New-York tribune., 1922-04-07
Four Captured
As $2,0OO,OOO
Opium Looters
Shots Halt Two in Taxi
With 100000 Worth Of
Drug Relieved Stolen
From Bonded Warehouse
Office Boy a Detective
Trails Third Man Said to
Have Been Co-Beiwecn.
Then Phones for Police

The theft Of about $20OO,000 worth
from a bonded warehouse became
known last night following the arrest
OF four men who are charged with
illegal possession of the drug. One hun
dred pounds Of opium similar to the
high quality drug that was stolen is
said to have been found in taxcab b
occupied by two OF the prisoners which
detectives stopped in Chatham Square
with revolver shots.
The prisoners said they were vii
liam Sardo. an ostcopath. Of 23l Wcat
FiftY-seven Street; Themis PavIowa
proprietor Of an embroidery shop AT
IA West Thirty fourth Street; Mich
olas karraca. manager of the Adelphi
Hotel. Twcnty-third street and Tenth
Avenue. and Stephen Balls, waiter in
the stock Exchange Restaurant
Left Boxes of Stones
il is several months since the theft
o. the opium was discovered and most
Of it is thought to have been d;sposed
Of long ago by the thieves. Apparently
with tine conniVancc Of the drivers ia
ing thc trucks from tho warehouse
they stole box after box OF o0ium
Substituting similar boxes which were
Glled with stoNea. The stone-Gl]cd
boxes werc taken to the destination o;
the opium cases and in some instances
the substitution was not discovered FOR
weeks. In tn way sll but about S40O.
600 worth Of S240O 900 shjnmcut n
opium vanished.
VII !iiam II Williams, chief Of the
special agents Of the Treasury Depart
men'. was unable to trace the stolen
drug an dcallcd on Carleton Simon
Spccial Deputy Police Commissioners
Who assigned Detectives Waitword and
Addc yto the case. Williams main
tanned his interest in ii and so did his
seventecn-yearold Office boy. William
Smith. IT was largely due to the alert
ness Of young William Smith that Paw
'owa was arrested IN his embroidery
shop.
Waitword and Addey met Pavowa
Sardo, karraca and Balls and say that
sealed between them at the Adelphi
Hotel with the deposit Of $500 by the
detectives. The drug Was to be de-
ivcrcd. the detectives say. at Mott
Street and Chatham Square at $50
n m. yesterday.
Detectives Start Shooting
Inc detectives were there. SO was
William Smith. A taxicab approached
The detectives saw that Sardo and Bal
lis we're in it and stepped to The curb.
PavloWa was to have met them there
too, but had not showed up and the
pair in the taxi seemed to be unwilling
to halt in his absence They were
driving past when the detectives drew
their rcvolvcrs and fred in the air.
That brought the vehicle to a stop.
Its occupants were arrested and pack
ages said to contain 100 pounds of
opium, valued at street prices at about
$50 600 were seized.
William Smith was more keenlv in
terested than any of the several hun
ored spectators in the arrest of the
pair. but the spectacular event did not
blind him to his duty. AS the taxicab
approached the rendezvous, he had
caught sight Of Pavlowa coming up
afoot, it is alleged The latter van
ishcd at the sound of the revolver
shots and after him vanished William
Smith. the boy detective.
BY the time Waitword and Addey
had taken their prisoners to the Gus
torn House. young William Smitn wss
on the telephone, telling just where
Pavowa could be found. He was in
his embroidery shop and was still there
when the detectives called. On their
way back to the Custom House they
stopped at the Adelphi Hotel and ar
rested karraca.