New-York tribune., 1922-03-25
Wa.cl,nlan Confronted With
Five Pistols and Cases Are
LOADED Inio Truck; Stuff
i'm Line for Destruction
Dry Forces i'm Conference
Uniform Method Of Proceed
urc Sought TO Keep Rec
ord of Coniiscatcd Goods

twelve quarts. or 151 cases, Of whisky
of poor quality was stolen in a daring
warehouse robbery Thursday night at
the Ocean Storage Warehouse, 1853
Pacific Street, Brooklyn, it became
known yesterday. Five armed, men,
using a big truck ana an automobile,
pcrpetratcd the raid and got safely
away with the plumber.
The stolen whisky was part of an
early seizure and had been stored in
the warehouse under guard Of United
States Marshal Power, who described
il as "terrible stuff" The chemist WHO
analyzcd it recommended its destruc
tion.
Robert Reardon, sixty years old, was
the sole guard OF the whisky on the
premises. He also guards a furniture
warehouse next door He walks the
rounds Of the two warehouses hourly,
At II O'Clock, Thursday night, he told
the police, he had returned from the
furniture warehouse to the Ocean Stor-
age Warehouse and found n door in the
Ocean place unlocked He entered and
was confronted with five drawn revolv-
ers and admonishcd to do as he was
told
Watchman Obeys Orders
The aged Watchman's memory harked
back to Il newspaper story OF the mur-
der of a Waterman under similar cir
cumstances, he said, and he assured the
robbers he would do as ne was told SO
long as he was covered with gun He
was taken to the rear of the ware
house, where big gate had been bro
ken open and at which Il truck and
automobile were standing.
He was told to sit in the tonncau of
the automobile and to keep quiet. This
he did while one man stood over him
with a gun. The other mon loaded the
whisky into the truck Then they or
dered the watchman out of the automo-
bile and one man drove the truck, fol-
lowed by the automobile, in which were
the four other robbers. AS soon as
they had gone the watchman tcle-
phoned the police.
Representatives Of district attorneys
Offices in five counties of Greater New
York held a prohibition conference yes
terday afternoon in the office of Dis
trict Attorney Joab H. Banton The
Corporation Counscrs office and the
Police Department were represented.
Among those in attendance were Acting
Police Commissioner John A. Leach,
Assistant District Attorney Robert s.
Johnstone OF New York; Marshal Sny-
der, of Kings; Assistant District At
torney Albert Cohen Of the Bronx. AS
sistant District Attorney Joseph
Onardo OF Queens, Assistant Corpora
tion Counsel Adolph Stern and Assist
ant District Attorneys Miles NJ O'Brien
lr. and Peter l.. f. Sabatino.
Seeks Uniform Procedure
Mr.. Johnstone said:
we engaged in conference TO out
line uniform method of procedure in
cases of seizure Of liquor without war
rant. The Court of Appeals recently
decided in the Diamond case that when
police officer seized liquor without a
warrant he should make q return of
the seizure in a court of record The
Judge is TO make q notice directing any
person claiming title to the liquor
seized to appear before the court and
show cause why it should not be for
fetcd.
The proper procedure, according to
the Court Of Appeals, is to have the
peace officer make his return to the
Judge and the Judge is then to issue
notice. The purpose is to have returns
made by officers so far as possible not
later than the day following the seiz-
ure, Notices are to be made return
able, where possible, twelve days after
service. In the case of small quaint
ties or bottles carried on the person.
liquor should he seized merely and
held for evidence and no civil suit is
required in these cases. No definite
agreement was reached at yesterdays
session, but other sessions are to fol-
low"
Mr.. O'Brien said there were now
County in which ownership Of vehicles
aggregating $5O0,oOO in valuation is in
Yolved. These include launches, auto
mobiles, push carts and even a baby
carriage. Since January 1 twenty -one
persons have been indicted and 300
discharged by the grand jury for al
legged liquor law violations.