Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-25
S5lO,O|ID IN WHISKY
TAKEN FROM TRAIN
Two Carloads Billed as
Chicken Feed Captured by
Agents in Alexandria.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
ALEXANDRIA, Va, April 25.-Fine
whisky of an estimated retail value
of one-half million dollars was cap
tured here yesterday afternoon by Fed
eral prohibition agents, acting on a
| tip from Charleston, S. c., when they
seized two freight cars in Potomac
| Yards.
The whisky, which consisted of 1000
| gunnysacks, or $4,000 quarts, was
! camoufaged with bags of ground
oyster shells packed over and around
! it, and was billed as scratch feed. 1t
was consigned to New Jersey feed firms.
which firms are believed to be fictitious
Every variety of whisky, champagne
| and even some wine was contained in
the shipment, according to prohibition
men engaged in unloading the two cars
! here today for transfer by truck to a
| Federal warehouse in Washington. One
brand of the whisky was labeled
/ Kings Ransom"
More Found Today.
| Last night the Federal men estimated
| that there were perhaps $4,000 quarts
| in the two cars, worth $125,000 to $780,
| 600, but when the cars were opened
today it was found that about four
times that amount was contained in
| them.
The two cars are thought to have
been loaded at Charleston from ships.
| Special Agent Warren A. Heddens of
| the prohibition unit and an assistant
formed reception committee when the
freight train carrying the two cars
pulled into Potomac Yards late yester-
| day afternoon. They opened the cars
| in the presence of railroad detectives
and after pulling sacks of the oyster
shells away from the door found the
whisky.
One of the cars was S. A. L. 12491
| and was consigned to B. Somonds
Scratch Feed Co. of Jersey City, N. j.
The other was Western Maryland 24620,
consigned to the w. B. Curry Feed Co.,
| Newark, N. j. Both firms are thought
to be fictitious.
Left to Federal Men.
Yard Supt. r. M. Colvin notified
Alexandria police after the seizure was
made and Capt. w. w. Campbell and
Sergt. George Everly responded. Capt.
Campbell decided to allow the Federal
men to handle the entire matter with
out any interference from him and
after conference with Agent Heddens,
since the tip came to the Federal men
and also since they are the highest in
command of prohibition enforcement.
The problem of storing and guarding
the whisky here would also have kept
the local police from handling it.
Last night the cars were re-sealed
and Railroad Detectives c. T. Goods,
G. E. Cannaday and E. c. Sheretz were
assigned to guard them The cars.
which had been a part of R. F. & P.
special freight No. 504, consisting
chiefly OF seaboard shipments, were then
moved to a central portion of the yards
and remained there overnight.
This morning the two cars were
switched to siding of the Mutual Ice
Co. and Federal agents proceeded with
the task of unloading it and trucking
it TO Washington. BY noon approxi-
mately $500 bags had been loaded on
three trucks and one car was not yet
half empty.
Crowd Looks on.
A large crowd gathered around as
the whisky was being unloaded, appar-
| emily in hopes that some would be
broken, but the men handling the
cargo did not seem inclined to drop
any Of it. Most of the day was expected
to be consumed in unloading the cars
similar capture was made here last
| May when car billed as green toma-
toes was captured by Arlington County
police. That capture was caused by
some Of the whisky breaking and the
odor led to the seizure. This whisky
was finally turned over to the Federal
authorities, after being held at Airing
ton for some time.