Evening star., 1923-01-13
CHARGES FLY FAST
|NPROBE OF JERSEY
COAST RUM DELUGE
Dry Officials Brand Reports
of Liquor Landing ''Wet
Propaganda"
"LAUGHABLE," CUSTOMS
CHIEF SAYS OF DENIAL
T
Disclosures Made Show Thousands
of Cases Were Safely Brought
Ashore in Coup.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associa ted Press.
NEW YORK, January 13.-William
r. Sanders, chief of the inspection
division of the United States customs
service here, which Thursday night
captured four rum runners off the
Jersey coast, today characterized as
"laughable" the denial of prohibi-
tion enforcement agents that there
were rum-running activities of large
proportions off Sandy Hook.
Disclosures Promised.
Mr.. Sanders suited his action to
his words, laughing heartily as he
said: Our capture of four heavily
laden rum runners is all the support
I need to offer. The next day or two
will tell just how great the activities
have been"
Fl. c. Stuart, acting collector of the
port. and Mr.. Sanders chief, yesterday
received report made to him by
Sanders on the previous nights raids
and then dispatched two coast guard
cutters. the Manhattan and Calumet, to
Highlands.
Mr.. Stuart did not attend the confer
eEce hastily called by prohibition Of
ficlalS after word of the rum runners
activities off the Hook became public.
Liquor on DRY, FIagship.
Mr. Stuart declined to be drawn into
any discussion as to the extent of rum
running operations. declaring he was
no more Interested in the subject of
liquor smuggling than he was in the
with which his force is constantly cop
ing.
Unusual activity of the customs de-
partment became noticeable during the
holiday season, when customs agents
Selzed number of cases of liquor
aboard the Hansen, at the time flagship
of the dry navy. This liquor was al
legged to have found its way into the
iansen's hold after the schooner Lin
ME Bell had been raided off the mouth
of Shrewsbury river, near Sandy Hook,
ana some of her cargo turned over
AS a result of this seizure a
number of the Hansens crew dis
appeared after Captain Dizer had
the hidden liquor.
The next word from the Hansen
was that she had been tied up for
engine repairs. while a fleet of rum
with New Year stock of liouor
The Hansen subsequently was trans
ferred to Baltimore and the New
York dry navy was left with only
few launches.
Associated Press Gives Tip.
Rum runners. learning of the
crippled condition of the dry navy.
Immediately became active, and on
Thqrsday Tn rrsd "a. the Associated Press
chored off Sandy Hook and were
being lightered by a great school
of small craft.
John d. Appleby. prohibition zone
chlef FOR New York and New Jersey,
He thanked the Associated Press for
the best tip | have had in a long
time" and said he would arrange TO
go TO Highlands Immediately. A
short time later he interrupted a con-
ference with E. c. YeIlowley, acting
prohibition director for New York
state. TO advise the Associated Press
he had decided not to go, but that he
was ordering to the scene all avail
able chaser craft. The dry Navy's
boats. he said, were then further out
at sea.
Dispatches received today by the
Associated Press from its correspond
ent at Highlands indicated that the
rum fleet had dwindled slightly, but
that two steamers and ten schoon-
ers still were visible off shore. Yes
terday three steamers and nineteen
schooners were reported, but bootleg
ger scouts reported at Highlands last
night that several had sold out their
stock and departed.
Decide to Lay Low.
A high northwest wind today was
kicking up heavy sea. This and a
decision by runners last night to "lay
low until the squall was over" were
attributed rs reasons for the fleet of
small craft not venturing out from
shore.
Observers reported that a tank
steamer and another smaller steamer
of the trawler type were cruising off
shore; that six two-masted schooners
were anchored southeast of Ambrose
Lightship and that four two-masted
schooners had hove to twelve miles
east of Asbury Park.
The decision to LAY low until the
squall is over" was reached at
meeting of a dozen bottle fishermen
in a whisky-packed boathouse at
Highlands, ". j., last night. The de-
-cision apparently expressed the senti-
ment of all the bootleggers in the
community, for the rum fleet of
trucks through Highlands streets
ceased. and representative citizens
declared the little town was "quieter
than it had been for a month";
Counts 1900 Small Boats.D
Despite denia1s of prohibition au-
thorities as to the scope of rum-run-
running activities reported by the
Associated Press, staff correspond
ent who witnessed the period of open
defiance of law reiterated today that