The New York herald., 1922-02-22
'B0OTLEGGER' RAIDS
LARGE HOOCH PLANT
Dry Agent Posing as a Wet
Gets Easy Entry Into
MOOnshine Stills.
100000 WORTH SEIZED
Denatured Alcohol Costing 72
Cents Is Turned Into SO
a Gallon Booze.
100000 WORTH SEIZED

Prohibition agents who made u raid
on a three story building at 235 East
Flfty-eighth street yesterday said they
were confident they had uncovered one
Of the biggest sources of dangerous
liquor IN the city. The plant. situated
in what was formerly a stable. was OPP
Grated by two chauffeurs and plumb
er's helper. who were distributing daily
about 400 quarts of denatured alcohol
which had been put through a process
OF redistillation The stuff seized had
4 bootleg value of about 100000.
The place had been watched for sew
oral days. Yesterday General Agent
Peter Reager went to the plant and
introduced himself as a bootlegger who
wanted to obtain a regular supply of
alcohol. He passed inspection and was
shown over the plant.
On the ground floor were 1875 barrels OF
denatured alcohol, containing fifty gal
Ions each. This alcohol was pumped
up to the third floor as needed, where
the agents found three fifty gallon
stills, two Of which they said We're in
Ground floor there we're eighty five
gallon cans of the finished product.
Output Is Called Poisonous.
At prohibition headquarters it was
said that the output of the plant proba-
bly, had not been At for consumption.
and that even 4 chemist who knows
what he is doing is not always success
fu in removing the poisonous elements
from denatured alcohol.
When Reager had seen everything he
called General Agents All Thomas and
Daniel Callahan and together they ar
rested George Lebonitte of 40 East
Twenty-eighth street. Frank Lebinette
Of 237 Eaast Twenty-eighth street and
Stamatis Calls of 441 Third avenue.
Frank I4ebonitte. according to the
agents, made the deliveries for the
plant, which is believed to have sup
piled numerous cheap saloons in Man
haitian. Lebonitte told them he had
been gassed while a member of the
Seventy-seventh Division and that be-
fore his discharge he received instruc-
tion as chauffeur. He said he had
been working for $50 week at the
plant since last October delivering it's
product.
The denatured alcohol which the
plant Is said TO have been redistilling
costs 72 cents a gallon. The diluted
and redistilled product sells for SO a
gallon.
day" declared Ralph A. Day. State pro-
hibition director 's the sort of stuff
YOU are likely TO get when you buy
drink to-day, no matter where you buy
II. Labels on liquor don't mean any
thing at all any more"
Raid no Little Club.
Alvin Reinhardt and Walter Cheat
ham. Federal prohibition agents. decided
TO be college boys last night and visited
the Little Club in West Forty-fourth
street where they gave a few cheers and
then instructed the waiter Nicholas
Collie. of 32S West Ninety-sixth street,
TO keep up their spirits by libations.
The waiter complied, it was said. by
supplying a pint Of liquor. for which he
wanted $40.
Instead Of paying over the money. the
agents seized Cole and the bottle and
then sought the manager Henry Wall
Oft of 3495 Broadway. The arrests were
carried out quietly, but the report
spread among the ~1ests that Federal
agents were present, and there was
Hutter of excitement At the West
Forty-seventh street station Cole was
charged with selling liquor and Valloft
with maintaining "A nuisance.