New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-08-06
Ge111 Smuggling e.?; g
by Bootleggggers
SuspectedHere
Jewels Worn by the Alleged
Owner of Booze-Running
Vessel Seized Pending
Explanation to Customs
New Pirate Yarn Told
SO Police Explain Missing
sixty-fve Cases of Rum;
No Search Is To Be Made

Suspicion that millions of dollars in
gems, plumage, narcotics and other i'm
portatlons on which high tariff exists
had been smuggled into the United
States with consignments of contra.
nand liquor arose yesterday out of the
SEIZURE of the motorhoat B. N. ]. under
charges of rum running.
The first customs seizure of dia.
monds worn by an accused rum snug.
gler was ordered and the case, which
caused United States District Attor.
ney Hayward to write Police Commits
sloner Enrlght in regard to the disap.
pearance of sixty-five cases of louor
eVoIved many novel features. AMONG
these was the usual pirate yarn of the
jolly Rover, which meets rum runners
on the high seas and takes a cargo of
liquor at the points of automatic re.
volvers.
The pirate yarn has been told so
often that the government officials are
beginning to believe it, but they are
concerned mostly with SMUGGLING
which they suspect has grown under
the operations of rum runners. 1t was
said yesterday that rum runners, whose
sole desire was to smuggle liquor. had
been unable to keep irresponsible
sailors from smuggling precious stones,
plumes, narcotics and any other impor-
tations demanding small ship space
and returning large profits.
Search Idea Disliked
Assorted phases of the unusual B. N.
j. case were under investigation all dav
yesterday. MI. Hayward did not like
Assistant District Attorney Falk.s idea
of swearing out search warrants to
ransack Harbor A police station and
the police boat Blue Boy, which cap
tured the B. N. J. He, told Falk SO
and said he would prefer to cooperate
with the police.
The police co-operated imm ediately
and explained the disappearance of the
siXty-five cases Of liquor by saying
that they had left the 100 cases on
board the B. N. j. and had notified the
customs agents to come and get the
boat and cargo. The police said the
slXty-five cases of liquor must have
disappeared during the interval from
the time the police left the Z. N. j.
until the time the customs agents
boarded her, which was only a few
minutes. The police said that they
too, would like to have information re-
gardlng the looting of the B. N. J. of
the sixty-five cases.
Police Commissioner Enright gave
out a statement which said that the
number of cases of whisky on the B
N.~J. had not been ascertained when
the boat was turned over to the Federal
authorities, as it was in sinking con.
dltlon and had two feet of water in the
hold. He knew nothing, he said, of the
threat by United States Attorney Hay
ward to search the police launch and
the quarters of Harbor Squad A fol-
missing liquor except the "false and
malicious statements" concerning il
published by morning newspapers anc
except for the following apology" he
had received from John Holly Clark jr.
Assistant United States Attorney:
i desire to express to you on be-
half of Colonel Hayward his very deer
regret that the letter in regard to the
sixtyfve cases of liquor was given out
for publication. This was not done b,
my authority or that of Colonel Hay
ward, who knew nothing about the mat
ter. Neither was any statement made
that the police stations or vessels
would be searched in an endeavor tt
find the liquor"
"The smugglers' cargo was moi
checked by members of this depart
ment," said Commissioner Enright
'for the reasons stated. These facts
could have been ascertained by the
publishers of these newspapers, theil
agents or representatives, if they hac
evinced any concern respecting the
falsity of the libellous article pub.
(Continued nm maze thiPteen)