambrose Marnes, of 1855 Twenty first
Street; John Rao, of 1919 Twentieth
Street; Enrico Talino, of sc Summit
Street, and Giuseppe Giraldo, of 46
Prospect Street, all of Brooklyn At
torney Collins hopes to learn from his
prisoners the identity of the nine who
escaped and to effect their arrest later.
The running gun fight and arrests
were due to concerted effort along the
coast to round up the land auxiliaries
of the rum-running fleet of wind
TANNERS which met disaster at the
hands of the coast guard and customs
officials when five of the schooners we're
seized. The land auxiliaries were said
in dispatches yesterday to have OBJ
tanned some of their liquor supplies
from Kentucky and the Canadian bor-
der. Hundreds Of autos are believed d
to be IN commission to transport liquor
from border and coast inlets. Eleven
autos have been seized.
Sunday Runners Busiest Day
The men arrested yesterday admitted
that Sunday has been their busiest dav.
because. they depended OH crowded
tnoroughfares to shield rum-running
autos from detection, and they also be-
ilevcd that pursuing officers would be
less likely to return gun fire. where
there was chance of innocent auto.
lists being hit by flying bullets. The
posse yesterday ran the suspected ma
chimes away from the crowd when both
sides opened fire. A score or more cars
followed the government cars, ready To
give assistance.
While Long Island and New Jersey
roads were being watched for rum
running autos, Assistant United States
Attorney Pearce, of Trenton, led a
large posse of Federal agents over a
large section of swampy- meadowland
near Atlantic City in search for
buried booze treasure from the seized
schooner Henry l.. Marshall.
The swamps abounded with mos
quitoes, which attacked the rum
searchers. The hunt was continued
under difficulties and will be taken m
again to-day, when the posse will be
provided with search warrants for all
farms in the vicinity of the swamps.
Four Face Prison Terms
Four men arrested on the Marshal
are liable under the New Jersey state
enforcement law to six months in ;ail,
and if they are tried under Federal
conspiracy law they are liable to three
years in penitentiary if ccavicted.
Magistrate Raphael Tobias. in ESSEX
Market Court, yesterday took several
enforcement detectives of the local
force to task and lectured them Sc
,erely. He warned the officers that
they must not in future send the
evidence in Mulan-Gage law cases to
.he city chemist until after it had been
presented in Vhe hearing before the
magistrate. He said that in such cases
IN future he would dismiss all charges
unless he could see the evidence After
seeing it, he said, it would be returned
to the arresting officers. who might
send it to the city chemist for analysis
Magistrate Tobias held John Maxi.
Of 10 Bowery, in $500 Cor the grand
Jury on a charge Of possession of
l,oaor. A pias' sfues,N .stveeA
MAXI end twc friends or d s~sllc at
iracted the sttention. of the police and
led to the arrest. Il