New Britain herald., 1922-07-28
STILL, EXPLODING,
 '''fS| INJURIES tfI }SSi5(d' 8 POdI'ICE
One May Die, House Burns Down, Flaming Alcohol Spreads Rapidly

New York, July 2s.-A hundred gallon still exploded late yesterday af- ternoon whle policemen of Chief h. spector Lahey's staff and the Jamaica precinct were making raid on the two story frame house at 192 Beau fcrt avenue, Jamaica, The explosion shattered the copper sides of the still and splashed flaming alcohol all over the room, burning six policemen, one of them 50 seriously that he Is ex- pected to die Two other policemen at work removing another still from the house were blown through a eel lar window and badly bruised. The house caught fire and was destroyed before flremen arrived.
 The most seriously hurt Is Detective Louis J. Laut of the chief inspectors staff, whose home Is in 2f22 Ralph street, Ridgewood, Queens. He was badly burned and was also cut by broken glass. Lieut.. Albert Duffy. In command of the raiding party; Bicycle Patrolman Patrick Hannon of the Ja- maica precinct, Detectives Joseph O'Brien and Mounted Patrolman Her bert Wilson, both of the Jamaica sta ton, were also badly burned and were sent to St. Mary's hospital with Laut. Ambulance surgeons attended Detective William c. Seubert, Patrol- man Leonard Smith and Patrolman John Murphy, all of the Jamaica pre- cinct.
 Complaints had been received by the police that a still was being oper- ated at the the Beaufort avenue house, which was occupied by the family of Carmine Pizza.
 Woman With Pistol.
 The detectives said that when they went to the house they saw Plzzas wife seated at a front window with revolver in her lap. Lieut.. Duf1y ana Detective Laut entered the house through a rear cellar window. They said they saw still being operated They went to the first floor where they arrested Pizza and his wife. Mrs. Pizza threatened to shoot them, they said, but before she could pull the trigger the detectives had swung her husband about so that he was be- tween them and the woman and she did not shoot She was disarmeo and placed under arrest.
 Meanwhile the other policemen nao entered the mousse py ."ds ol .i-
 door and had arrested Alexanner Bruno, a real estate operator or zlo liberty avenue, Jamaica, Mrs. Pizza father: his son, Anthony bruno' oooo Beaufort avenue, Woodhaven. anu 1ohn Deflo of 5s West Catherine street. Jamaica. TheQ were chargeo with violating the prohibition enforce nent laws and Mrs. Pizza was charged with assault and with Vio- latine the Sullivan law.
 Big Still Explodes.
 Several of the policemen searcneo the first floor and in one room theS found a hundred gallon still in opera +ion Near by were three small chli- dren of Pizza's Meanwhile Hannah srd Smith had gone into the cellar They had hardly got there ana the three children had hardly been re. moved when the big still on the nrst eoor exploded. Detective Laut was standing close to it and the olazlns .lcohol was sprayed all over his pooy
 Detective Edward Nietzel or the Chief Inspectors office, the only one of the raiding party to escape injury san+ a call for ambulances ana TOT tha fire department, and then hustiea the nrisoners out and into a patrol ,.aaan Several of the injured men. -,ho were not 50 badly hurt, helpeo h,no guard them until other patrolrheh arrived.