The New York herald., 1922-08-31
DRYS TO PROSECUTE
RIVAL POLICEMAN
Bluecoat Accused After Fight
ing U. s. Agent for Priv
ilege of Arrest.
CATROw MOTION FAILS
Former Prohibition Director
Must Stand Trial-Hahn
Crew Denies Spree.

The simultaneous seizure Of truck
load of liquor In East Seventy-fifth
street by the police and Federal authori-
ties yesterday afternoon developed
physical encounters with revolver
fourishes and an ensuing legal battle
which will be continued in the courts
to-day.
Honors rest momentarily with the
police. but the Federal authorities intend
to press the case and expect to have the
patrolman brought before United States
Commissioner Hitchcock this morning to
be arraigned on a charge Of interfering
with the duties of a Federal agent. The
prohibition officer was also advised to
enter a charge OF felonious assault
against the policeman.
The trouble occurred in front of the
Warehouse of the Medico Distributing
Company at 432 East Seventy-fifth
street, and the object of interest on the
part of the opposing forces was harm
less looking truck loaded with fifty cases
of domestic whisky valued at approx
mately $4,000 Prohibition Agent Dan
lei Kenneally declared he first spied the
wagon at Tenth avenue and Fortieth
street and followed IL uptown.
A Dry Repulse.
He was standing in a doorway cogi-
tating upon a plan of action when Pa
trolman John Sasek. in plain clothes,
swung into view. The patrolman ar
rested Julius Lisman. the driver. Ken
neatly protested, claiming a priority
right to the arrest. This led to fight
with Sasek, In which Sasek retained the
prisoner
Sasek took the prisoner before Magis-
trate John McGeehan in the Yorkville
court when Palmer S. Garfield, head of
the legal division of the New York pro-
hibition office, arrived to insist that LIS
man be turned over to the Federal au-
thorities. The Magistrate said 1t would
not be possible to turn the prisoner over
to anybody since he had been held in
$500 bail for examination September 5.
Garfield left the court declaring he
would have Sasek arraigned before Com
missioner Hitchcock in the morning. In
the meantime the prisoner remains in
the custody of the police and the seized
liquor was taken to Police Headquarters
awaiting the outcome of the various
legal steps.
William II. Anderson. State Supern-
tendent of the Anti-Saloon League. re-
fused yesterday an invitation from the
Association Against the Prohibition
Amendment to debate the question Can
Prohibition Be Enforced?"
Catrow Case stands.
Judge Augustus N. Hand In the
United States District Court yesterday
overruled the demurrer interposed by
Col. Herbert C. Catrow, formerly assist
ant pohibition directo, to the indictment
charging Catrow with conspiring TO de-
fraud the Government by means of i'm
properly withdrawn permits for the re-
moval of liqu-r. Judge Hand sus-
tanned tho demurrer of the Hill & Hill
Distilling Company Of Baltimore on the
ground that the corporation was not
concerned In the offense.
A denial was made at prohibition
headquarters of the report from Provi
dence that several members Of the crew
of the prohibition boat Hahn had been
discovered hilariously drunk while
guarding the British schooner Marina.
seized off Block Island last week
Several hotels and inns In Lake Ho-
patcong were entered yesterday by pro-
hibition agents operating from Newark.
and a considerable quantity of whisky.
gin and beer was seized and confscated.
1t took ten policemen. one sergeant
and two detectives to convince John
Brecker. proprietor or Hungarian
restaurant at 442 East Seventy-eighth
street, that he was under arrest for
violation of the Mullan-Gage law last
night. Detective McNulty and COM
panion caught sight of a bottle of
whisky standing on one OF the tables
and after testing 1t informed Brecker he
was under arrest. He refused to take
the announcement seriously