Norwich bulletin., 1922-04-25
Former SubChasers
 UsedbyRunRunners
Posing as Naval Vessels and Commanded by Officers in the Uniform of the United States

New York, April 24.-Custom officials annouDeed today that they were work ing to smash a rich boot1egger ring which they charged had rnobihzed fleet of former submarine chasers to meet creation of America's dry navy"
 The federal agents are working on the theory that the swift craft that once pursued German U-boats and were sold after the war, now are posing as naval vessels and, commanded by officers in the uniform of the United States, already
 have succeeded in running s, ,909. .400 worth of rum into the UnUited States from Bermuda and Havana,
 | The announcement of the discovery Of ] the alleged scheme was made after , former submarine chaser 1Ol re-4hristea- ! ed the FiGus, had been nabAed in New 1 ! ork harbor by a police boat anI GUS l Quarantine and was darting toward the , pier. Customs men c.airned they had found aboard her numerous charts with i marked landings along the Atlantic coast
 and Hudson r.ves. No liquor was found i ei3oartt her and the crew told hair
 r;lisIng tale Of hayiHg had their cargo 1 plundered by pirates of the Long Island ] coast yesterday.
 | The ex-chaser. said to bear British registry, was tieu up at the Battery 1 where she tonight was held on a tech- nical charge that she left Bermuda with 1 out clearance papers. Her captain, whc gave his name as John Kelly and his crew of seven, were taken to the
 custom house for q severe gri,ling. Aft CT the examination, which was attend.
 ed by a representative from the office oi l the British consul. Assistant United
 States Attorney Faik said:
 Kelly wore the uniform of a UniteC
 States naval officer. We have not a. yet made any charges against Captain
 Kelly and the crew.
 It is understood that the Fidus car ried 2.100 cases of choice Scotch whiske. from Bermuda and that is what we wan , to find out. The vessel failed to show on her manifest any cargo and afte questioning by customs agents, it was de cided to take her into port and ques : ton the crew."
 Federal agents said they believed tn
 name John Kelly fictitious and tha : the captains real name was M. Stanle, Clarke of Brooklyn, intimated there wa
 a possibility that there might be brough
 against her ctptain charge of wearin
 an ensign's uniform illegally. Kelly 1. who claimed at one time to have serv .
 was wearing a naval uniform.
 "All I had was cap that resemble an ensign's head piece" he told report
 CTS.
 Kelly claimed to have been takin liquor to Montreal for a Bermuda win
 merchant who owned the craft, when p , rates on another chaser stole his carg
 and manifest.
 n, The story of the piratcal raid O a Montauk Point was the greatest thrillt that had been brought into port in man a day.
 Kelly" himself told this story: . ''I was assigned by Harry Frith, i, | Hamilton. Bermuda, to bring the vess
 north with a cargo of liquor to Mor f treal, and there see that it was delivere . to MT. Frith's agents.
 While we were on our way nort . with this cargo of 230 cases of Scotc n liquor, another submarine chaser stoI f ped us at point off Montauk, L. r about o'clock Sunday morning. A do - en men boarded our vessel, many of the .- with revolvers, and in less time tha = it takes to tell, I was bound, hand ar > foot. Two hours later my entire hqut l. cargo had been removed. and the oth'
 l submarine chaser was on it's way, bias l. ing a farewell salute to me. n '"The liquor was listed on my man s fest papers, and when I was asked tlI e morning by customs officials for my maj d fest told of the theft of the mamie n papers and the liquor.
 l. ''The reason I did not go to Bos1 T d from Montauk Point was because of u . high sea. I decided to come to Ne7
 York and, take on fuel and make T g port of this piracy
 ,t Kelly said there were numbers n ex-subnnarine chasers plying out of Be > muda as private yachts and connnerci .- craft. l. "Mr.. Frith" he continued, "owns SC
 eral other seA-goiiNg motor boa4s.
 cannot say whether they are in servi
 between Montreal and Bermuda"