The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-09-10
Half a Dozen Picked Up I'm
conscious in One Night,
but All Recover.
SEVERAL STILLS FOUND
Detectives Believe Others Have
Been Hidden Due to
Alarm.

the scores of saloons. speakeasies and
illicit stills in the Red Hook section Of
Brooklyn caused the death yesterday
of John Streubel, AZ, an ironworker OF
41S Sylvan street, Glendale, Queens.
His is the twelfth death from wood
alcohol poisoning.
Streubel until recently was employed
ir the Red Hook section, where he had
many friends. He visited some of
them Friday evening, and returned to
his home early yesterday morning and
went to bed without complaining. His
wife, however, was unable to awaken
him at 8 o'clock. He was removed to
Wyckoff Heights Hospital, where he
died few hours later. An examina-
ton showed that he had been poisoned
by wood alcohol. He was president OF
the High Ground Benevolent Society
of Glendale and was active in many
fraternal and civic organizations. He
leaves his wife and two sons.
Seek for Source of Liquor.
The search for the source Of the flood
OF poison whisky was continued last
night by detectives working under the
personal direction of John e. Ruston,
istrict Attorney of Kings county. AL
though detectives under Capt. Daniel
O'Connor, assisted by scores of police.
men. have combed the Red Hook Sec
tion pretty thoroughly. the District At
torney believes that many more stills
are in operation there.
Since the beginning OF the raids last
Tuesday afternoon, when three deaths
had been reported, much information
in the way of tips has been coming to
Mr. Ruston and to Capt. O'Connor.
Some of this Information has been mis-
leading. but much of 1t has produced
results Many of these anonymous conf
plants to the authorities come from
persons who are angry at the poor
quality of liquor which has been sold
in that section of Brooklyn. Many de-
tectives working on the case--among
them Detectives Mccarthy. Pucciano.
Begley and McKenna of the Hamilton
avenue station-are of the opinion that
when the first of the wood alcohol
deaths became known many of the Hi
cit manufacturers moved their stills TO
escape being raided.
THE big source of the wood alcohol
supply has not yet been discovered
admitted Mr. Ruston last night. AL
though we have made several arrests
and have raided many places, the real
source. or sources. of the flood of wood
alcohol remains to be found. Also.
am confident there are n great many
stills which have not been uncovered.
The police are working diligently to
find them. but they are hidden away in
all sorts of places. SO that to get them
all 1t is necessary to go over every
inch of Red Hook with a comb
All the evidence so far obtained in the
wood alcohol cases will be presented to
the Grandw Jury tomorrow. Mr.. Ruston
and his assistants, Marshall Snyder and
Reuben Wilson. were busy yesterday
preparing the cases for the Grand July.
"a Per Cent. Poison.
I'VE have found traces of wood aIco-
hol in some of the raided Stills" said
the District Attorney, but the liquor
served to most of those who died con-
tanned as much as 81 per cent. of the
poison"
lie said the twenty-five gallon stilI
which was found on the third floor OF
1l5 Wolcott street, Friday morning was
turning out alcohol. burt he was not
prepared to say whether It was poison
Gus. DIR. Charles l.. Wagner. chemist
fors the District Attorneys office, re-
ported that his analyses showed that
Martin J. Connolly and his brother
in-law. Thomas Padden, both OF so
Dikeman street. and Mrs. Seigrid Jack
son had died from the effects Of wood
alcohol
The liquor seized in the grocery store
OF Mrs. lrmelinda Vitala at 149 Conover
street on Tuesday evening contained
wood alcohol. according to the Dis
trict Attorney. Michael Keenan, told the
police before he died that he had
bought a small bottle of whisky from
Mrs. Vitala and had given some OF II
to Mrs. Teresa Martin, with whom he
boarded at rs Dikeman street. She also
died
Mrs. yitala. her clerk. Michael Ca
fiero. and Mrs Adeiine ReaIe OF liz
Sullivan street are in the Raymond
Street Jail In connection with the deaths
Justice Callaghan In the Supreme Court
viii hand down a decision tomorrow
on the application by Edward J. Reilly
attorney for the three prisoners. TO
admit them to bail. District Attorney
Ruston. however. expects indictments to
be found against them before they are
released
Half a dozen persons we're picked
mp unconscious In various parts OF
Brooklyn Friday night and were taken
TO hospitals. but they were able 10 leave
yesterday after their cases had been
diagnosed as ordinary alcoholism"