New Britain herald., 1927-01-06
DRY AGENTS BOTH
 CLAIM INNOCENCE
Men Arrested at New London
 Held in S5,00O Bonds
BOTH GO TO NEW YORK
Plan 10 Confer With Prohibition Di- rector Mills with View to Estab- fishing Claims of Innocence. Their
 Story Lacks Corroboration.

New London, Conn, Jan. tPl- With declarations that they will prove themselves entirely innocent of any wrong doing, Clarence NJ. Lovett of Nyack, N. Y, and Alex ander W. Westerlnd, of Brooklyn,
 N. Y, suspended federal prohibition agents, left here for New York today after being released from the county
 jail when bonds of s5,0oO were fur nished for each by a New York surety company. The two, with nine other men, were arrested by state police at Groton early yesterday when liquor believed worth s250,- Sedans were seized.
 Attorney Morris Lubchansky, rep
 resenting the suspended federal agents, and seven Of the other men who are being held under bonds Of
 s5,000, stated today that Loveatt and Westerlind have gone to New York to confer with Federal Prohibition Director Chester P. Mills with a view
 to establishing their innocence. Others Seek Bonds
 Arrangements were under way to provide bonds for several of the oth-
 CT men held, but at a late hour their
 release had not been effected.
 State police and Groton town
 court officials all expressed ignor- ance of the exact source of the cara
 van of liquor today, although the story by the federal agents that the
 liquor came from South Somerset,
 Mass. was generally believed. The agents claim that they seized the ! liquor at the point of revolvers in a raid at South Somerset on a tip re- ceived at New York and that upon making the raid they arrested two i men and were en route to New York with the liquor and prisoners when | arrested by the state police.
 This story still lacked corrobora-
 ton here today. When asked why
 there were no court proceedings at
 South Somerset by the federal agents
 after their claim ed seizures of the
 liquor at that place, Attorney Lub-
 chansky stated that his clients were
 ignorant that such a proceeding was
 required. Loveatt stated yesterday
 that the seizure by Westerlind and
 himself was part of big liquor con-
 spiracy case at New York and that
 in view of that fact the evidence was
 for the New York courts, and more details could not be revealed at this ! time.
 At a preliminary hearing in the Groton town court yesterday before Judge C.. c. Costello, Loyeatt and Westerlind expressed amazement
 that they should be held and en- phatically declared that they were performing their duty as federal agents when arrested by the state police. Attorney Lubchansky re- quested a continuance of the case
 until January IT with bonds to be set at S1,000. Acting Prosecuting
 Attorney Harry Brogan stated that bonds should be fixed at s5,000 as ordered by Judge Costello.
 The theory entertained by coast guard authorities that the liquor
 might possibly have been smuggled
 ashore from the steamer Matthew, now detained at New Bedford by
 custom authorities following seizure by the coast guard Tuesday, was
 partly dissipated today when reports from Halifax, N. S, indicated that the Matthew cleared that port with a general cargo and 2,000 cases of
 whiskey. The liquor confiscated hy the sttae police consist of large
 quantities Of Belgium alcohol. bar rels of whiskey and a choice as- sortment of brandy. gin and cham pagn. The Matthew was seized by the coast guard when her hatches were found open and papers found
 to call for cargo of liquor.