Evening star., 1927-03-10
H|-JACK|NG PROBE
IS STILL SECRET
Police Admit Van Was Stolen,
But Profess Ignorance of
Alleged Liquor Theft.


Four Transportation Co. truck, or
Twenty ninth street early Tuesday
while it's crew of four men
were having cup of coffee nearby
was being continued today by detec-
tives, who Were strangely silent in
connection with reports that the truck
a cargo of choice liquor be-
ing transported under government per-
init frcm Bryn Mawr. Pa, to a point
in Maryland
The police also refused to name the
owner of the trucks cargo, while of
ffcials of the Big Four Co. declined to
answer any questions, referring all in
quirerS TO police headquarters.
While police yesterday were mysteri-
ously quiet even about discussing the
theft of the truck, they admitted to-
day that the truck had been stolen.
But they professed to know nothing
about the report that it contained
liquor.
Three Men Are Held.
Three men are under arrest---held
in connection with the
These three are Clarence Allen Bar.
Der of 1926 Thirty-first street, George
Reed and Rush w. Chamberlain, both
of Ballston. Va.
Barber, it is understood. was sup
posed to be the watcher of the
truck while the others went to get
the coffee. 1t had been reported to
police originally that he was overpow-
cred by hijackers, who stole the truck
and later burned 1t on the Marlboro
Pike between Centerville and Mead
ows, Md. Police refuse to state who
Reed and Chamberlain are.
President w. w. Hall of the Big
Four Co., today stated that the police
knew the name of the owner of the
liquor and pushed Off all inquiries by
referring the questioners to the police.
Says He Saw Liquor Permit
While police denied knowledge of
the existence of liquor, however, Rob-
ert Ryon of Centerville. Nd, who was
at the scene of the early morning fire
Tuesday when the truck was burned
on the Maryland road, stated today
that he was shown a permit for the
of liquor by investiga.
tors calling on him for information
Tuesday afternoon in connection with
the fire. 1t was shown to him in a
manner that concealed the name of
the person to whom it was issued, and
he remembered noting that it called
for safe transportation of five cases
OF rye, five cases of gin, a quantity Of
champagne and other choice liquors
he did not remember.
According to a story known to have
been given to police, but which they
rafnGn ha xxzoC
ing from Bryn Mawr, Pa, under Gov
ernment permit, supposedly to point
in Maryland.
At Laurel Md, j., r. Anderson,
manager of the Big Four Company,
the three men under arrest, and a
man named Sykes, met the truck, to
see that it reached the District safely.
1t did. Relieved after the trip over
the road, the group stopped to get
coffee. So Barber was left to watch
the truck, while the other four went
for the coffee.
Believe Truck Unguarded.
Checking up on the next angle of
the recital, the detectives proved to
their satisfaction last night that the
first report received Of the occur
renee, which said a bag was thrown
over Barber's head by hi-jackers who
made away with the truck after ty-
ing him hand and foot, was not sup
ported by any substantial evidence.
The police thereupon decided to dis
count this phase Of the account of the
theft of the truck and to proceed
upon the theory, for investigation
purposes. that not only the four orig
inally reported to have gone after
the coffee, but the fifth member OF
the party also had left the truck I'M
guarded for about half an hour, dur
ing which time it was stolen.
: The party of Ave, it was made clear,
was composed of two guards, a chauf.
feur, a worker and Mr.. Anderson, who
was in supervision of the transporta-
tion.
This officially empty truck then
became the goal of a feverish search.
Mr.. Anderson and others in the party,
in their anxiety to locate it without
reporting it stolen in the first IN
stance, according to police, rushed to
the foot of Good Hope hill, where
Policeman Dave Crouch was on duty,
and asked him whether he had seen
anything of such a truck. He was
not told that it had been stolen.
Truck Found i'm Flames.
The truck was found by residents
of the countryside near Centervllle en-
quilted in flames and deserted early
Tuesday morning. 1t had been aban-
doned. A gasoline can which had evil
IDENTIFY been burned in the fire was
found nearby and a cap for it, un-
harmed by flames and not rusty; was
found near the roadside.
Shortly after Arthur Frye and Mr..
Ryon and others of the neighborhood
arrived on the scene, a party or
Washingtonians drove up. one OF
whom stated he was Mr.. Anderson the
owner of the truck. They had arrived
too late to check the fire.
Detective Fowler went over this
territory today and found the gasoline
can, bringing it back as evidence.
Police had learned Of the visit of the
truck early Tuesday morning to ga
rage at Twelfth and NJ street, by per-
sons who said their supply of gasoline
was low and who procured two gallons
in a can on which they left a deposit.
An endeavor to have the can found
near the scene identified by persons
at the garage will be made by Fowler
as well as an effort to obtain descrip-
tons of the persons visiting it at the
time.
1t is believed from information OBJ
tanned from Mr.. Ryon and Paul ID.
Taymon of Meadows, Nd, who were
on the road over which the truck
passed early Tuesday morning, that
a small sedan they noted following
il afforded those who were on the
the truck a means of leaving the
scene of the fire. Taymon saw the
automobile following the truck near
the District line. he said, while Ryon
had Just passed it and was topping
a nearby hill on the road away from
the scene when he caught sight of
the blaze and turned back. When
he arrived on the scene, the first to
appear, he said the truck had, been
absolutely deserted and that there
was nothing in the truck except
padding, such as is used to protect