Evening star., 1921-02-24
|DRY RAID ARRESTS
MAY TOTAL FIFTY
Biggest Haul Yet Made In
D. C. Under VoIstead Act.
Hotels Combed.
practicalIv everv hotel IN q

Practically every hotel in Washing
ton was visited by agents Of the en-
forcement division Of the prohibition
bureau last night and between thirty
and forty persons were arrested. It
was expected, it was stated. the num-
Der Of arrests by the close Of today
would total fifty.
1t was the biggest haul made by the
revenue men in the National Capital
on charges Of violation Of the Volstead
act. For two weeks Thomas e. Stone,
supervising federal revenue agent, in
charge Of the Ohio and Maryland de-
partment, in which Washington is To-
Gated, has had eight or ten agents
from other cities securing evidence
here.
Mr.. Stone said today that it was
found that large quantities Of colored
alcohol. of various grades, some OF
which was poisonous, was being sold
in many Of the hotels of the city. He
said the principal sales we're made by
employees Of hotels, but that in one
small hotel it was found the manager
and his wife were violating the law.
Agents Pay SIS q Quart.
The agents worked quietly for the
past two weeks, making purchases at
various places, Mr.. Stone said He
explained that in some cases where
the agent attempted to make pur-
the hotel was '.all out" In such a
case the agent was given a note to
an employe of some other hotel, and
the sale was made there. High prices
were obtained for the liquor. Mr..
Stone declared, some of 1t selling for
.$15 and $25 per quart
To a person not familiar with the
popular brands of whisky the sale
of the quart bottle was easy, Mr..
stone said. He called attention to a
had been purchased by his men. They
bore fake revenue stamps and fake
tables.
An analysis of some Of the so-called
whisky, Mr.. Stone said, showed that
each quart contained about 50 per
He said also that there was wood
alcohol in some Of the bottles and
other ingredients, which are in5url-
GUS to health. Mr.. Stone said at the
present time man who made a pur-
chase of the alleged whisky is in
hospital suffering from it's effects
asWhisky" Very Dangerous.
Mr.. Stone said that recent raids have
been made in other cities on printing
establishments where it was found
thousands of counterfeit revenue
stamps and large quantities OF rake
labels of popular brands of whisky
were being turned out. He said there
is very little pure whisky in Washing
ton at this time and that the stun"
the bootleggers are selling is a concoc-
ton which will cause serious injury
to those who drink 1t.
The agents who made the arrests
here were congratulated by Mr.. Stone
today upon their work He said he in
tends to do all he can to break up the
bootlegging in the National Capital. as
well as the other places in his division.
Because the revenue men who have
been operating here for some time be-
came known to the bootleggerS, Mr..
Stone decided to bring in new ones
from other cities. He intends to make
changes at various times, and hopes to
round up all Of the bootleggers.
Find Still In Operation.
Those arrested last night were
locked up at police stations and were
taken to Police Court today to give
bond for their appearance at trial
later. Mr.. Stone called attention to
FIVE arrests made by his men last
Saturday in which he said a physi--
clan stopping at a local hotel was ar
rested after he had sold an agent OF
the department what was supposed to
be whisky.
In the arrests last night also was
that of a man and woman who are
alleged to have been operating still
at a house on 4th street northwest.
Mr.. Stone said the couple had a guam
tity of mash in still and were using
the liquid thus obtained to mix with
some low-grade whisky.