Evening star., 1924-04-06
80 TAKEN IN drive
ON BOOTLEGGERS,'
USING BUTLER PLAN
Rich Real Estate Operator
Is Among Accused-31 H.
legally Freed, Is Charge.
SERVANT OF PROMINENT
FAMILY ALSO ARRESTED
Raiders Get 600 Gallons of Liquor.
Scandal in Bonding of
Prisoners Hinted.

Maj. Sullivan yesterday Butler-ized
Washington.
Whether ne asked for advice or re-
ceived it in his recent visit to Phila-
delphia, the Quaker City cleanup and
Washington's city-wide raids yester-
day-planned by Sullivan, Commis-
sioner Oyster and Lieut. o. T. Davis
bore earrnarks of similarity.
Some of the high spots in the raid
were:
Arrest of Morris Levy, wealthy real
estate operator, at 1877 Rock Creek
Church road. on a charge of selling
and illegal possession of liquor.
Release of thirty-one of the fifty
odd prisoners taken at the second
Callan in a manner which U. S. Attor-
ney Peyton Gordon denominated ell
legal" and the initiation of an inves-
tigation of these releases by Depart
ment of Justice operatives.
Hit Butler Arrested.
Arrest of Thomas Rayner, butler
for twenty years to the family of
Mrs. Robert Hit, at present employ
ed by William Hit, 1901 New IIamp-
shire avenue, and the search of a
portion Of the Hit residence for
liquor. The search was fruitless.
More than eighty prisoners were
taken and approximately 500 gallons
or liquor seized in the raids, which
started at o'clock yesterday morn
ing and were continuing in desultory
fashion at midnight.
Levy was arrested at the End
precinct when he was surrendered
by his attorney, Martin J. Mcnamara,
last night at 9 o'clock. Mcnamara
brought several friends in with Levy
and asked j. L Asher, who is the
complainant in the case. to identify
his client Asher picked out Levy
immediately as the man from whom
he had bought liquor. Levy denied
ever having seen Asher before. $1,000
cash bond was provided for Levy's
release.
New Scandal Threatened.
The incidents surrounding the re-
lease of the thirty-one prisoners on
bond approximating $4,000 threaten
a new scandal in police circles. Police,
when asked why Commissioner CalIan
came to the End precinct to conduct
hearings when warrants were sworn
out by Commissioner Macdonald who
held the affidavits and detailed
charges. stated that he was brought
there by "bondsmen" after it was
learned that Macdonald would not
hear cases against first offenders.
Some time ago the Police Court
judges issued orders against bonds
men overwriting their liabilities, and
set twice the assessed valuation of
their property holdings as the amount
Of liabilities they could assume. AS a
result only two or three bondsmen
are qualified to go bond in Police
Court cases
Bondsmen Reap Harvest.
A gentlemen's agreement exists, it
was stated, between Commissioner
Macdonald and the police court,
whereby Macdonald will not hear
cases of first offenders against liquor
laws, which are misdemeanors in the
Jurisdiction Of the police court and
consequently will not assign bonds
in such cases. Since Macdonald was
unavailable, therefore, it was stated,
Commissioner Callan was impressed
into service to authorize bonds in the
cases Bondsmen Immediately began
reaping a harvest which was pro-
hibited them in police court practice.
Those listed as limit liability" men
in police court wrote bonds in Com
missioner Callan's hearings.
The first charge made against the
legality of the hearings was that
there was no complaint or affidavits
before the committing magistrate
when the hearings were initiated.
He was simply told that such and
such a charge was against such and
such a person. Later, when it was
discovered that prohibition agents
had signed no complaints which. ac-
corGing to Assistant District Attor-
ney Hart, are the first essential for a
hearing, efforts were made by per-
sons to get Prohibition Agent Francis
". Hertzig to sign the complaints
after the cases were called